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Costs of Reproduction Among Rhesus Macaque Females on Cayo Santiago

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Bones, Genetics, and Behavior of Rhesus Macaques

Part of the book series: Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects ((DIPR))

Abstract

Reproduction is energetically costly for mammalian females during the periods of gestation and lactation and, consequently, is likely to be associated with reduced survival (Stearns 1989, 1992 ; Roff 2002), particularly when maternal condition is poor. Higher mortality may be associated with birth-related complications, but it also may be the consequence of elevated circulating levels of cortisol suppressing immune function (see McEwen et al. 1997, for a review). If the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis is hyperactivated in post-partum females during prolonged periods as a result of either the energetic demands of lactation or the associated psychosocial stressors, immune function may become impaired, potentially making females more vulnerable to diseases and to increased risk of mortality.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Richelle Fulks, Geoff Gallice, Bianca Giura, Jake Reeder, and Misael Rivera for assisting with data collection, the staff scientists and census takers of the Caribbean Primate Research Center (CPRC), particularly Elizabeth Maldonado and Edgar Davila, for maintaining the long-term database, and Melissa Gerald, Adaris Mas-Rivera, James Ayala, and the rest of the CPRC staff for providing logistical support and assistance with animal capturing and handling. James Higham, Brian Prendergast, Paul Rathouz, and Angelina Ruiz-Lambides assisted with statistical analysis and interpretation of the data. This study was conducted in accordance with the NIH Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, and the research protocols were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, Medical Sciences Department, University of Puerto Rico. This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grant number R21-AG029862 to D.M) and was made possible by grant number CM-5-P40RR003640 from the NIH National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) to the Caribbean Primate Research Center of the University of Puerto Rico. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NCRR or NIH.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, The University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Avenue MC3077, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA

    Christy L. Hoffman

  2. Department of Comparative Human Development, The University of Chicago, 5730 S. Woodlawn Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA

    Dario Maestripieri

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  1. Christy L. Hoffman
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  2. Dario Maestripieri
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Correspondence to Christy L. Hoffman .

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  1. School of Medicine, Mercer University, College Street 1550, Macon, 31207-0001, Georgia, USA

    Qian Wang

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Hoffman, C.L., Maestripieri, D. (2012). Costs of Reproduction Among Rhesus Macaque Females on Cayo Santiago. In: Wang, Q. (eds) Bones, Genetics, and Behavior of Rhesus Macaques. Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1046-1_10

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