Analyses of ovarian activity reveal repeated evolution of post-reproductive lifespans in toothed whales

Scientific Reports
S EllisD P Croft

Abstract

In most species the reproductive system ages at the same rate as somatic tissue and individuals continue reproducing until death. However, females of three species - humans, killer whales and short-finned pilot whales - have been shown to display a markedly increased rate of reproductive senescence relative to somatic ageing. In these species, a significant proportion of females live beyond their reproductive lifespan: they have a post-reproductive lifespan. Research into this puzzling life-history strategy is hindered by the difficulties of quantifying the rate of reproductive senescence in wild populations. Here we present a method for measuring the relative rate of reproductive senescence in toothed whales using published physiological data. Of the sixteen species for which data are available (which does not include killer whales), we find that three have a significant post-reproductive lifespan: short-finned pilot whales, beluga whales and narwhals. Phylogenetic reconstruction suggests that female post-reproductive lifespans have evolved several times independently in toothed whales. Our study is the first evidence of a significant post-reproductive lifespan in beluga whales and narwhals which, when taken together with the ...Continue Reading

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Citations

Jul 16, 2019·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Luke RendellJanet Mann
Dec 11, 2019·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Stuart NattrassDaniel W Franks
Dec 6, 2019·PLoS Biology·Frédéric ThomasAlexandra Alvergne
Jun 5, 2019·Nature Communications·Hal WhiteheadAndrew Whiten
May 16, 2019·Acta Obstetricia Et Gynecologica Scandinavica·Päivi Polo-Kantola, Markus J Rantala
Oct 23, 2019·BMC Evolutionary Biology·Simon N ChapmanMirkka Lahdenperä
Jul 12, 2020·Scientific Reports·Greg O'Corry-CroweTatiana Ferrer
Oct 20, 2018·Journal of Theoretical Biology·Peter S KimKristen Hawkes
May 30, 2021·Experimental Gerontology·Francisco Alejandro Lagunas-Rangel

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
dissection

Software Mentioned

R
R package “ ape ”
PrR
ggplot2
Phys

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