Losing the Edge: Senescence Schedules and Longevity in Malagasy Rain Forest Primates

了解人类长寿和衰老的进化，得益于更好地了解我们最原始的灵长类亲属中的这些现象。在最近由国家老龄化研究所主办的研讨会上，人类老龄化领域的领导者呼吁对非人类灵长类动物的衰老进行更多的研究。 灵长类动物是如何以及何时变老的？ 越来越多的人知道，长寿并不是人类、猿类甚至猴子所独有的。体型最小的灵长类动物是手狐猴科（鼠狐猴和它们的亲戚），人工饲养的研究表明，鼠狐猴的寿命几乎是大小相同的非灵长类动物（如老鼠或鼩 鼱）的十倍。因此，因为即使是现存的最原始的灵长类动物，与其他目中同样大小的哺乳动物相比，也是长寿的，所以这样的分析开始于我们最遥远的表亲狐猴是至关重要的。这是特别重要的，因为在圈养，某些狐猴被称为发展老年痴呆症样斑块和缠结在老年人。该项目通过研究两种狐猴物种Microcebus rufus（棕鼠狐猴）和Propithecus edwardsi（米尔恩·爱德华兹的狐猴）来寻求这些问题的答案，它们的自然栖息地位于马达加斯加东部的Ranomafana国家公园的一片雨林中。 它们是这个地方体型最小和最大的灵长类动物。该项目使用牙科，激素，行为和实验数据来测试有关衰老演变的各种假设。 一种新的牙齿衰老分析方法将用于测量野生狐猴和鼠狐猴的年龄。 通过检查三个躯体标志：肌肉功能、脑功能和牙齿功能，将在两个物种中测试衰老的相关性。 最后，生殖地标和生殖成功将在年轻和年老的雌性狐猴。这些数据将为人类远亲生殖和躯体衰老的时间提供深入的见解，从而表明人类衰老的各个方面可能具有深刻的进化根源。该项目将吸引各种背景和经验的人，包括来自多个国家（包括美国，芬兰，德国，阿根廷和马达加斯加）的本科生和研究生。 研究小组将与马达加斯加国家公园服务处的工作人员密切合作。 这项研究将设在ValBio中心，该中心雇用了65名马达加斯加当地人作为生物多样性实地技术人员。除了有助于老龄化研究，这项工作将有保护的影响，可用于通知管理计划。

Understanding the evolution of long lifespan and senescence in humans benefits from a better understanding of these phenomena in the most primitive of our primate relatives. At a recent workshop sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, leaders in the field of human aging called for more research on aging in nonhuman primates. How and when do primates become old? Increasingly it is known that long lifespans are not unique to humans, apes, or even monkeys. The smallest-bodied primates are cheirogaleids (mouse lemurs and their relatives) and studies in captivity show that mouse lemurs can live almost ten times longer than like-sized nonprimates such as mice or shrews. Therefore, because even the most primitive of extant primates are long-lived when compared to like-sized mammals in other orders, it is essential that such an analysis begin with our most distant cousins, lemurs. This is particularly important because in captivity, certain lemurs are known to develop Alzheimer's-like plaques and tangles in aged individuals. This project seeks answers to these questions through research focusing on two lemur species Microcebus rufus, the brown mouse lemur, and Propithecus edwardsi, Milne Edwards' sifaka, in their natural habitat in a single rain forest, Ranomafana National Park, eastern Madagascar. These are the smallest- and largest-bodied primates at this location. The project uses dental, hormonal, behavioral and experimental data to test a variety of hypotheses regarding the evolution of senescence. A new method of dental senescence analysis will be used to measure age in wild sifakas and mouse lemurs. Correlates of aging will be tested in both species by examining three somatic landmarks: muscle function, brain function, and dental function. Finally, reproductive landmarks and reproductive success will be examined in both young and old female lemurs. Taken together, these data will provide insights into the timing of reproductive and somatic senescence in distant relatives of humans, thereby indicating aspects of human aging that may have deep evolutionary roots.This project will engage people of a variety of backgrounds and experience, including undergraduates and graduate students from several countries (including the USA, Finland, Germany, Argentina, and Madagascar). The research team will work closely with Madagascar's National Park Service staff. The Centre ValBio at which this study will be based employs 65 local Malagasy people as biodiversity field technicians. In addition to contributing to aging research, this work will have conservation implications that can be used to inform management plans.