Maternally mediated effects of early-life adversity on offspring trajectories in mandrills

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Female mammals bear the bulk of the costs of reproduction because of their exclusive investment in gestation and lactation as well as their typically much higher parental investment. However, mothers differ in many traits that are known to affect infant development and fitness. Of particular interest in this context are recent studies reporting negative effects of maternal early-life adversities for their own offspring, but these inter-generational maternal effects have so far only been detailed in baboons and preliminary results from a few other studies yielded heterogeneous results. In this project, we will test predictions of two sets of questions in a group of mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) with about 300 individually known members to illuminate details of this inter-generational transmission: 1) What is the relative importance of adverse early-life effects experienced by mothers as well as maternal condition, stress, experience and rank in generating interindividual variation in maternal care and style? 2) What are the consequences of variation in maternal care and style for the social and physical development as well as the fitness determinants of their offspring? To address these questions, I will combine behavioral observations with demographic, physiological and climate data, the bulk of which is already available as part of routine data collection in this long-term project. Additional data during the upcoming years will be collected as part of a PhD project. This project will yield important comparative data and new insights into the causes and consequences of variation in maternal care that should be of interest far beyond the field of animal behavior.