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Polygyny, Kin Selection and the Origins of Later-Life Frailty

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 November 2010

Michael J. Stones  and
Albert Kozma
Michael J. Stones
Affiliation:
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Albert Kozma
Affiliation:
Memorial University of Newfoundland
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Abstract

A kin selection model is offered as a feasible alternative to existing formulations of the evolutionary origins of later-life frailty. An assumption made was that reproductive patterns among early human kind were of a polygynous nature, reflecting a compromise of optimal reproductive strategies between males and females. Two general characteristics of polygyny are a delayed reproductive onset for males and an accumulation of wives by older males. The model proposes that paternal frailty occasions the demise of paternal assets to male heirs, which translates into an earlier reproductive onset for those heirs. Quantification of the model demonstrates its potentiality to account for the spread of genes for frailty through kin selection.

Résumé

Présentation d'un modèle de sélection par la filiation capable de remplacer l'actuelle explication évolutive de la débilité sénile. Il est présupposé que l'activité reproductrice de l'humanité naissante était de nature polygynique, compromis entre les capacités de reproduction optimales chez l'homme et la femme. Sont caractéristiques de la polygynie l'apparition tardive de la reproduction chez l'homme et la monopolisation des femmes par les hommes âgés. Selon le modèle proposé, la débilité du père entraîne la cession des biens paternels aux fils, ce qui signifie que ceux-ci commencent à se reproduire plus tôt. La quantification du modèle démontre son aptitude à rendre compte de la transmission des gènes de la débilite ṕar la filiation.

Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 1 , Issue 1-2 , September 1982 , pp. 38 - 42
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 1982

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