The Secondary Sex Ratio and Male Mortality at Pre-Reproductive Ages: A Test of Selection In Utero.

IF 1.6 4区医学 Q1 ANTHROPOLOGY

American Journal of Human Biology Pub Date : 2024-10-25 DOI:10.1002/ajhb.24173

Jason Bonham, Ryan Schacht, Ken Smith, Tim A Bruckner

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives: The secondary sex ratio (i.e., the ratio of male to female live births; hereafter referred to as the SSR) falls in populations encountering ambient stressors. Much theory and some empirical work indicates that males born to low SSR cohorts may be "positively selected" in that excess culling in utero may correspond with greater than expected survival among live-born males in that cohort. We extend prior work by testing, in historical Utah, whether the SSR varies positively with male mortality at pre-reproductive ages.

Methods: This study uses detailed records from the Utah Population Database to focus on Utahns born 1850-1940. We use rigorous time-series methods, which control for strong secular declines in mortality as well as ambient perturbations shared equally among males and females, to investigate the male culling inference.

Results: We observe a positive relation between the SSR and male mortality during youth (i.e., 5 to < 20 years; p < 0.05) but not in infancy or early childhood.

Conclusions: In this historical population, the SSR appears to gauge hardiness of surviving male cohorts. However, whether the high fertility and/or family structure context of Latter-day Saints in historical Utah explains the age-specific pattern of male mortality warrants further scrutiny.

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生殖前年龄的第二性比和男性死亡率：宫内选择测试

目标在遭遇环境压力的种群中，第二性别比（即雄性与雌性活产儿的比率，以下简称 SSR）会下降。许多理论和一些实证研究表明，低 SSR 群体中出生的雄性可能会被 "正向选择"，因为子宫内的过度淘汰可能会导致该群体中活产雄性的存活率高于预期。我们通过在历史悠久的犹他州检验 SSR 是否与生殖前年龄段的男性死亡率呈正相关，从而扩展了之前的研究工作：本研究使用犹他州人口数据库的详细记录，重点研究 1850-1940 年出生的犹他州人。我们采用严格的时间序列方法，控制了死亡率的强周期性下降以及男性和女性均摊的环境扰动，以研究男性剔除推论：结果：我们观察到 SSR 与青年时期（即 5 岁至 6 岁）的男性死亡率呈正相关：在这一历史人群中，SSR 似乎可以衡量幸存男性群体的耐受力。然而，历史上犹他州后期圣徒的高生育率和/或家庭结构是否可以解释特定年龄段的男性死亡率模式，还需要进一步研究。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

American Journal of Human Biology 生物-生物学

CiteScore

4.80

自引率

13.80%

发文量

124

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： The American Journal of Human Biology is the Official Journal of the Human Biology Association. The American Journal of Human Biology is a bimonthly, peer-reviewed, internationally circulated journal that publishes reports of original research, theoretical articles and timely reviews, and brief communications in the interdisciplinary field of human biology. As the official journal of the Human Biology Association, the Journal also publishes abstracts of research presented at its annual scientific meeting and book reviews relevant to the field. The Journal seeks scholarly manuscripts that address all aspects of human biology, health, and disease, particularly those that stress comparative, developmental, ecological, or evolutionary perspectives. The transdisciplinary areas covered in the Journal include, but are not limited to, epidemiology, genetic variation, population biology and demography, physiology, anatomy, nutrition, growth and aging, physical performance, physical activity and fitness, ecology, and evolution, along with their interactions. The Journal publishes basic, applied, and methodologically oriented research from all areas, including measurement, analytical techniques and strategies, and computer applications in human biology. Like many other biologically oriented disciplines, the field of human biology has undergone considerable growth and diversification in recent years, and the expansion of the aims and scope of the Journal is a reflection of this growth and membership diversification. The Journal is committed to prompt review, and priority publication is given to manuscripts with novel or timely findings, and to manuscripts of unusual interest.