Maternal Effects in Mammals

Maternal Effects in Mammals
Author: Dario Maestripieri
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2009-08-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0226501221
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Evolutionary maternal effects occur whenever a mother’s phenotypic traits directly affect her offspring’s phenotype, independent of the offspring’s genotype. Some of the phenotypic traits that result in maternal effects have a genetic basis, whereas others are environmentally determined. For example, the size of a litter produced by a mammalian mother—a trait with a strong genetic basis—can affect the growth rate of her offspring, while a mother’s dominance rank—an environmentally determined trait—can affect the dominance rank of her offspring. The first volume published on the subject in more than a decade, Maternal Effects in Mammals reflects advances in genomic, ecological, and behavioral research, as well new understandings of the evolutionary interplay between mothers and their offspring. Dario Maestripieri and Jill M. Mateo bring together a learned group of contributors to synthesize the vast literature on a range of species, highlight evolutionary processes that were previously overlooked, and propose new avenues of research. Maternal Effects in Mammals will serve as the most comprehensive compendium on and stimulus for interdisciplinary treatments of mammalian maternal effects.

The Epigenetic Transmission of Maternal Effects in Mammals

The Epigenetic Transmission of Maternal Effects in Mammals
Author: Kevin Morey
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2018
Genre:
ISBN:
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Epigenetic maternal effects are being studied in laboratories at an exponentially increasing rate and have routinely been found to have consequences on the physiological and behavioural function of mammalian offspring. Despite this wealth of knowledge, our understanding of how epigenetic maternal effects impact free-living animals within natural ecosystems is comparatively non-existent. Here, I examine laboratory epigenetic maternal effects literature from the last decade with a perspective informed by an eco-evolutionary framework and found that the type and timing of maternal effects influences the extent of offspring DNA methylation in mammals. Additionally, I use an innovative experimental field manipulation to assess the epigenetic maternal effects of stress in free-living North American red squirrels and found inherent sex-specific differences in Nr3c1 and Pomc gene expression of red squirrel offspring despite no effect of maternal stress. Together, these studies highlight the importance of integrating evolutionary, ecophysiological, and molecular theory when studying epigenetic maternal effects.

Maternal Effects As Adaptations

Maternal Effects As Adaptations
Author: Timothy A. Mousseau
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 390
Release: 1998-06-18
Genre: Science
ISBN: 0195344405
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Mothers have the ability to profoundly affect the quality of their offspring--from the size and quality of their eggs to where, when, and how eggs and young are placed, and from providing for and protecting developing young to choosing a mate. In many instances, these maternal effects may be the single most important contributor to variation in offspring fitness. This book explores the wide variety of maternal effects that have evolved in plants and animals as mechanisms of adaptation to temporally and spatially heterogeneous environments. Topics range from the evolutionary implications of maternal effects to the assessment and measurement of maternal effects. Four detailed case studies are also included. This book represents the first synthesis of the current state of knowledge concerning the evolution of maternal effects and their adaptive significance.

Maternal Control of Development in Vertebrates

Maternal Control of Development in Vertebrates
Author: Florence Louise Marlow
Publisher: Morgan & Claypool Publishers
Total Pages: 221
Release: 2010
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 161504051X
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Eggs of all animals contain mRNAs and proteins that are supplied to or deposited in the egg as it develops during oogenesis. These maternal gene products regulate all aspects of oocyte development, and an embryo fully relies on these maternal gene products for all aspects of its early development, including fertilization, transitions between meiotic and mitotic cell cycles, and activation of its own genome. Given the diverse processes required to produce a developmentally competent egg and embryo, it is not surprising that maternal gene products are not only essential for normal embryonic development but also for fertility. This review provides an overview of fundamental aspects of oocyte and early embryonic development and the interference and genetic approaches that have provided access to maternally regulated aspects of vertebrate development. Some of the pathways and molecules highlighted in this review, in particular, Bmps, Wnts, small GTPases, cytoskeletal components, and cell cycle regulators, are well known and are essential regulators of multiple aspects of animal development, including oogenesis, early embryogenesis, organogenesis, and reproductive fitness of the adult animal. Specific examples of developmental processes under maternal control and the essential proteins will be explored in each chapter, and where known conserved aspects or divergent roles for these maternal regulators of early vertebrate development will be discussed throughout this review. Table of Contents: Introduction / Oogenesis: From Germline Stem Cells to Germline Cysts / Oocyte Polarity and the Embryonic Axes: The Balbiani Body, an Ancient Oocyte Asymmetry / Preparing Developmentally Competent Eggs / Egg Activation / Blocking Polyspermy / Cleavage/ Mitosis: Going Multicellular / Maternal-Zygotic Transition / Reprogramming: Epigenetic Modifications and Zygotic Genome Activation / Dorsal-Ventral Axis Formation before Zygotic Genome Activation in Zebrafish and Frogs / Maternal TGF-β and the Dorsal-Ventral Embryonic Axis / Maternal Control After Zygotic Genome Activation / Compensation by Stable Maternal Proteins / Maternal Contributions to Germline Establishment or Maintenance / Perspective / Acknowledgments / References

Parental Care in Mammals

Parental Care in Mammals
Author: David J. Gubernick
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 471
Release: 2013-11-11
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1461331501
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The editors of this volume have honored me by their invitation to write its Fore word, an invitation extended because of my editing a book on the maternal behav ior of mammals in 1963. Much as I would like to think that I had opened a new area of study-and so played some part in the appearance of this fine new collec tion of chapters-the facts are quite otherwise. That in 1963 I could assemble the efforts of many distinguished investigators shows that the topic had already engaged their attention, and had for some years past. But even then, the topic had origins extending much farther into the past, to mention only Wiesner and Sheard's book Maternal Behavior in the Rat of 1933. Nevertheless, in 1963 it seemed to me that the study of maternal care in mammals had lagged behind the study of other kinds of social behavior. The present volume does much to establish parental care of the young as a topic central to an understanding of the relation between ontogeny and phylogeny, to the development of the young, to the social organization of the species, and to its preservation. It may now be seen not only as interesting but as a most signifi cant pattern of behavior among mammals.

Oxytocin, Vasopressin and Related Peptides in the Regulation of Behavior

Oxytocin, Vasopressin and Related Peptides in the Regulation of Behavior
Author: Elena Choleris
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 409
Release: 2013-04-11
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0521190355
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A comparative overview of the effects of neuropeptides on behavior, examining parallel findings in both humans and non-human animals.

Guidelines for the Care and Use of Mammals in Neuroscience and Behavioral Research

Guidelines for the Care and Use of Mammals in Neuroscience and Behavioral Research
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 223
Release: 2003-08-22
Genre: Science
ISBN: 030916785X
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Expanding on the National Research Council's Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, this book deals specifically with mammals in neuroscience and behavioral research laboratories. It offers flexible guidelines for the care of these animals, and guidance on adapting these guidelines to various situations without hindering the research process. Guidelines for the Care and Use of Mammals in Neuroscience and Behavioral Research offers a more in-depth treatment of concerns specific to these disciplines than any previous guide on animal care and use. It treats on such important subjects as: The important role that the researcher and veterinarian play in developing animal protocols. Methods for assessing and ensuring an animal's well-being. General animal-care elements as they apply to neuroscience and behavioral research, and common animal welfare challenges this research can pose. The use of professional judgment and careful interpretation of regulations and guidelines to develop performance standards ensuring animal well-being and high-quality research. Guidelines for the Care and Use of Mammals in Neuroscience and Behavioral Research treats the development and evaluation of animal-use protocols as a decision-making process, not just a decision. To this end, it presents the most current, in-depth information about the best practices for animal care and use, as they pertain to the intricacies of neuroscience and behavioral research.

Quantitative Genetics in the Wild

Quantitative Genetics in the Wild
Author: Anne Charmantier
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 293
Release: 2014
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 019967423X
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This book gathers the expertise of 30 evolutionary biologists from around the globe to highlight how applying the field of quantitative genetics - the analysis of the genetic basis of complex traits - aids in the study of wild populations.

Marine Mammals Ashore

Marine Mammals Ashore
Author: Joseph R. Geraci
Publisher: National Aquarium in Baltimore
Total Pages: 386
Release: 2005
Genre: Marine mammals
ISBN: 0977460908
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Comprehensive manual for understanding and carrying out marine mammal rescue activities for stranded seals, manatees, dolphins, whales, or sea otters.

Scientific Frontiers in Developmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment

Scientific Frontiers in Developmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment
Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
Total Pages: 348
Release: 2000-12-21
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 0309070864
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Scientific Frontiers in Developmental Toxicology and Risk Assessment reviews advances made during the last 10-15 years in fields such as developmental biology, molecular biology, and genetics. It describes a novel approach for how these advances might be used in combination with existing methodologies to further the understanding of mechanisms of developmental toxicity, to improve the assessment of chemicals for their ability to cause developmental toxicity, and to improve risk assessment for developmental defects. For example, based on the recent advances, even the smallest, simplest laboratory animals such as the fruit fly, roundworm, and zebrafish might be able to serve as developmental toxicological models for human biological systems. Use of such organisms might allow for rapid and inexpensive testing of large numbers of chemicals for their potential to cause developmental toxicity; presently, there are little or no developmental toxicity data available for the majority of natural and manufactured chemicals in use. This new approach to developmental toxicology and risk assessment will require simultaneous research on several fronts by experts from multiple scientific disciplines, including developmental toxicologists, developmental biologists, geneticists, epidemiologists, and biostatisticians.