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Testing evolutionary theories of menopause.

Daryl P Shanley1, Rebecca Sear, Ruth Mace

  • 1Henry Wellcome Laboratory for Biogerontology Research, Institute for Ageing and Health, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 6BE, UK. dary.shanley@ncl.ac.uk

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|September 20, 2007
PubMed
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Menopause in women, an evolutionary puzzle, may offer protection to mothers and enhance inclusive fitness through grandmothering. This study in The Gambia provides crucial data supporting the evolutionary significance of menopause and grandmothers.

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Human reproductive science
  • Anthropology

Background:

  • Menopause occurs abruptly in women long before general aging limits child-rearing.
  • Two hypotheses: maternal mortality risk reduction and grandmother hypothesis (inclusive fitness).
  • Theoretical models suggest both factors are needed for menopause's evolutionary advantage.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To test evolutionary hypotheses of menopause using real-life data.
  • To quantitatively assess the effects of menopause on fitness.
  • To investigate the evolutionary significance of menopause and grandmothers.

Main Methods:

  • Utilized a comprehensive dataset from The Gambia, representing natural human life histories.
  • Collected quantitative estimates for key parameters of theoretical menopause models.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Performed empirically based numerical analysis to evaluate fitness effects.

    • Main Results:

    • The study provided quantitative data essential for testing menopause evolutionary theories.
    • Analysis supported the significant role of menopause in human evolution.
    • Results indicated strong support for the grandmother hypothesis and its contribution to inclusive fitness.

    Conclusions:

    • Menopause plays a distinctive and potentially unique role in human evolution.
    • The presence of post-reproductive grandmothers significantly enhances inclusive fitness.
    • Empirical data analysis is crucial for understanding the evolutionary enigma of menopause.