Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Analysis of Electrocardiograms and Behavior in Mice from Pregnancy to Lactation Period
Published on: April 5, 2024
The adaptive significance of maternal effects
1Dept of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
Abstract:
Recently, the adaptive significance of maternal effects has been increasingly recognized. No longer are maternal effects relegated as simple `troublesome sources of environmental resemblance' that confound our ability to estimate accurately the genetic basis of traits of interest. Rather, it has become evident that many maternal effects have been shaped by the action of natural selection to act as a mechanism for adaptive phenotypic response to environmental heterogeneity. Consequently, maternal experience is translated into variation in offspring fitness.
More Related Videos
06:39Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
Published on: June 13, 2021
09:09Generating a Reproducible Model of Mid-Gestational Maternal Immune Activation using Poly(I:C) to Study Susceptibility and Resilience in Offspring
Published on: August 17, 2022
Related Concept Videos
Regression Toward the Mean
Natural Selection and Adaptation
Beyond physical adaptations, psychological...
Parental Care
Genomic Imprinting and Inheritance
The expression of some genes depends on which parent passed the gene to the offspring, through a phenomenon known as...
Nondisjunction
Natural Selection and Mating Preferences
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing, inherently...