Open AccessA milk-sharing economy allows placental mammals to overcome their metabolic limits
Author(s) -
Paola Cerrito,
Jeffrey K. Spear
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011
H-Index - 771
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2114674119
Subject(s) - sociality , domestication , abundance (ecology) , litter , resource (disambiguation) , biology , selection (genetic algorithm) , offspring , evolutionary biology , ecology , computer science , artificial intelligence , genetics , pregnancy , computer network
Significance Here, we demonstrate that a naturally evolving behavior (allonursing) has greater effect on reproductive power (mass per unit of time) and output (litter mass at birth) than does artificial selection (domestication). Additionally, we demonstrate the importance of resource optimization afforded by sociality (rather than resource abundance per se) in shaping a species’ life history profile and its ability to overcome its own physiological constraints.