Energetic and Immune Consequences of Fatherhood in a Biparental Mammal

University Of California-Riverside, Riverside CA

Investigators

Abstract

Reproduction is an energetically expensive process and therefore can lead to impairments in health and survival. In mammals the costs and tradeoffs, including reduced growth, impaired immune function, and lower life expectancy, have been mainly studies and associated with females and maternal care. In some mammals, including humans, males/fathers also provide extensive care for their offspring; however, the consequences for fathers of providing paternal care has not been well studied. Therefore, this research will investigate the effects of fatherhood on blood hormone levels, body composition (fat and lean mass), energy utilization, exercise performance, and immune function in the California mouse, a monogamous rodent in which both parents engage in extensive parental behavior. Behavioral, morphological, and physiological measures will be compared between males housed with a breeding female and males housed with a female that has been surgically neutered. Because the consequences of fatherhood might be exacerbated by stress, half of the animals will be housed under standard laboratory conditions and the other half under cold conditions. The results will identify the effects of parenthood on behavior, morphology and physiology in fathers, and will further indicate whether such effects differ with the animals' age, reproductive experience, or stress. These results will provide novel insights into the biology of paternal care and may have important implications for understanding parenting in humans. In addition, this research will contribute to the training of numerous graduate and undergraduate students, a substantial number of whom will be underrepresented minorities and/or socioeconomically disadvantaged.