Mathematical Biology Seminar
Peter Kim, University of Sydney
Kristen Hawkes, University of Utah
Monday, October 28, 2019
3:05pm in LCB 225
Evolution of human longevity, menopause, and sex conflict with grandmothering
Abstract: Human post-menopausal longevity makes us unique among primates, but how did it evolve? The Grandmother Hypothesis proposes that as ancient Africa become more arid, it became harder for juveniles to acquire food without adult help. As a result, older females improved survival and number of descendants by assisting grandchildren. This new evolutionary opportunity favoured increased longevity while maintaining the ancestral end of female fertility.
We develop an agent-based model and then a partial differential equation model that allow mutation of longevity and age of menopause and accounts for mating and grandmother help. Using these models, we show how the grandmother effect could have driven the evolution of human longevity while keeping a lower, great-ape-like end of female fertility. Then, to investigate the effect of male fitness tradeoffs, we also investigate the evolutionary fitness landscape that results from sex conflict, which occurs when males and females have different evolutionary optima. These models reveal new questions in modelling primate evolution.
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