Is there a relationship between parental age and offspring sex ratios in meadow voles?

Abstract

Deviations from a 50:50 sex ratio by producing either more sons or daughters can provide fitness benefits for the parents. This is especially true for species where one sex has skewed reproductive success, in most cases males. The factors responsible for these shifts are not fully understood, but some relationships have been uncovered such as parental age. We looked for a potential relationship between the parental age of meadow voles and offspring sex ratios using a captive population. A trending linear relationship was found with paternal age and a significant quadratic relationship was found with maternal age. For males, older fathers tended to sire more sons compared to younger fathers which may be the result of selective forces of competition because of skewed reproductive success. For females, middle-aged mothers sired more sons compared to younger or older mothers. Middle age for a female could represent an optimal point for producing sons that are able to survive and compete with other males for reproductively available females.

Publication Title

Journal of Mammalogy

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