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Sex-dependent selection, ageing, and implications for “staying alive”

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 July 2022

Robert C. Brooks Open the ORCID record for Robert C. Brooks [Opens in a new window]  and
Khandis R. Blake
Robert C. Brooks
Affiliation:
Evolution & Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, The University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, NSW, Australia rob.brooks@unsw.edu.au https://www.bees.unsw.edu.au/our-people/robert-brooks
Khandis R. Blake
Affiliation:
Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3010, VIC, Australia khandis.blake@unimelb.edu.au https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/359342-khandis-blake
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Abstract

Incorporating theoretic insights from ageing biology could advance the “staying alive” hypothesis. Higher male extrinsic mortality can weaken selection against ageing-related diseases and self-preservation, leading to high male intrinsic mortality. This may incidentally result in female-biased longevity-promoting traits, a possibility that will require rigorous testing in order to disentangle from the adaptive self-preservation hypothesis presented in the target article.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 45 , 2022 , e132
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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