Relations among birth condition, maternal condition, and postnatal growth in captive common marmoset monkeys (Callithrix jacchus)

Abstract

The present study characterizes the relations among maternal condition, litter size, birth condition, and growth in body weight for a population of common marmosets. The subjects of the study were marmosets born into a single colony between 1994 and 2001. Three sets of analyses were conducted to answer the following questions: 1) Is there a relationship between litter size, maternal condition, and birth condition? In the study population, maternal body weight, maternal age, litter size, and birth condition were related in a complex fashion. Birth weight and prenatal long-bone growth, as reflected in knee-heel length, were both related to maternal age, with older mothers supporting higher prenatal growth. Age and maternal condition appeared to interact as determinants of long-bone growth, as the combination of older and larger mothers resulted in significantly longer knee-heel lengths in their offspring. 2) Is there a relationship between birth condition or maternal condition and subsequent growth or final adult size? The early growth rate in this population was similar to early growth rates reported for three different marmoset colonies, suggesting that early growth may be relatively inflexible in this species. However, within this population, the variation that did occur in early growth rate was related to birth weight and maternal weight. Later growth and adult weight were related to birth weight and litter size: small twin infants displayed slower later growth rates and were smaller as adults than twins that began life at a higher birth weight, while the birth weight of triplets was not related to adult size. In these marmosets, small infants that were the result of increased litter size differed from small infants whose small birth size resulted from other factors. This reinforces the proposal that the causes of low birth weight will be relevant to the development of the marmoset as a model of prenatal environmental effects.

Developmental Origins of Pregnancy Loss in the Adult Female Common Marmoset Monkey (Callithrix jacchus)

“…We controlled all regression models for birth weight, birth year (to control cohort effects), and early adult weight. As described by Tardif and Bales [29], early adult weight was measured between 17–22 months. This is a few months later than the average age of puberty (11–13 months) and precedes the average age of first conception (2.49 years) [19], but reflects the achievement of adult weight [37], [38].…”

“…Further, while both twins and triplet marmosets born at high birth weights tend to grow into high-weight adults, low birth weight triplets are much more likely to grow into large adults than are low birth weight twins [29], [30]. This pattern of “centile crossing” over the lifecourse has been implicated in the developmental programming literature as the phenotype carrying the greatest risk of adult disease [31]–[34].…”

Factors influencing weight changes in callitrichids at the Bronx zoo

“…Tardif and Bales [2004], established a relationship between overall body condition at birth, maternal body condition and postnatal growth in captive common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). In studies of captive populations of cottontop tamarins (Saguinus oedipus), an association between weight loss and alloparenting was established [Achenbach and Snowdon, 2002;Sanchez et al, 1999].…”

Protein Nutrition of Southern Plains Small Mammals: Immune Response to Variation in Maternal and Offspring Dietary Nitrogen

“…Maternal effects have been known to influence reproductive characteristics such as offspring and litter size (Dobson and Michener 1995), offspring sex ratio (Wiley and Clapham 1993;Boesch 1997;Dittus 1998;Sheldon and West 2004), and offspring growth rates (Tardif and Bales 2004). However, recent studies have also found evidence that a mother's condition may continue to affect offspring through their dispersal ability (Gaines and McClenaghan 1980) or survival (Kerr et al 2007).…”