Postreproductive Maternal Care and the Evolution of Sex Differences in Lifespan

Project Code: MAKLAKOV_UEA_ARIES27

Postreproductive Maternal Care and the Evolution of Sex Differences in Lifespan

Project Code: MAKLAKOV_UEA_ARIES27

Project Description

Supervisors

Professor Alexei Maklakov, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia – contact me

Professor Tracey Chapman, UEA/BIO

Professor Simone Immler, UEA/BIO

 

Scientific Background:

Why do some animals continue to live long after they have stopped reproducing? Classical evolutionary theory predicts that they should not. The force of natural selection on survival declines with age and falls to zero once reproduction ceases, so organisms are expected to die soon after their final reproductive event. Yet substantial postreproductive female lifespan occurs in humans, elephants and several toothed whales, and remains a striking unresolved problem in evolutionary ecology.

The leading explanation is intergenerational transfer theory, which posits that a female who no longer reproduces can still increase her fitness by provisioning her descendants. If care extends the period over which selection acts on survival, then species where mothers care after reproduction should evolve longer-lived females. This idea is compelling but almost untested, because it has only been studied in protected long-lived mammals which precludes experimental approach.

We have discovered a system where we can text this theory experimentally. In the nematode Caenorhabditis kamaaina, females that have finished reproducing secrete a nutritive fluid that their larvae eat, and provisioned larvae grow substantially faster. Remarkably, this is also one of the very few Caenorhabditis species in which females outlive males.

 

Research Methodology

You will test whether postreproductive maternal care explains sex differences in lifespan. Using an available living collection of wild nematode species, you will measure sex-specific survival, reproduction and postreproductive maternal provisioning across phylogenetically diverse species, and test the prediction that the caring sex is the longer-lived sex. You will then use custom genetic tools developed in our lab to understand the fundamental biology linking postreproductive care and long life.

 

Training:

You will gain skills in experimental design, phylogenetic analysis, statistics and coding in R, evolutionary theory, molecular ecology and genetics, scientific writing and presentation. You will receive multi-disciplinary training in evolutionary ecology/biology and in bio-gerontology, thereby increasing opportunities for employability after the PhD. You will participate in career-enhancing external training courses and in-house research discussion groups and journal clubs.

 

Person Specification:

We seek an enthusiastic, highly motivated individual with a strong interest in evolution, ecology or genetics.

Acceptable first degree subject(s): Biology, Genetics, Genomics, Ecology, Environmental Sciences, Biomedicine, Biochemistry

References

  • Maklakov AA and Chapman T (2019) Evolution of ageing as a tangle of trade-offs: energy versus function. Proc R Soc B, https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2019.1604
  • Maklakov AA and Immler S (2016) The expensive germline and the evolution of ageing. Current Biology, 26 (13): pp. R577-R586.
  • Lemaître J-F, Moorad J, Gaillard J-M, Maklakov AA, Nussey DH (2024) A unified framework for evolutionary genetic and physiological theories of aging. PLoS Biology, 22 (2), e3002513
  • Lind MI, Mautz BS, Carlsson H, Hinas A, Gudmunds E, Maklakov AA (2024) Sex-specific growth and lifespan effects of germline removal in the dioecious nematode Caenorhabditis remanei. Aging Cell, https://doi.org/10.1111/acel.14290
  • Carlsson H, Ivimey-Cook ER, Duxbury E, Edden N, Sales K, Maklakov AA (2021) Ageing as ‘early-life inertia’: disentangling life-history trade-offs along a lifetime of an individual. Evolution Letters, 5: 551-564

Key Information

  • This studentship has been shortlisted for funding under the UKRI NERC DLA funding scheme and will commence on 1 October 2027. The closing date for applications is 23:59 on 16 December 2026.
  • Successful candidates who meet UKRI’s eligibility criteria will be awarded a fully-funded studentship, which covers fees, maintenance stipend (£21,805 p.a. for 2026/27) and a research training and support grant (RTSG). A limited number of studentships are available for international applicants, with the difference between 'home' and 'international' fees being waived by the registering university. Please note, however, that ARIES funding does not cover additional costs associated with relocation to, and living in, the UK, such as visa costs or the health surcharge.
  • ARIES postgraduate researchers (PGRs) benefit from bespoke training and ARIES provides £2,500 to every student for access to external training, travel and conferences, on top of all Research Costs associated with the project. Excellent applicants from quantitative disciplines with limited experience in environmental sciences may be considered for an additional 3-month stipend to take advanced-level courses. Excellent applicants from quantitative disciplines with limited experience in environmental sciences may be considered for an additional 3-month stipend to take advanced-level courses.
  • ARIES is committed to equality, diversity, widening participation and inclusion in all areas of its operation. We encourage enquiries and applications from all sections of the community regardless of gender, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation and transgender status. Academic qualifications are considered alongside non-academic experience, and our recruitment process considers potential with the same weighting as past experience.
  • All ARIES studentships may be undertaken on a part-time or full-time basis. International applicants should check whether there are any conditions of visa or immigration permission that preclude part-time study. All advertised project proposals have been developed with consideration of a safe, inclusive and appropriate research and fieldwork environment with respect to protected characteristics. If you have any concerns, please contact us.
  • For further information, please contact the supervisor. To apply for this Studentship, follow the instructions at the bottom of the page or click the 'apply now' link.
  • ARIES is required by our funders to collect Equality and Diversity Information from all of our applicants. The information you provide will be used solely for monitoring and statistical purposes; it will remain confidential and will be stored on the UEA SharePoint server. Data will not be shared with those involved in making decisions on the award of Studentships and will have no influence on the success of your application. It will only be shared outside of this group in an anonymised and aggregated form. You will be asked to complete the form by the University to which you apply.
  • ARIES studentships are subject to UKRI terms and conditions. Postgraduate Researchers are expected to live within reasonable distance of their host organisation for the duration of their studentship. Please see https://www.ukri.org/publications/terms-and-conditions-for-training-funding/ for more information.

Apply Now

Apply now via the University of East Anglia Application Portal