Longevity

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Longevity Lecture 9 Thursday, November 6, 2001

• Life Span (continued)
• Brief review of life span data and concepts
• Co-evolution of longevity and sociality (wasps)
• Classification of species with extended longevity
• Writing tips and term papers

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Instructor Prof. James R. Carey Office 67
Briggs Hall Email jrcarey_at_ucdavis.edu Phone
752-6217 Office Hours Monday 10-11a
Wk Day Date Themes Topic(s) 1 1 Tue Oct.
2 Overview of concepts and course 2 Thur Oct. 4
Life Table Life tables I basic concepts and
techniques 2 2 Tue Oct. 9 Life tables II sex
differences cause of death 3 Thur Oct.
11 Mortality Mortality models and
concepts 3 4 Tue Oct. 16 Model systems Fruit
fly/insect models 5 Thu Oct. 18 Aging Senescence
origins theories of aging 4 6 Tue Oct.
23 Synopsis and overview of aging 7 Thu Oct.
25 1st Midterm 5 8 Tue Oct. 30 Natural- Populatio
n biology of the elderly 9 Thu Nov.
1 history Record life spans primate
patterns 6 10 Tue Nov. 6 Evolution of
longevity 11 Thu Nov. 8 Genetics of longevity
7 12 Tue Nov. 13 Biodemo- General biodemographic
principles 13 Thu Nov. 15 graphy Theory of
longevity extension 8 14 Tue Nov. 20 2nd
Midterm 15 Thu Nov. 22 THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
9 16 Tue Nov. 27 Human Mortality trends in
oldest-old 17 Thu Nov. 29 longevity Centenarians
and supercentenarians 10 18 Tue Dec.
4 Successful aging longevity determinants 19 Th
u Dec. 6 The future of human life span
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Animal Life Spans
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Vertebrate Life Spans (n2570)
1 5 10 15
Elephants (80) Whale (96) Horse (62) Humans (122)
Whales/dolphins
Odd-toed ungulates
Seals
Primates
Carnivores
Mammals
Bats
Marsupials
Rabbits
Rodents
Insectivores
Ostriches
1 5 10 15 20
Parrots (73) Hornbill (70)
Albatross
Seabirds
Birds
Pelicans
Waterfowl
Order/ Family
Falcons
Gulls
Owls
Pigeons
Perching birds
Fowl
Herps
Swifts
Crocodiles
1 5
Tortoise (153) Tuatara (77)
Frogs
Lizards
Sturgeons (152) Rock bass (75) Whale shark
(70)
1 5 10
Eels
Rockfish
Carp
Salmon
Fish
Shad
Seahorses
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
60
Life Span (years)
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Relationship of Flight Capability and Longevity
1. Birdsnest replaces womb from mammals
nest failure high
2. Batsflight, particularly quick darting
flight for foraging for insects in the air, is
incompatible with gestating multiple fetuses
for large litters most bats have single young
3. Thus need reproductive redundancy in time.
For birds is due to high nest failure rate
for bats because cannot gestate multiple
young simultaneously
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Life Spans of Social Insects
Months
Years
Decades
Weeks
paper wasp workers hornet queens
Wasps
Bees
bumble bees stingless bees honeybee queens
ant workers
ant queens
Ants
termite workers
termite queens
Termites
Workers
Queens
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Key Evolutionary Concepts
Evolutionany gradual change organic evolution
is anygenetic change in organisms from
generation to generation
Necessary and sufficient conditions(1)heritabili
ty (2)variability (3)selection
Fitness the contribution to the next generation
of onegenotype in a population relative to the
another genotype
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Types of Selection
Natural Selectionthe differential contribution
of offspring to the next generation by
individuals of different genetic types
Sexual Selectionthe differential ability of
individuals of different genetic types to
acquire mates
Kin Selectionthe selection of genes due to one
or more indivi-duals favoring or disfavoring the
survival and reproduction ofrelatives (other
than offspring) who possess the same genes
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Co-evolution of Longevity and Sociality
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Evolution of Eusociality in Wasps
host
wasp egg or larva
(f)
(a)
(e)
(b)
(c)
(d)
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Evolution of Sociality and Extended Longevity in
Wasps
I. Emergence of Nest as Locus II. Emergence of
Parental Care III. Emergence of Queen Concept
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Evolution of Sociality and Extended Longevity in
Wasps

• I. Emergence of Nest as Locus
• Prey paralyzed
• Prey stung, dragged to hole
• Prey placed in nest
• Nest made first, several prey added
• Same as 4 prey added after egg laid

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Evolution of Sociality and Extended Longevity in
Wasps
II. Emergence of Parental Care 6. Same as 5
except progressive provisioning 7. Egg laid in
empty cell 8. Food macerated fed directly to
larvae 9. Life of female prolonged to overlap
offspring 10. Trophallaxis female feed others
offspring
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Evolution of Sociality and Extended Longevity in
Wasps
III. Emergence of Queen Concept 11. Egg laying
by single female 12. Worker caste defined 13.
Worker caste morphologically distinct
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Evolution of Sociality and Extended Longevity in
Wasps

• I. Emergence of Nest as Locus
• Prey paralyzed
• Prey stung, dragged to hole
• Prey placed in nest
• Nest made first, several prey added
• Same as 4 but more prey added after egg laid
• II. Emergence of Parental Care
• 6. Same as 5 except progressive provisioning
• 7. Egg laid in empty cell
• 8. Food macerated and fed directly to larvae
• 9. Life of female prolonged to overlap
  offspring
• 10. Trophallaxis female feed offspring other
  than their own
• III. Emergence of Queen Concept
• 11. Egg laying by single female
• 12. Worker caste defined
• 13. Worker caste morphologically distinct

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Biodemographic Principles Kinship, Sociality,
and Longevity
1. Generation overlap is a prerequisite for the
evolution of incipient sociality
2. Progressive provisioning evolved after the
evolution of extended longevity
3. Sociality provides insurance-based survival
advantages
4. Worker longevity is a key determinant of
colony size and growth rate
5. The longevity differential between queens and
workers diverge at advanced stages of
eusociality
6. Evolution of extended longevity is
self-reinforcing
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Strategic Factors Favoring the Evolution of
Extended Longevity
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Term Papers
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Term Papers

• Purpose
• Subject
• Procedures
• Specific requirements
• Grading
• Due Dec. 6, 2001
• 20 of grade

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Term Papers Writing Tips
1. Start NOW
10. ID repeated words
2. Carefully pick topic
11. Transpose
3. Create cover sheet
12. Within-para structure
4. Strong first sentence
13. Research, research
5. Edit, edit, edit, edit
14. Technically perfect
6. Spare and direct
15. Structure paper
7. Mature words
16. Error on side of content
8. Student of writing
17. Friendly critiques
9. First person
18. Speak to instructor
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Term Papers Topics
Madame Calment life and times Sex mortality
differentials Until death do us part Heart attack
at 9 oclock Death takes a holiday Comparative
demography of social insects Evolution of
abbreviated life spans Relationship of body
weight and longevity Seasonality of deaths Birth
month and longevity Longevity of the British
peerage Caloric restriction One child one less
tooth
Smoking and longevity Findings of the Nun
Study Chance and longevity Biotechnology and
longevity Why do small dogs live so
long? Comparative longevity of athletes(or
entertainers musicians etc) The French
Paradox Do twins experience the same life
span? Family longevity Huntingtons Disease
Alzheimers Disease The role of religion in
personal health