Thomlinson Wood, Helen; (2001) Energetics, encephalisation and weaning: Modelling growth and maturation in primate and human evolution. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

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Abstract

The evolution of encephalisation (relatively large brains) in primates has been linked to the evolution of other unusual aspects of primate life histories, in particular, slow infant growth. Mothers supply the majority of the infant's energetic needs during infancy, and infant growth in the lactation period reflects maternal investment. Weaning represents the cessation of this investment, and is an important developmental milestone. This thesis investigates the impact of encephalisation on growth, lactation and weaning strategies in a variety of haplorhine primate taxa, with particular emphasis on a relatively encephalised species, Cebus. The results of both inter- and intraspecific analyses show that weaning in primates coincides with the inflexion of the postnatal brain growth allometry i.e. when the majority of brain growth is completed. This suggests that weaning is associated with brain, as well as body, growth. Furthermore, capuchin brain and body growth can be dissociated under nutritional stress, with brain growth protected at the expense of body growth. Brain growth is also shown to be associated with specific weaning behaviours, e.g. suckling frequency, as well as more general measures of infant behavioural, locomotor and physiological independence. The energetic and life history correlates of brain and body growth are also examined. Maternal metabolic capacity (inferred from maternal mass) influences fetal brain growth and postnatal infant body growth separately. Paternal mass influences fetal body growth. Weaning age is associated with postnatal brain growth such that infants which undergo more brain growth wean later. Humans and capuchins are shown to be similar in some aspects of ontogeny, and capuchin growth and maturation are discussed in the context of human adaptation and life history.

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