Doctoral Dissertation Research: Developmental plasticity of stress response and conditional life-history strategies

Experiences of early-life adversity (ELA) are associated with a range of physiological and behavioral changes. However, the pathways through which these effects occur and their relationship to survival and reproduction remain unclear. This Doctoral Dissertation project addresses key questions regarding how ELA shape adult features in ways that increase survival and reproduction under conditions of adversity. Information obtained in this study is of interest to the fields of evolutionary medicine, sociology, developmental psychology, and public policy. This project investigates connections between ELA, developmental plasticity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPAA), life-history strategies, and behavior in a non-human primate species. The research takes advantage of a pre-existing longitudinal dataset containing fine-grained detail on the early lives, hormones, and behavior. The study tests a theory of facultative calibration of life-history strategies by assessing whether plasticity of the HPAA moderates the relationship between ELA and behaviors such as risk-taking and aggression. These behaviors have been theorized to both increase the risk of mortality and accelerate reproductive timing in the males of this species. This project provides training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to prepare for a career in the sciences. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.