Lucky Squirrels
Some squirrels have all the luck.
Researchers discovered that squirrels born under lucky circumstances, such as a time of plentiful food and warmer spring weather, held on to their advantage throughout their lifetimes. These squirrels ultimately boasted better fitness, longevity and reproductive success later in life.
“One of the fundamental challenges for ecologists is to determine how resource levels affect the reproductive success of individual animals,” said Stan Boutin, a biologist at the University of Alberta in Canada. “Our study shows that some individuals get a real head start on their colleagues simply by being born in a good year. On the other hand, those having the bad luck of being born in a bad year may never get a taste of that silver spoon.”
The scientists analyzed 15 years of data from a North American Red Squirrel population, and found that female babies born into fortunate circumstances produced more offspring over the remainder of their lives.
The researchers recently reported their findings in the Journal of Animal Ecology.
Dave Sandersfeld
Why not document this in humans too?
Written by:
Dave Sandersfeld
April 7, 2008
RLHall, 7 months ago
Makes sense to me, but the part about number of offspring wouldn’t hold true for humans in modern times – it seems to be more likely that humans born into poverty conditions would have more offspring, though those in good circumstances may have fewer numbers of offsping but they would probably be stonger and healthier offspring- however getting a good start in life in any living conditions is bound to make a difference in the success of that and probably further generations as eating right and proper medical during pregnancy and early childhood makes for a healthier start in life for a human baby, and would make even a baby that faces poverty later in life more able to withstand the hardships. It’s all about how much food is available…
Dave Sandersfeld, 7 months ago
U got it, Rhonda!
brirose55, 7 months ago
they rock
PhotogeniquE IPA, 7 months ago
certainly, we see, living in an inner city environ, that some families are caught in, not a poverty-of-wealth, trap, but in a poverty-of-spirit trap.
Children born into a cycle of dysfunctional families and situations will, almost inevitably, duplicate the life-styles of their parent/s and pass that down to their children in turn.
Dave Sandersfeld, 7 months ago
So true; but I see that in heart-sick indian resevations too?