Parental age can affect offspring fitness across taxa and through various mechanisms. However, the effect(s) of advanced maternal age on offspring, particularly in insects, has not been comprehensively reviewed making it difficult to draw conclusions about the effects of advanced maternal age on offspring in insects. In my first chapter, I reviewed maternal age literature and found overall negative effects of advanced maternal age on offspring fitness. However, results vary depending on which fitness measures were used, the life stages at which offspring were measured, and the experimental design of the study. In my second chapter, I conducted an experiment where I collected a suite of fitness measures, including immune response, which is often overlooked, and found that advanced maternal age has an overall positive effect on offspring fitness. My work highlights the importance of following offspring throughout all life stages and implementing various fitness measures, including immune function.
","abstract_html":"<p>Parental age can affect offspring fitness across taxa and through various mechanisms. However, the effect(s) of advanced maternal age on offspring, particularly in insects, has not been comprehensively reviewed making it difficult to draw conclusions about the effects of advanced maternal age on offspring in insects. In my first chapter, I reviewed maternal age literature and found overall negative effects of advanced maternal age on offspring fitness. However, results vary depending on which fitness measures were used, the life stages at which offspring were measured, and the experimental design of the study. In my second chapter, I conducted an experiment where I collected a suite of fitness measures, including immune response, which is often overlooked, and found that advanced maternal age has an overall positive effect on offspring fitness. My work highlights the importance of following offspring throughout all life stages and implementing various fitness measures, including immune function.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Hallagan, Claudia Jean"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"M.S.","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Shannon M. Murphy, Ph.D.","Robin Tinghitella","Erica Larson, Ph.D.","Angela Smilanich, Ph.D."],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2019,"date_issued":"2019-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2019-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:02:38Z","subjects":["Aging","Immunocompetency","Maternal age","Maternal effects","Offspring fitness","Parental effects","Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology","Biology","Life Sciences"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
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"],"dc:subject":["Aging","Immunocompetency","Maternal age","Maternal effects","Offspring fitness","Parental effects","Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Structural Biology","Biology","Life Sciences"],"dc:title":["Qualitative and Quantitative Fitness Consequences of Advanced Maternal Age"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.S."]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:02:38Z"}