title: Paternal age predicts offspring chances of marriage and reproduction.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Mutation-selection balance theory proposes that a balance of forces between constantly arising mildly harmful mutations and selection causes variation in genetic configuration and phenotypic condition. As mutations are predominantly deleterious, the entry of variation due to mutations is kept at low frequencies by selection. It has recently been demonstrated that nearly all de novo mutation are caused by paternal age.
  
  
  METHODS
  We examined on basis of the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (n = 6,182) whether a subject's probability of having ever married as well as having ever reproduced is associated with that subject's father's age at subject's birth.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We find that advanced paternal but not maternal age at subject's birth predicts a lower chance of ever being married and a higher chance of childlessness, even controlling for various confounders.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As marriage is a prerequisite of reproduction in this sample, we discuss that mate choice may provide a mechanism to prevent too high mutation load in the progeny.
authors.affiliation: Department for Anthropology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fieder
authors.forename: Susanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Huber
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008393:Marriage / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008423:Maternal Age; D010331:Paternal Age; D012098:Reproduction; D012737:Sex Factors; D035781:Siblings; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014922:Wisconsin