Environmental factors commonly influence the growth and early development of individuals in wild populations of mammals. Such influences can exert downstream effects on the phenotypic quality and breeding success of the same individuals in adulthood, as well as on the growth and subsequent reproductive success of their offspring. Recent studies of humans indicate that similar effects occur both in Western human populations and in human populations subject to nutritional stress. Here, we compare evidence for the effects of early development on growth, survival and breeding performance in humans to similar trends in food-restricted populations of other mammals. We highlight the relevance of findings from animal studies to humans and vice versa, and suggest that the integration of wild animal and human studies could increase our knowledge about how early development shapes reproductive performance across generations.
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