Reproduction is expected to carry an oxidative cost, yet in many species breeders appear to sustain lower levels of oxidative damage compared to non-breeders. This paradox may be explained by considering the intergenerational costs of reproduction. Specifically, a reduction in oxidative damage upon transitioning to a reproductive state may represent a pre-emptive shielding strategy to protect the next generation from intergenerational oxidative damage (IOD) – known as the oxidative shielding hypothesis. Males may be particularly likely to transmit IOD, because sperm are highly susceptible to oxidative damage. Yet, the possibility of male-mediated IOD remains largely uninvestigated. Here, we present a conceptual and methodological framework to assess intergenerational costs of reproduction and oxidative shielding of the germline in males. We discuss variance in reproductive costs and expected payoffs of oxidative shielding according to species' life histories, and the expected impact on offspring fitness. Oxidative shielding presents an opportunity to incorporate intergenerational effects into the advancing field of life-history evolution.

中文翻译：

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防御男性生殖的代际成本：种系的氧化屏蔽

预计繁殖会带来氧化成本，但在许多物种中，与非繁殖者相比，繁殖者似乎承受较低水平的氧化损伤。这个悖论可以通过考虑生育的代际成本来解释。具体来说，过渡到生殖状态时氧化损伤的减少可能代表一种先发制人的屏蔽策略，以保护下一代免受代际氧化损伤（IOD）的影响——称为氧化屏蔽假说。男性可能特别容易传播 IOD，因为精子极易受到氧化损伤。然而，男性介导的 IOD 的可能性在很大程度上仍未得到研究。在这里，我们提出了一个概念和方法框架来评估男性生殖和氧化屏蔽的代际成本。我们根据物种的生命史讨论了繁殖成本和氧化屏蔽的预期回报的差异，以及对后代健康的预期影响。氧化屏蔽提供了将代际效应纳入生命史进化的前沿领域的机会。