Bill size correlates with telomere length in male American Redstarts

Abstract

Telomere length (TL) has been shown to be a potential predictor of survival in wild vertebrates, and, as a consequence, there is growing interest in understanding the causes of inter-individual variability in TL. In that context, developmental conditions deserve a specific attention because they are thought to be a major driver of telomere shortening. Because poor developmental conditions can accelerate telomere shortening and impair growth (resulting in a small adult size), a positive correlation between TL and body size is expected. However, and surprisingly, the relationship between body size and telomere length has rarely been described in wild vertebrates. Here, we specifically examined this question in hatch-year (HY) and after hatch-year (AHY) male wintering American Redstarts (Setophaga ruticilla). Although tarsus size was not related to TL, we found a significant positive correlation between bill size and TL in HY male Redstarts, therefore supporting the idea that determinants of some components of individual size are also important determinants of TL in young birds. Moreover, this positive relationship between bill size and TL was also found for AHY birds, suggesting that adult TL may be, at least partly, explained by the telomere dynamics that occurred during the developmental phase. Abstract Telomere length (TL) has been shown to be a potential predictor of survival in wild vertebrates, and, as a consequence, there is growing interest in understanding the causes of inter-individual variability in TL. In that context, developmental conditions deserve a specific attention because they are thought to be a major driver of telomere shortening. Because poor developmental conditions can accelerate telomere shortening and impair growth (resulting in a small adult size), a positive correlation between TL and body size is expected. However, and surprisingly, the relationship between body size and telomere length has rarely been described in wild vertebrates. Here, we specifically examined this question in hatch-year (HY) and after hatch-year (AHY) male wintering American Redstarts (Setophaga ruticilla). Although tarsus size was not related to TL, we found a significant positive correlation between bill size and TL in HY male Redstarts, therefore supporting the idea that determinants of some components of individual size are also important determinants of TL in young birds. Moreover, this positive relationship between bill size and TL was also found for AHY birds, suggesting that adult TL may be, at least partly, explained by the telomere dynamics that occurred during the developmental phase.

Is telomere length a molecular marker of individual quality? Insights from a long‐lived bird

“…Furthermore, we also found that telomere length was positively associated with body size in both male and female black‐browed albatrosses (prediction 2), as previously reported in passerine species (Angelier, Vleck, Holberton, & Marra, ; Costanzo et al, ; Parolini et al, ). This result could appear surprising because telomere length is dynamic throughout the life of individuals while body size is determined during the developmental period in this species with determinate growth.…”

“…This supports the idea that long telomeres may be related to foraging skills, although the functional and causal link between telomere length and foraging behaviour remains to be elucidated. Furthermore, we also found that telomere length was positively associated with body size in both male and female black-browed TA B L E 2 Relationship between telomere length and offspring productivity calculated using different time frame windows (from 2 to 10 years of monitoring after the initial telomere length measurement) albatrosses (prediction 2), as previously reported in passerine species (Angelier, Vleck, Holberton, & Marra, 2015;Parolini et al, 2017). This result could appear surprising because telomere length is dynamic throughout the life of individuals while body size is determined during the developmental period in this species with determinate growth.…”

The telomere regulatory gene POT1 responds to stress and predicts performance in nature: implications for telomeres and life history evolution

“…Critically, POT1 gene expression showed higher variable importance than relative telomere length in predicting most of these performance-related traits, and variables better predicted by telomeres -wing length and female mass change -were not significantly related to relative telomere length (see Fig S2C, S3A). These results contribute to a growing body of literature linking telomeres with timing of breeding (Bauch et al, 2013;Bauer et al, 2018;Le Vaillant et al, 2015) and body mass (Angelier et al, 2015;Angelier et al, 2019). Our findings therefore extend this work with new perspectives in which telomere regulation may track fitness-related traits.…”

Growing in Cities: An Urban Penalty for Wild Birds? A Study of Phenotypic Differences between Urban and Rural Great Tit Chicks (Parus major)

“…However, we found a positive relationship between growth and telomere length in Chizé, suggesting that higher quality nestlings also had longer telomeres. This finding is supported by several studies that have reported a positive relationship between body size and telomere length in chicks or young individuals (Caprioli et al, 2013;Angelier et al, 2015;Parolini et al, 2015; Mizutani et al, 2016) and it suggests that long telomeres may be a proxy of good nutritional conditions, at least under some circumstances. Surprisingly, we found the opposite pattern in Paris where larger individuals had shorter telomeres.…”