Idle slow as you grow old: longitudinal age-related metabolic decline in a wild passerine

Broggi, Juli; Hohtola, Esa; Koivula, Kari; Orell, Markku; Nilsson, Jan‐Åke

doi:10.1007/s10682-009-9299-z

Cited by 17 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Even though other studies have shown that age can affect metabolic rates (Roberts and Rosenberg 2006;Broggi et al 2009;Moe et al 2009), the short time span in this study suggests that the effect here merely is a side effect of other factors, such as differences in molt progress. Molt can affect metabolic measurements in birds (see, e.g., Klaassen 1995;Cyr et al 2008), and since zebra finches constantly replace worn feathers, it is possible that birds of different ages also display slightly different molt progress.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 71%

Long-Lasting Consequences of Elevated Yolk Testosterone for Metabolism in the Zebra Finch

Nilsson¹,

Tobler²,

Nilsson³

et al. 2011

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

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Resting metabolic rate is a common way of quantifying the cost of living in endothermic animals. The trait often makes up a substantial part of an animal's energy budget and can also be related to sustainable peak work rate as well as to daily energy expenditure. Studies have shown that metabolic rates are often heritable, but much of the variation seems to be caused by other factors (e.g., environmental and maternal effects). In a previous study, in ovo exposure to increased levels of testosterone induced metabolic costs early in life. It is, however, unknown whether in ovo androgens also have long-term effects on individual metabolic rates. In this study, we show that experimentally increased levels of in ovo testosterone in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) result in a 7% higher resting metabolic rate when they are adults. This shows that maternally transferred hormones can induce long-term effects on metabolic demands and potentially influence variation in life-history strategies among offspring. Variation in maternal hormone transfer may also explain some of the large interindividual variation observed in metabolic rates.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 71%

Long-Lasting Consequences of Elevated Yolk Testosterone for Metabolism in the Zebra Finch

Nilsson¹,

Tobler²,

Nilsson³

et al. 2011

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

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“…This is interesting because aging does not appear to have a uniform effect on RMR across different study systems. Metabolic senescence has been described in humans (Manini 2010); in laboratory organisms, such as rats (Even et al 2001) and zebra finches (Moe et al 2009); and in some wild animals (Broggi et al 2010). However, several studies have not found effects of aging on metabolic rate.…”

Section: Aging and Metabolic Ratementioning

confidence: 99%

Aging, Life Span, and Energetics under Adult Dietary Restriction in Lepidoptera

Niitepõld

Pérez

Boggs³

2014

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology

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Stressful conditions can affect resource allocation among different life-history traits. The effect of dietary restriction (DR) on longevity and reproduction has been studied in many species, but we know little about its effects on energetics, especially in flying animals that have high energy demand. We assessed the effects of DR on metabolic rate throughout the entire adult life span in two butterfly species, Colias eurytheme and Speyeria mormonia. We cut the food intake of adult females in half and measured resting metabolic rate (RMR) and flight metabolic rate (FMR) together with body mass repeatedly throughout life. In both species, DR reduced body mass, but mass-corrected FMR was not affected, indicating that flight capacity was retained. DR lowered RMR and reduced fecundity but had no effect on life span. FMR declined with age, but the rate of senescence was not affected by DR. In contrast, aging had a strong negative effect on RMR only in control females, whereas food-restricted females had more stable RMR throughout their lives. The results suggest that flight capacity is conserved during nutritional stress but that investment in flight and survival may negatively affect other important physiological processes when resources are limited.

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“…Metabolic senescence has been described in humans (Roberts and Rosenberg, 2006) and laboratory animals such as rats (Even et al, 2001), but its occurrence is not necessarily widespread, especially in the wild. Longitudinal studies on relatively long-lived vertebrates are rare and although some studies have detected metabolic senescence (Broggi et al, 2010), others have found no signs of it (Moe et al, 2007). The few studies that have looked into insect metabolic senescence have produced mixed results.…”

Section: Repeated Measurements Of Resting and Flight Metabolic Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A long life in the fast lane: positive association between peak metabolic rate and lifespan in a butterfly

Niitepõld

Hanski

2012

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYHigh peak metabolic rates may provide a performance advantage, but it may also entail a physiological cost. A long-held assumption is that high mass-specific energy expenditure is associated with short lifespan. To examine the relationship between energy expenditure and lifespan we asked two questions. First, do individuals have a consistent rate of metabolism throughout their life? Second, is metabolic rate correlated with lifespan? We analysed the repeatability of measurements of resting (RMR) and peak flight metabolic rate (MR peak ) throughout the life of the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia). Measurements of MR peak showed significant repeatability. Senescence occurred only shortly before death. RMR showed a U-shaped relationship with age and very low repeatability. Intraspecific association between metabolic rates and lifespan was tested under three conditions: in the laboratory, under field conditions and in a laboratory experiment with repeated flight treatments. There was a significant correlation between MR peak and lifespan in all three experiments, but the correlation was positive, not negative. RMR was not correlated with lifespan. Both MR peak and lifespan may reflect physiological condition and therefore be positively correlated. Individuals with a large resource pool may be able to invest in mechanisms that slow down ageing. Individuals with high metabolic capacity may also possess adaptations against ageing. Molecular polymorphism in the gene phosphoglucose isomerase (Pgi) was significantly associated with both MR peak and lifespan, and may have coevolved with defence mechanisms against senescence. Generalisations such as ʻlive fast, die youngʼ may be too simple to explain the complex processes affecting ageing and lifespan.Supplementary material available online at

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Idle slow as you grow old: longitudinal age-related metabolic decline in a wild passerine

Cited by 17 publications

References 45 publications

Long-Lasting Consequences of Elevated Yolk Testosterone for Metabolism in the Zebra Finch

Long-Lasting Consequences of Elevated Yolk Testosterone for Metabolism in the Zebra Finch

Aging, Life Span, and Energetics under Adult Dietary Restriction in Lepidoptera

A long life in the fast lane: positive association between peak metabolic rate and lifespan in a butterfly

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