Longitudinal studies confirm faster telomere erosion in short-lived bird species

Abstract

Evidence is accumulating that telomeres become shorter with advancing age and possibly explain some of the observed variation in longevity. Cross-sectional analyses have shown that species with shorter lifespans lose more telomeric repeats with age than species with longer lifespans. Using existing data from longitudinal studies performed on several bird species, we confirmed a negative relationship between the rate of telomere shortening and maximum longevity.

Sex-specific effects of parasites on telomere dynamics in a short-lived passerine—the blue tit

“…The number of longitudinal studies in natural populations indicating telomere erosion with age slowly, but persistently increases (Dantzer and Fletcher 2015; Sudyka et al 2016). However, the causal involvement of telomeres in ageing process still remains an open question (Simons 2015).…”

“…We used relative TL, expressed as the ratio ( T / S ) of a telomere copy number ( T ) and a single control gene copy number ( S , which was GAPDH, (Cawthon 2002)). We used the primers designed for zebra finch but these have been previously validated for the blue tit by us (see Sudyka et al 2014, 2016). To generate a standard curve for amplification efficiency, each plate included serial twofold dilutions of a reference DNA (mixed DNA of five birds not included in the study) run in duplicate from 10 to 0.31 ng for telomere and from 10 to 0.62 ng for GAPDH.…”

Does Reproduction Shorten Telomeres? Towards Integrating Individual Quality with Life‐History Strategies in Telomere Biology

“…Without this, it is difficult to argue that telomere shortening is a relevant cost or a biomarker related to reproductive activity. Regardless of the fact that telomeres shorten more slowly in long‐lived animals, in short‐lived species (or, as mentioned earlier—in ectotherms) telomere erosion may not be a sufficient condition to trigger senescence (ultimately leading to death). Even though (reproductive) senescence is widely observed in the wild, animals often die before getting old due to extrinsic mortality (predation, disease, resource depletion, etc.…”

Divergent patterns of telomere shortening in tropical compared to temperate stonechats

“…In a study on rodents, no relationship between maximum lifespan and telomere length was detected (Seluanov et al, 2007). In birds, absolute telomere length does not seem to relate to variation in lifespan between species; however, longer-lived avian species seem to have lower rates of telomere shortening than shorter-lived species (Dantzer & Fletcher, 2015;Haussmann et al, 2003;Sudyka, Arct, Drobniak, Gustafsson, & Cichoan, 2016;Tricola et al, 2018). This relationship between rate of telomere loss and maximum lifespan in birds may be caused by variation between species in how well telomeres are maintained throughout their lifespan.…”

“…In mammals, a comparative study found that short-lived, small species have longer telomeres and higher telomerase expression than long-lived, large species (Gomes et al, 2011). In birds, absolute telomere length does not seem to relate to variation in lifespan between species; however, longer-lived avian species seem to have lower rates of telomere shortening than shorter-lived species (Dantzer & Fletcher, 2015;Haussmann et al, 2003;Sudyka, Arct, Drobniak, Gustafsson, & Cichoan, 2016;Tricola et al, 2018). In birds, absolute telomere length does not seem to relate to variation in lifespan between species; however, longer-lived avian species seem to have lower rates of telomere shortening than shorter-lived species (Dantzer & Fletcher, 2015;Haussmann et al, 2003;Sudyka, Arct, Drobniak, Gustafsson, & Cichoan, 2016;Tricola et al, 2018).…”