Early-life seasonal, weather and social effects on telomere length in a wild mammal

Early-life environmental conditions can provide a source of individual variation in life-history strategies and senescence patterns. Conditions experienced in early life can be quantified by measuring telomere length, which can act as a biomarker of survival probability. Here, we investigate whether seasonal changes, weather conditions, and group size are associated with early-life and/or early-adulthood telomere length in a wild population of European badgers (Meles meles). We found substantial intra-annual changes in telomere length during the first three years of life (both between and within individuals), with shorter telomere lengths from spring to winter and longer telomere lengths over the winter torpor period. In terms of weather conditions, linked to food availability and foraging success, cubs born in warmer, wetter springs with low rainfall variability had longer early-life (<1 year old) telomere lengths. Additionally, cubs born in groups with more cubs did not have significantly shorter early-life telomeres, providing no evidence of resource constraint from cub competition. We also found that our previously documented positive association between early-life telomere length and cub survival probability remained when social and weather variables were included. Finally, after sexual maturity, in early adulthood (i.e. 12–36 months) we found no significant association between same-sex adult group size and telomere length (i.e. no effect of intra-sexual competition). Overall we show that controlling for seasonal effects is important in telomere length analyses, and that badger telomere length functions as a biomarker that reflects the physiological consequences of early-life adversity and subsequent effects on cub survival probability.

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Causes and consequences of variation in early-life telomere length in a bird metapopulation

10.32942/osf.io/9zctr ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Michael Le Pepke ◽

Thomas Kvalnes ◽

Peter Sjolte Ranke ◽

Yimen G. Araya-Ajoy ◽

Jonathan Wright ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Reproductive Success ◽

Population Density ◽

Telomere Length ◽

Environmental Conditions ◽

Early Life ◽

Morphological Traits ◽

Weather Conditions ◽

Population Fluctuations ◽

Individual Quality ◽

Pace Of Life

1.Environmental conditions during early-life development can have lasting effects on individual quality and fitness. Telomere length (TL) may correlate with early-life conditions and may be an important mediator or biomarker of individual quality or pace-of-life, as periods of increased energy demands can increase telomere attrition due to oxidative stress. Thus, knowledge of the mechanisms that generate variation in TL, and the relation between TL and fitness, is important in understanding the role of telomeres in ecology and life-history evolution. 2.Here, we investigate how environmental conditions and morphological traits are associated with early-life TL and if TL predicts natal dispersal probability or components of fitness in two populations of wild house sparrows (Passer domesticus). 3.We measured morphological traits and blood TL in 2746 nestlings from 20 cohorts (1994-2013) and retrieved data on weather conditions. We monitored population fluctuations, and individual survival and reproductive output using field observations and genetic pedigrees. We then used generalized linear mixed-effects models to test which factors affected TL in early-life, and if TL predicted dispersal propensity, or was associated with recruitment probability, mortality risk, or reproductive success.4.We found a negative effect of population density on TL, but only in one of the populations. There was a curvilinear association between TL and the maximum daily North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index during incubation, suggesting that there are optimal weather conditions that result in the longest TL. Dispersers tended to have shorter telomeres than non-dispersers. TL did not predict survival, but we found a tendency for individuals with short telomeres to have higher annual reproductive success.5.Our study showed how early-life TL is shaped by effects of growth, weather conditions and population density, supporting that environmental stressors negatively affect TL in wild populations. In addition, TL may be a mediator or biomarker of individual pace-of-life, with higher dispersal rates and annual reproduction tending to be associated with shorter early-life TL in this study. However, clear associations between early-life TL and individual fitness seems difficult to establish and may differ between different populations in the wild.

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Early life expenditure in sexual competition is associated with increased reproductive senescence in male red deer

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2014.0792 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 281 (1792) ◽

pp. 20140792 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

Jean-François Lemaître ◽

Jean-Michel Gaillard ◽

Josephine M. Pemberton ◽

Tim H. Clutton-Brock ◽

Daniel H. Nussey

Keyword(s):

Cervus Elaphus ◽

Early Life ◽

Red Deer ◽

Early Adulthood ◽

Empirical Support ◽

Later Life ◽

Sexual Competition ◽

Reproductive Senescence ◽

Trade Offs ◽

Harem Size

The evolutionary theories of senescence predict that investment in reproduction in early life should come at the cost of reduced somatic maintenance, and thus earlier or more rapid senescence. There is now growing support for such trade-offs in wild vertebrates, but these exclusively come from females. Here, we test this prediction in male red deer ( Cervus elaphus ) using detailed longitudinal data collected over a 40-year field study. We show that males which had larger harems and thereby allocated more resources to reproduction during early adulthood experienced higher rates of senescence in both harem size and rut duration. Males that carried antlers with more points during early life did not show more pronounced declines in reproductive traits in later life. Overall, we demonstrate that sexual competition shapes male reproductive senescence in wild red deer populations and provide rare empirical support for the disposable soma theory of ageing in males of polygynous vertebrate species.

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Telomere attrition rates are associated with weather conditions and predict productive lifespan in dairy cattle

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-84984-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Luise A. Seeker ◽

Sarah L. Underwood ◽

Rachael V. Wilbourn ◽

Jennifer Dorrens ◽

Hannah Froy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dairy Cattle ◽

Telomere Length ◽

Environmental Conditions ◽

Early Life ◽

Animal Health ◽

Weather Conditions ◽

Adult Health ◽

Attrition Rates ◽

Telomere Attrition ◽

Research Population

AbstractTelomere length is predictive of adult health and survival across vertebrate species. However, we currently do not know whether such associations result from among-individual differences in telomere length determined genetically or by early-life environmental conditions, or from differences in the rate of telomere attrition over the course of life that might be affected by environmental conditions. Here, we measured relative leukocyte telomere length (RLTL) multiple times across the entire lifespan of dairy cattle in a research population that is closely monitored for health and milk production and where individuals are predominantly culled in response to health issues. Animals varied in their change in RLTL between subsequent measurements and RLTL shortened more during early life and following hotter summers which are known to cause heat stress in dairy cows. The average amount of telomere attrition calculated over multiple repeat samples of individuals predicted a shorter productive lifespan, suggesting a link between telomere loss and health. TL attrition was a better predictor of when an animal was culled than their average TL or the previously for this population reported significant TL at the age of 1 year. Our present results support the hypothesis that TL is a flexible trait that is affected by environmental factors and that telomere attrition is linked to animal health and survival traits. Change in telomere length may represent a useful biomarker in animal welfare studies.

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Telomere length in early life predicts lifespan.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.723900537.793513096 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Maria Blasco

Keyword(s):

Telomere Length ◽

Early Life

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Natural variation in plant telomere length is associated with flowering time

The Plant Cell ◽

10.1093/plcell/koab022 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jae Young Choi ◽

Liliia R Abdulkina ◽

Jun Yin ◽

Inna B Chastukhina ◽

John T Lovell ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Life History ◽

Telomere Length ◽

Flowering Time ◽

Dna Sequences ◽

Genome Wide Association Study ◽

Genomic Analysis ◽

Life History Strategies ◽

Length Variation ◽

Chromosomal Structure ◽

Chromosome Integrity

Abstract Telomeres are highly repetitive DNA sequences found at the ends of chromosomes that protect the chromosomes from deterioration during cell division. Here, using whole genome re-sequencing and terminal restriction fragment assays, we found substantial natural intraspecific variation in telomere length in Arabidopsis thaliana, rice (Oryza sativa), and maize (Zea mays). Genome-wide association study (GWAS) mapping in A. thaliana identified 13 regions with GWAS-significant associations underlying telomere length variation, including a region that harbors the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) gene. Population genomic analysis provided evidence for a selective sweep at the TERT region associated with longer telomeres. We found that telomere length is negatively correlated with flowering time variation not only in A. thaliana, but also in maize and rice, indicating a link between life history traits and chromosome integrity. Our results point to several possible reasons for this correlation, including the possibility that longer telomeres may be more adaptive in plants that have faster developmental rates (and therefore flower earlier). Our work suggests that chromosomal structure itself might be an adaptive trait associated with plant life history strategies.

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Social environment influences the relationship between genotype and gene expression in wild baboons

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2012.0345 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 368 (1618) ◽

pp. 20120345 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Daniel E. Runcie ◽

Ralph T. Wiedmann ◽

Elizabeth A. Archie ◽

Jeanne Altmann ◽

Gregory A. Wray ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Individual Differences ◽

Social Environment ◽

Group Size ◽

Early Life ◽

Social Connectedness ◽

Dominance Rank ◽

Social Stressors ◽

The Social ◽

Wild Baboons

Variation in the social environment can have profound effects on survival and reproduction in wild social mammals. However, we know little about the degree to which these effects are influenced by genetic differences among individuals, and conversely, the degree to which social environmental variation mediates genetic reaction norms. To better understand these relationships, we investigated the potential for dominance rank, social connectedness and group size to modify the effects of genetic variation on gene expression in the wild baboons of the Amboseli basin. We found evidence for a number of gene–environment interactions (GEIs) associated with variation in the social environment, encompassing social environments experienced in adulthood as well as persistent effects of early life social environment. Social connectedness, maternal dominance rank and group size all interacted with genotype to influence gene expression in at least one sex, and either in early life or in adulthood. These results suggest that social and behavioural variation, akin to other factors such as age and sex, can impact the genotype–phenotype relationship. We conclude that GEIs mediated by the social environment are important in the evolution and maintenance of individual differences in wild social mammals, including individual differences in responses to social stressors.

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Fetal and early life growth and body mass index from birth to early adulthood in 1958 British cohort: longitudinal study

BMJ ◽

10.1136/bmj.323.7325.1331 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 323 (7325) ◽

pp. 1331-1335 ◽

Cited By ~ 310

Author(s):

T. J Parsons ◽

C. Power ◽

O. Manor

Keyword(s):

Body Mass Index ◽

Longitudinal Study ◽

Body Mass ◽

Early Life ◽

Early Adulthood

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Metabolic Stores of Yellow Perch (Perca flavescens): Comparison of Populations from an Acidic, Dystrophic Lake and Circumneutral, Mesotrophic Lakes

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f92-273 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 49 (12) ◽

pp. 2474-2482 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Jay A. Nelson ◽

John J. Magnuson

Keyword(s):

Yellow Perch ◽

Egg Production ◽

Glycogen Content ◽

Physiological State ◽

Perca Flavescens ◽

Population Level ◽

Seasonal Effects ◽

Life History Strategies ◽

Dystrophic Lake ◽

Lipid Contents

Little is known about the animals that occupy naturally acidic habitats. To better understand the physiological state of animals from temperate, naturally acidic systems, we compared metabolite stores and meristics of two yellow perch (Perca flavescens) populations in northern Wisconsin. One population originated from a naturally acidic, dystrophic lake (Acid-Lake-Perch, ALP) and had previously been shown to have enhanced tolerance to low pH. The second population came from two nearby interconnected circumneutral, mesotrophic lakes (Neutral-Lake-Perch, NLP). Perch were collected throughout the year to account for seasonal effects and to discern whether patterns of metabolite utilization differed between populations. ALP had smaller livers containing less glycogen and greater muscle glycogen content than NLP. The ALP also had significantly greater liver and visceral lipid contents, and females from this population committed a greater fraction of their body mass to egg production. We interpret these results as indicative of physiological divergence at the population level in yellow perch. These results are discussed as possible products of H+ -driven changes in metabolism and as possible products of different life history strategies between populations. Our results also show that perch living in acidic, dystrophic Wharton Lake are not acid stressed.

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