Longer telomeres during early life predict higher lifetime reproductive success in females but not males

The mechanisms that contribute to variation in lifetime reproductive success are not well understood. One possibility is that telomeres, conserved DNA sequences at chromosome ends that often shorten with age and stress exposures, may reflect differences in vital processes or influence fitness. Telom...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences Biological sciences, 2021-05, Vol.288 (1951), p.20210560-20210560
Main Authors: Heidinger, Britt J, Kucera, Aurelia C, Kittilson, Jeff D, Westneat, David F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Evolution
Female
Longevity
Male
Reproduction
Sparrows - genetics
Telomere - genetics
Telomere Shortening
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
cited_by cdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-c539t-9cb8c57c59118af4bb11b20c2ff0c27c55f2b6876c176d2246aba4123d24df603
cites cdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-c539t-9cb8c57c59118af4bb11b20c2ff0c27c55f2b6876c176d2246aba4123d24df603
container_end_page 20210560
container_issue 1951
container_start_page 20210560
container_title Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences
container_volume 288
creator Heidinger, Britt J
Kucera, Aurelia C
Kittilson, Jeff D
Westneat, David F
description The mechanisms that contribute to variation in lifetime reproductive success are not well understood. One possibility is that telomeres, conserved DNA sequences at chromosome ends that often shorten with age and stress exposures, may reflect differences in vital processes or influence fitness. Telomere length often predicts longevity, but longevity is only one component of fitness and little is known about how lifetime reproductive success is related to telomere dynamics in wild populations. We examined the relationships between telomere length beginning in early life, telomere loss into adulthood and lifetime reproductive success in free-living house sparrows ( ). We found that females, but not males, with longer telomeres during early life had higher lifetime reproductive success, owing to associations with longevity and not reproduction per year or attempt. Telomeres decreased with age in both sexes, but telomere loss was not associated with lifetime reproductive success. In this species, telomeres may reflect differences in quality or condition rather than the pace of life, but only in females. Sexually discordant selection on telomeres is expected to influence the stability and maintenance of within population variation in telomere dynamics and suggests that any role telomeres play in mediating life-history trade-offs may be sex specific.
doi_str_mv 10.1098/rspb.2021.0560
format article
fullrecord <record><control><sourceid>proquest_pubme</sourceid><recordid>TN_cdi_pubmedcentral_primary_oai_pubmedcentral_nih_gov_8150037</recordid><sourceformat>XML</sourceformat><sourcesystem>PC</sourcesystem><sourcerecordid>2532260277</sourcerecordid><originalsourceid>FETCH-LOGICAL-c539t-9cb8c57c59118af4bb11b20c2ff0c27c55f2b6876c176d2246aba4123d24df603</originalsourceid><addsrcrecordid>eNpVkU1r3DAQhkVIyG6TXHsMOvbirTSW_HEplNCkhYVemrOQ5NGuim05khzIv6_dTUNzmWFm3nln4CHkI2c7ztrmc0yT2QEDvmOyYmdky0XNC2ilOCdb1lZQNELChnxI6TdjrJWNvCSbUrBSSA5bctyH8YCRZuzDgBET7eboxwNFHfsX2nuHdIrYeZvp0R-Oi3TtZT8gjTjF0M02-2ekabYWU6J-pA4H3S9OZs50DJn-ra7JhdN9wpvXfEUe77_9uvte7H8-_Lj7ui-sLNtctNY0VtZWtpw32gljODfALDi3hKUvHZiqqSvL66oDEJU2WnAoOxCdq1h5Rb6cfKfZDNhZHHPUvZqiH3R8UUF79X4y-qM6hGfVcMlYWS8Gn14NYniaMWU1-GSx7_WIYU4KZAlQMahX6e4ktTGkFNG9neFMrXjUiketeNSKZ1m4_f-5N_k_HuUfQN2O0Q</addsrcrecordid><sourcetype>Open Access Repository</sourcetype><iscdi>true</iscdi><recordtype>article</recordtype><pqid>2532260277</pqid></control><display><type>article</type><title>Longer telomeres during early life predict higher lifetime reproductive success in females but not males</title><source>PubMed Central</source><creator>Heidinger, Britt J ; Kucera, Aurelia C ; Kittilson, Jeff D ; Westneat, David F</creator><creatorcontrib>Heidinger, Britt J ; Kucera, Aurelia C ; Kittilson, Jeff D ; Westneat, David F</creatorcontrib><description>The mechanisms that contribute to variation in lifetime reproductive success are not well understood. One possibility is that telomeres, conserved DNA sequences at chromosome ends that often shorten with age and stress exposures, may reflect differences in vital processes or influence fitness. Telomere length often predicts longevity, but longevity is only one component of fitness and little is known about how lifetime reproductive success is related to telomere dynamics in wild populations. We examined the relationships between telomere length beginning in early life, telomere loss into adulthood and lifetime reproductive success in free-living house sparrows ( ). We found that females, but not males, with longer telomeres during early life had higher lifetime reproductive success, owing to associations with longevity and not reproduction per year or attempt. Telomeres decreased with age in both sexes, but telomere loss was not associated with lifetime reproductive success. In this species, telomeres may reflect differences in quality or condition rather than the pace of life, but only in females. Sexually discordant selection on telomeres is expected to influence the stability and maintenance of within population variation in telomere dynamics and suggests that any role telomeres play in mediating life-history trade-offs may be sex specific.</description><identifier>ISSN: 0962-8452</identifier><identifier>EISSN: 1471-2954</identifier><identifier>DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0560</identifier><identifier>PMID: 34034512</identifier><language>eng</language><publisher>England: The Royal Society</publisher><subject>Animals ; Evolution ; Female ; Longevity ; Male ; Reproduction ; Sparrows - genetics ; Telomere - genetics ; Telomere Shortening</subject><ispartof>Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences, 2021-05, Vol.288 (1951), p.20210560-20210560</ispartof><rights>2021 The Author(s) 2021</rights><lds50>peer_reviewed</lds50><oa>free_for_read</oa><woscitedreferencessubscribed>false</woscitedreferencessubscribed><citedby>FETCH-LOGICAL-c539t-9cb8c57c59118af4bb11b20c2ff0c27c55f2b6876c176d2246aba4123d24df603</citedby><cites>FETCH-LOGICAL-c539t-9cb8c57c59118af4bb11b20c2ff0c27c55f2b6876c176d2246aba4123d24df603</cites><orcidid>0000-0003-0064-209X ; 0000-0001-5163-8096 ; 0000-0001-6293-4229</orcidid></display><links><openurl>$$Topenurl_article</openurl><openurlfulltext>$$Topenurlfull_article</openurlfulltext><thumbnail>$$Tsyndetics_thumb_exl</thumbnail><linktopdf>$$Uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8150037/pdf/$$EPDF$$P50$$Gpubmedcentral$$H</linktopdf><linktohtml>$$Uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8150037/$$EHTML$$P50$$Gpubmedcentral$$H</linktohtml><link.rule.ids>230,315,730,783,787,888,27936,27937,53804,53806</link.rule.ids><backlink>$$Uhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/34034512$$D View this record in MEDLINE/PubMed$$Hfree_for_read</backlink></links><search><creatorcontrib>Heidinger, Britt J</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Kucera, Aurelia C</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Kittilson, Jeff D</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Westneat, David F</creatorcontrib><title>Longer telomeres during early life predict higher lifetime reproductive success in females but not males</title><title>Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences</title><addtitle>Proc Biol Sci</addtitle><description>The mechanisms that contribute to variation in lifetime reproductive success are not well understood. One possibility is that telomeres, conserved DNA sequences at chromosome ends that often shorten with age and stress exposures, may reflect differences in vital processes or influence fitness. Telomere length often predicts longevity, but longevity is only one component of fitness and little is known about how lifetime reproductive success is related to telomere dynamics in wild populations. We examined the relationships between telomere length beginning in early life, telomere loss into adulthood and lifetime reproductive success in free-living house sparrows ( ). We found that females, but not males, with longer telomeres during early life had higher lifetime reproductive success, owing to associations with longevity and not reproduction per year or attempt. Telomeres decreased with age in both sexes, but telomere loss was not associated with lifetime reproductive success. In this species, telomeres may reflect differences in quality or condition rather than the pace of life, but only in females. Sexually discordant selection on telomeres is expected to influence the stability and maintenance of within population variation in telomere dynamics and suggests that any role telomeres play in mediating life-history trade-offs may be sex specific.</description><subject>Animals</subject><subject>Evolution</subject><subject>Female</subject><subject>Longevity</subject><subject>Male</subject><subject>Reproduction</subject><subject>Sparrows - genetics</subject><subject>Telomere - genetics</subject><subject>Telomere Shortening</subject><issn>0962-8452</issn><issn>1471-2954</issn><fulltext>true</fulltext><rsrctype>article</rsrctype><creationdate>2021</creationdate><recordtype>article</recordtype><recordid>eNpVkU1r3DAQhkVIyG6TXHsMOvbirTSW_HEplNCkhYVemrOQ5NGuim05khzIv6_dTUNzmWFm3nln4CHkI2c7ztrmc0yT2QEDvmOyYmdky0XNC2ilOCdb1lZQNELChnxI6TdjrJWNvCSbUrBSSA5bctyH8YCRZuzDgBET7eboxwNFHfsX2nuHdIrYeZvp0R-Oi3TtZT8gjTjF0M02-2ekabYWU6J-pA4H3S9OZs50DJn-ra7JhdN9wpvXfEUe77_9uvte7H8-_Lj7ui-sLNtctNY0VtZWtpw32gljODfALDi3hKUvHZiqqSvL66oDEJU2WnAoOxCdq1h5Rb6cfKfZDNhZHHPUvZqiH3R8UUF79X4y-qM6hGfVcMlYWS8Gn14NYniaMWU1-GSx7_WIYU4KZAlQMahX6e4ktTGkFNG9neFMrXjUiketeNSKZ1m4_f-5N_k_HuUfQN2O0Q</recordid><startdate>20210526</startdate><enddate>20210526</enddate><creator>Heidinger, Britt J</creator><creator>Kucera, Aurelia C</creator><creator>Kittilson, Jeff D</creator><creator>Westneat, David F</creator><general>The Royal Society</general><scope>CGR</scope><scope>CUY</scope><scope>CVF</scope><scope>ECM</scope><scope>EIF</scope><scope>NPM</scope><scope>AAYXX</scope><scope>CITATION</scope><scope>7X8</scope><scope>5PM</scope><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0064-209X</orcidid><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5163-8096</orcidid><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6293-4229</orcidid></search><sort><creationdate>20210526</creationdate><title>Longer telomeres during early life predict higher lifetime reproductive success in females but not males</title><author>Heidinger, Britt J ; Kucera, Aurelia C ; Kittilson, Jeff D ; Westneat, David F</author></sort><facets><frbrtype>5</frbrtype><frbrgroupid>cdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-c539t-9cb8c57c59118af4bb11b20c2ff0c27c55f2b6876c176d2246aba4123d24df603</frbrgroupid><rsrctype>articles</rsrctype><prefilter>articles</prefilter><language>eng</language><creationdate>2021</creationdate><topic>Animals</topic><topic>Evolution</topic><topic>Female</topic><topic>Longevity</topic><topic>Male</topic><topic>Reproduction</topic><topic>Sparrows - genetics</topic><topic>Telomere - genetics</topic><topic>Telomere Shortening</topic><toplevel>peer_reviewed</toplevel><toplevel>online_resources</toplevel><creatorcontrib>Heidinger, Britt J</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Kucera, Aurelia C</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Kittilson, Jeff D</creatorcontrib><creatorcontrib>Westneat, David F</creatorcontrib><collection>Medline</collection><collection>MEDLINE</collection><collection>MEDLINE (Ovid)</collection><collection>MEDLINE</collection><collection>MEDLINE</collection><collection>PubMed</collection><collection>CrossRef</collection><collection>MEDLINE - Academic</collection><collection>PubMed Central (Full Participant titles)</collection><jtitle>Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences</jtitle></facets><delivery><delcategory>Remote Search Resource</delcategory><fulltext>fulltext</fulltext></delivery><addata><au>Heidinger, Britt J</au><au>Kucera, Aurelia C</au><au>Kittilson, Jeff D</au><au>Westneat, David F</au><format>journal</format><genre>article</genre><ristype>JOUR</ristype><atitle>Longer telomeres during early life predict higher lifetime reproductive success in females but not males</atitle><jtitle>Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences</jtitle><addtitle>Proc Biol Sci</addtitle><date>2021-05-26</date><risdate>2021</risdate><volume>288</volume><issue>1951</issue><spage>20210560</spage><epage>20210560</epage><pages>20210560-20210560</pages><issn>0962-8452</issn><eissn>1471-2954</eissn><abstract>The mechanisms that contribute to variation in lifetime reproductive success are not well understood. One possibility is that telomeres, conserved DNA sequences at chromosome ends that often shorten with age and stress exposures, may reflect differences in vital processes or influence fitness. Telomere length often predicts longevity, but longevity is only one component of fitness and little is known about how lifetime reproductive success is related to telomere dynamics in wild populations. We examined the relationships between telomere length beginning in early life, telomere loss into adulthood and lifetime reproductive success in free-living house sparrows ( ). We found that females, but not males, with longer telomeres during early life had higher lifetime reproductive success, owing to associations with longevity and not reproduction per year or attempt. Telomeres decreased with age in both sexes, but telomere loss was not associated with lifetime reproductive success. In this species, telomeres may reflect differences in quality or condition rather than the pace of life, but only in females. Sexually discordant selection on telomeres is expected to influence the stability and maintenance of within population variation in telomere dynamics and suggests that any role telomeres play in mediating life-history trade-offs may be sex specific.</abstract><cop>England</cop><pub>The Royal Society</pub><pmid>34034512</pmid><doi>10.1098/rspb.2021.0560</doi><tpages>1</tpages><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0064-209X</orcidid><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5163-8096</orcidid><orcidid>https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6293-4229</orcidid><oa>free_for_read</oa></addata></record>
fulltext fulltext
identifier ISSN: 0962-8452
ispartof Proceedings of the Royal Society. B, Biological sciences, 2021-05, Vol.288 (1951), p.20210560-20210560
issn 0962-8452
1471-2954
language eng
recordid cdi_pubmedcentral_primary_oai_pubmedcentral_nih_gov_8150037
source PubMed Central
subjects Animals
Evolution
Female
Longevity
Male
Reproduction
Sparrows - genetics
Telomere - genetics
Telomere Shortening
title Longer telomeres during early life predict higher lifetime reproductive success in females but not males
url http://sfxeu10.hosted.exlibrisgroup.com/loughborough?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info:ofi/enc:UTF-8&ctx_tim=2024-11-13T07%3A57%3A16IST&url_ver=Z39.88-2004&url_ctx_fmt=infofi/fmt:kev:mtx:ctx&rfr_id=info:sid/primo.exlibrisgroup.com:primo3-Article-proquest_pubme&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Longer%20telomeres%20during%20early%20life%20predict%20higher%20lifetime%20reproductive%20success%20in%20females%20but%20not%20males&rft.jtitle=Proceedings%20of%20the%20Royal%20Society.%20B,%20Biological%20sciences&rft.au=Heidinger,%20Britt%20J&rft.date=2021-05-26&rft.volume=288&rft.issue=1951&rft.spage=20210560&rft.epage=20210560&rft.pages=20210560-20210560&rft.issn=0962-8452&rft.eissn=1471-2954&rft_id=info:doi/10.1098/rspb.2021.0560&rft_dat=%3Cproquest_pubme%3E2532260277%3C/proquest_pubme%3E%3Cgrp_id%3Ecdi_FETCH-LOGICAL-c539t-9cb8c57c59118af4bb11b20c2ff0c27c55f2b6876c176d2246aba4123d24df603%3C/grp_id%3E%3Coa%3E%3C/oa%3E%3Curl%3E%3C/url%3E&rft_id=info:oai/&rft_pqid=2532260277&rft_id=info:pmid/34034512&rfr_iscdi=true