Telomere length as a marker of ageing and lifespan in a long-lived seabird

Telomere length as a marker of ageing and lifespan in a long-lived seabird

Telomeres are specialized nucleoprotein structures at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes that maintain chromosome integrity, but shorten with cell division. Their length predicts individual lifespan across a wide range of animals, but to what extent this association stems from a shared effect of environmental stressors on both, or is already set at conception due to a shared genetic basis, remains to be elucidated. In this project, we repeatedly measure telomere length of chicks and adult common terns (Sterna hirundo) across their lifespan, and test how telomere length changes with age, investment in reproduction, and environmental stress. In addition, we test how telomere length predicts lifespan, and by partitioning this association into genetic and environmental effects can show how much of the variation in adult telomere length is already set at conception and predicts lifespan via a shared genetic basis.

Publications

Vedder O, Moiron M, Bichet C, Bauch C, Verhulst S, Becker PH, Bouwhuis S (2022) Telomere length is heritable and genetically correlated with lifespan in a wild bird. Molecular Ecology 31: 6297-6307

Bichet C, Bouwhuis S, Bauch C, Verhulst S, Becker PH, Vedder O (2020) Telomere length is repeatable, shortens with age and reproductive success, and predicts remaining lifespan in a long‐lived seabird. Molecular Ecology 29: 429-441

Vedder O, Verhulst S, Zuidersma E, Bouwhuis S (2018) Embryonic growth rate affects telomere attrition: an experiment in a wild bird. Journal of Experimental Biology 221: jeb181586

Bouwhuis S, Verhulst S, Bauch C, Vedder O (2018) Reduced telomere length in offspring of old fathers in a long-lived seabird. Biology Letters 14: 20180213

Vedder O, Verhulst S, Bauch C, Bouwhuis S (2017) Telomere attrition and growth: A life‐history framework and case study in common terns. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 30: 1409-1419