scholarly journals Variation in early-life telomere dynamics in a long-lived bird: links to environmental conditions and survival

2015 ◽  
Vol 218 (5) ◽  
pp. 668-674 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Watson ◽  
M. Bolton ◽  
P. Monaghan
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Telomere Dynamics

Distribution, feeding behaviour, and condition of Cape horse mackerel early life stages, Trachurus capensis, under different environmental conditions in the northern Benguela upwelling ecosystem

2014 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 543-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Geist ◽  
A. Kunzmann ◽  
H. M. Verheye ◽  
A. Eggert ◽  
A. Schukat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dissolved Oxygen ◽  
Feeding Ecology ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Early Life History ◽  
Horse Mackerel ◽  
Larval Phase ◽  
Recruitment Success ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Variable Recruitment

Abstract Early life history (ELH) traits are key to understand variable recruitment success and hence the stock size of marine fish. One of the currently most puzzling ecosystems in this regard is the northern part of the Benguela Current upwelling system off Namibia. Here, populations of the formerly dominant pelagic species, sardine and anchovy, failed to recover during the last three decades after a dramatic decline. In contrast, Cape horse mackerel, Trachurus capensis, maintained a constant population size. Warming of the system and shoaling of hypoxic zones together with feedback loops within an altered foodweb are discussed to be responsible for this regime shift. In this study, we address the role of larval traits for the successful performance of the T. capensis population under the present environmental conditions with the focus on feeding ecology. We investigated seasonal variations of the geographical distribution, growth rate, feeding ecology, and nutritional condition of their ELH stages and examined relationships with water temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration, and micro-zooplankton composition. T. capensis' ELH stages showed a wide spatial and seasonal distribution, a preference for higher water temperatures (18–21°C) and presence over a wide range of dissolved oxygen concentrations (0.13–6.35 ml O2 l−1). Feeding success was high and mainly different groups of Copepoda were targeted, which were strongly size selected. The high dietary importance of micro-copepods during large parts of the larval phase indicates successful exploitation of this food source, which has increased in abundance during the last decade. It also explains observed best nutritional conditions at temperatures between 18 and 21°C, since these small copepods are commonly associated with warmer temperatures. Altogether, these traits enhance the species' probability to encounter suitable environments for the survival of their ELH stages, which is likely to lead to their high recruitment success in the northern Benguela ecosystem.

scholarly journals Interplays between pre- and post-natal environments affect early-life mortality, body mass and telomere dynamics in the wild

2020 ◽  
Vol 224 (1) ◽  
pp. jeb231290
Author(s):  
Tiia Kärkkäinen ◽  
Pauliina Teerikorpi ◽  
Wiebke Schuett ◽  
Antoine Stier ◽  
Toni Laaksonen
Keyword(s):  
Telomere Length ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Maternal Investment ◽  
Interactive Effects ◽  
Hatching Order ◽  
Hatching Synchrony ◽  
Asynchronous Hatching ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Developmental Conditions ◽  
Telomere Dynamics

ABSTRACTEarly-life conditions are crucial determinants of phenotype and fitness. The effects of pre- and post-natal conditions on fitness prospects have been widely studied but their interactive effects have received less attention. In birds, asynchronous hatching creates challenging developmental conditions for the last-hatched chicks, but differential allocation in last-laid eggs might help to compensate this initial handicap. The relative importance and potential interaction between pre- and post-hatching developmental conditions for different fitness components remains mostly unknown. We manipulated hatching order in wild pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca), creating three groups: natural asynchrony (last-laid eggs hatching last), reversed asynchrony (last-laid eggs hatching first) and hatching synchrony (all eggs hatching at once). We examined the effects of these manipulations on early-life survival, growth and telomere length, a potential cellular biomarker of fitness prospects. Mortality was mostly affected by hatching order, with last-hatched chicks being more likely to die. Early-life telomere dynamics and growth were influenced by the interplays between laying and hatching order. Last-laid but first-hatched chicks were heavier but had shorter telomeres 5 days after hatching than their siblings, indicating rapid early growth with potential adverse consequences on telomere length. Synchronous chicks did not suffer any apparent cost of hatching synchronously. Impaired phenotypes only occurred when reversing the natural hatching order (i.e. developmental mismatch), suggesting that maternal investment in last-laid eggs might indeed counterbalance the initial handicap of last-hatched chicks. Our experimental study thus highlights that potential interplays between pre- and post-natal environments are likely to shape fitness prospects in the wild.

scholarly journals The influence of weather conditions during gestation on life histories in a wild Arctic ungulate

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1841) ◽  
pp. 20161760 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathieu Douhard ◽  
Leif Egil Loe ◽  
Audun Stien ◽  
Christophe Bonenfant ◽  
R. Justin Irvine ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Weather Conditions ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Svalbard Reindeer ◽  
Long Term Study ◽  
Age Related

The internal predictive adaptive response (internal PAR) hypothesis predicts that individuals born in poor conditions should start to reproduce earlier if they are likely to have reduced performance in later life. However, whether this is the case remains unexplored in wild populations. Here, we use longitudinal data from a long-term study of Svalbard reindeer to examine age-related changes in adult female life-history responses to environmental conditions experienced in utero as indexed by rain-on-snow (ROS utero ). We show that females experiencing high ROS utero had reduced reproductive success only from 7 years of age, independent of early reproduction. These individuals were able to maintain the same annual reproductive success between 2 and 6 years as phenotypically superior conspecifics that experienced low ROS utero . Young females born after high ROS utero engage in reproductive events at lower body mass (about 2.5 kg less) than those born after low ROS utero . The mean fitness of females that experienced poor environmental conditions in early life was comparable with that of females exposed to good environmental conditions in early life. These results are consistent with the idea of internal PAR and suggest that the life-history responses to early-life conditions can buffer the delayed effects of weather on population dynamics.

Mesoproterozoic sulphidic ocean, delayed oxygenation and evolution of early life: sulphur isotope clues from Indian Proterozoic basins

2009 ◽  
Vol 147 (2) ◽  
pp. 206-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. SARKAR ◽  
P. P. CHAKRABORTY ◽  
B. MISHRA ◽  
M. K. BERA ◽  
P. SANYAL ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Sulphur Isotope ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Closed Systems

AbstractAnalyses of sulphur isotope compositions in sedimentary pyrites from the Vindhyan, Chattisgarh and Cuddapah basins show heavy δ34S (> +25 ‰) values during the Mesoproterozoic. The data provide evidence in support of a hypothesized global Proterozoic sulphidic anoxic ocean where very low concentrations of marine sulphate, bacterially reduced in closed systems, produced δ34S values in pyrites similar to or even heavier than marine sulphate. The extreme environmental conditions induced by these anoxic oceans could have been responsible for the delayed oxygenation of the biosphere and retarded evolution of multicellular life.

The influence of environmental conditions on early life stages of flounder (Platichthys flesus) in the central Baltic Sea

2013 ◽  
Vol 75 ◽  
pp. 77-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Didzis Ustups ◽  
Bärbel Müller-Karulis ◽  
Ulf Bergstrom ◽  
Andrej Makarchouk ◽  
Ivo Sics
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Life Stages ◽  
Early Life Stages ◽  
Platichthys Flesus

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

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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