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Senescence in cell oxidative status in two bird species with contrasting life expectancy

  • Physiological ecology - Original research
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Abstract

Oxidative stress occurs when the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by an organism exceeds its capacity to mitigate the damaging effects of the ROS. Consequently, oxidative stress hypotheses of ageing argue that a decline in fecundity and an increase in the likelihood of death with advancing age reported at the organism level are driven by gradual disruption of the oxidative balance at the cellular level. Here, we measured erythrocyte resistance to oxidative stress in the same individuals over several years in two free-living bird species with contrasting life expectancy, the great tit (known maximum life expectancy is 15.4 years) and the Alpine swift (26 years). In both species, we found evidence for senescence in cell resistance to oxidative stress, with patterns of senescence becoming apparent as subjects get older. In the Alpine swift, there was also evidence for positive selection on cell resistance to oxidative stress, the more resistant subjects being longer lived. The present findings of inter-individual selection and intra-individual deterioration in cell oxidative status at old age in free-living animals support a role for oxidative stress in the ageing of wild animals.

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to numerous students for their help in the field, to two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments, and to the Swiss National Science Foundation for financial support (grant no. 31003A_124988 to P. B. and 31003A_138187 to P. C.).

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Author notes

  1. Pierre Bize

    Present address: Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Zoology Building, Tillydrone Avenue, AB24 2TZ, Aberdeen, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Biophore, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Pierre Bize, Sophie Cotting, Juan van Rooyen, Fabrice Lalubin, Olivier Glaizot & Philippe Christe

  2. Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, King’s Building, West Main Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JT, UK

    Godefroy Devevey

  3. Museum of Zoology, Place de la Riponne 6, 1014, Lausanne, Switzerland

    Olivier Glaizot

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  1. Pierre Bize
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Correspondence to Pierre Bize.

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Communicated by Oliver P Love.

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Bize, P., Cotting, S., Devevey, G. et al. Senescence in cell oxidative status in two bird species with contrasting life expectancy. Oecologia 174, 1097–1105 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-013-2840-3

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