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Blanco MB, Smith DL, Greene LK, Yoder AD, Ehmke EE, Lin J, Klopfer PH. Telomere dynamics during hibernation in a tropical primate. J Comp Physiol B 2024; 194:213-219. [PMID: 38466418 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-024-01541-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/13/2024]
Abstract
Hibernation is a widespread metabolic strategy among mammals for surviving periods of food scarcity. During hibernation, animals naturally alternate between metabolically depressed torpor bouts and energetically expensive arousals without ill effects. As a result, hibernators are promising models for investigating mechanisms that buffer against cellular stress, including telomere protection and restoration. In non-hibernators, telomeres, the protective structural ends of chromosomes, shorten with age and metabolic stress. In temperate hibernators, however, telomere shortening and elongation can occur in response to changing environmental conditions and associated metabolic state. We investigate telomere dynamics in a tropical hibernating primate, the fat-tailed dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus medius). In captivity, these lemurs can hibernate when maintained under cold temperatures (11-15 °C) with limited food provisioning. We study telomere dynamics in eight fat-tailed dwarf lemurs at the Duke Lemur Center, USA, from samples collected before, during, and after the hibernation season and assayed via qPCR. Contrary to our predictions, we found that telomeres were maintained or even lengthened during hibernation, but shortened immediately thereafter. During hibernation, telomere lengthening was negatively correlated with time in euthermia. Although preliminary in scope, our findings suggest that there may be a preemptive, compensatory mechanism to maintain telomere integrity in dwarf lemurs during hibernation. Nevertheless, telomere shortening immediately afterward may broadly result in similar outcomes across seasons. Future studies could profitably investigate the mechanisms that offset telomere shortening within and outside of the hibernation season and whether those mechanisms are modulated by energy surplus or crises.
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Affiliation(s)
- M B Blanco
- Duke Lemur Center, Durham, NC, 27705, USA.
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
| | - D L Smith
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - L K Greene
- Duke Lemur Center, Durham, NC, 27705, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - A D Yoder
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
| | - E E Ehmke
- Duke Lemur Center, Durham, NC, 27705, USA
| | - J Lin
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - P H Klopfer
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA
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Míguez S, Torre I, Arrizabalaga A, Freixas L. Influences of Maternal Weight and Geographic Factors on Offspring Traits of the Edible Dormouse in the NE of the Iberian Peninsula. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:life13051223. [PMID: 37240868 DOI: 10.3390/life13051223] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/16/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
The main goal of this study was to analyze the reproductive patterns of edible dormouse (Glis glis) populations in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula using an 18-year period of data obtained from nest boxes collected between 2004 and 2021. The average litter size in Catalonia (Spain) was 5.5 ± 1.60 (range: 2-9, n = 131), with litter sizes between 5 and 7 pups as the more frequent. The overall mean weight in pink, grey and open eyes pups was 4.8 g/pup, 11.7 g/pup and 23.6 g/pup, respectively. No differences in offspring weights between sexes were found in any of the three age groups. Maternal body weight was positively associated with mean pup weight, whereas no correlation between the weight of the mothers and litter size was found. The trade-off between offspring number and size was not detected at birth. Regarding litter size variation across the geographic gradient (and their climatic gradient associated) from the southernmost populations of the Iberian Peninsula located in Catalonia to the Pyrenees region in Andorra, no evidence to suggest that geographic variables affect litter size was found, discarding (1) an investment in larger litters to compensate shorter seasons related to higher altitudes or northern latitudes, and (2) variation in litter size related to weather changes (e.g., temperature and precipitation) along latitudinal and/or altitudinal gradients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ignasi Torre
- BiBio Research Group, Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, C/Francesc Macià 51, E-08402 Granollers, Spain
| | - Antoni Arrizabalaga
- BiBio Research Group, Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, C/Francesc Macià 51, E-08402 Granollers, Spain
| | - Lídia Freixas
- BiBio Research Group, Natural Sciences Museum of Granollers, C/Francesc Macià 51, E-08402 Granollers, Spain
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Findlay‐Robinson R, Deecke VB, Weatherall A, Hill DL. Effects of climate change on life‐history traits in hibernating mammals. Mamm Rev 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/mam.12308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Findlay‐Robinson
- Institute of Science and the Environment, University of Cumbria, Ambleside Cumbria LA22 9BB UK
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences University of Glasgow Glasgow G12 8QQ UK
| | - Volker B. Deecke
- Institute of Science and the Environment, University of Cumbria, Ambleside Cumbria LA22 9BB UK
| | - Andrew Weatherall
- Institute of Science and the Environment, University of Cumbria, Ambleside Cumbria LA22 9BB UK
| | - Davina L. Hill
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences University of Glasgow Glasgow G12 8QQ UK
- School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences University of the Witwatersrand Private Bag 3, Wits 2050 Johannesburg South Africa
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Abstract
We address the question of ultimate selective advantages of hibernation. Biologists generally seem to accept the notion that multiday torpor is primarily a response to adverse environmental conditions, namely cold climate and low food abundance. We closely examine hibernation, and its summer equivalent estivation, in the edible dormouse, Glis glis. We conclude that in this species, hibernation is not primarily driven by poor conditions. Dormice enter torpor with fat reserves in years that are unfavourable for reproduction but provide ample food supply for animals to sustain themselves and even gain body energy reserves. While staying in hibernacula below ground, hibernators have much higher chances of survival than during the active season. We think that dormice enter prolonged torpor predominantly to avoid predation, mainly nocturnal owls. Because estivation in summer is immediately followed by hibernation, this strategy requires a good body condition in terms of fat reserves. As dormice age, they encounter fewer occasions to reproduce when calorie-rich seeds are available late in the year, and phase advance the hibernation season. By early emergence from hibernation, the best territories can be occupied and the number of mates maximised. However, this advantage comes at the cost of increased predation pressure that is maximal in spring. We argue the predator avoidance is generally one of the primary reasons for hibernation, as increased perceived predation pressure leads to an enhanced torpor use. The edible dormouse may be just an example where this behaviour becomes most obvious, on the population level and across large areas.
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Glendinning JI, Williams N. Prolonged Consumption of glucose syrup enhances glucose tolerance in mice. Physiol Behav 2022; 256:113954. [PMID: 36055416 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2022.113954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2022] [Revised: 08/23/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
There is debate about the metabolic impact of sugar-sweetened beverages. Here, we tested the hypothesis that ad lib consumption of glucose (Gluc) or high-fructose (HiFruc) syrups improves glucose tolerance in mice. We provided C57BL/6 mice with a control (chow and water) or experimental (chow, water and sugar solution) diet across two consecutive 28-day exposure periods, and monitored changes in body composition, glucose tolerance, cephalic-phase insulin release (CPIR) and insulin sensitivity. The sugar solutions contained 11% concentrations of Gluc or HiFruc syrup; these syrups were derived from either corn starch or cellulose. In Experiment 1, consumption of the Gluc diets reliably enhanced glucose tolerance, while consumption of the HiFruc diets did not. Mice on the Gluc diets exhibited higher CPIR (relative to baseline) by the end of exposure period 1, whereas mice on the control and HiFruc diets did not do so until the end of exposure period 2. Mice on the Gluc diets also exhibited higher insulin sensitivity than control mice at the end of exposure period 2, while mice on the HiFruc diets did not. In Experiment 2, we repeated the previous experiment, but limited testing to the corn-based Gluc and HiFruc syrups. We found, once again, that consumption of the Gluc (but not the HiFruc) diet enhanced glucose tolerance, in part by increasing CPIR and insulin sensitivity. These results show that mice can adapt metabolically to high glucose diets, and that this adaptation process involves upregulating at least two components of the insulin response system.
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Affiliation(s)
- John I Glendinning
- Departments of Biology and Neuroscience & Behavior, Barnard College, Columbia University, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027.
| | - Niki Williams
- Departments of Biology and Neuroscience & Behavior, Barnard College, Columbia University, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027
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Telomere dynamics in female Columbian ground squirrels: recovery after emergence and loss after reproduction. Oecologia 2022; 199:301-312. [PMID: 35713713 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05194-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Telomeres are specialized non-coding DNA sequences located at the end of chromosomes and that protect genetic information. Telomere loss over lifespan is generally viewed as a phenomenon associated with aging in animals. Recently, telomere elongation after hibernation has been described in several mammals. Whether this pattern is an adaptation to repair DNA damage caused during rewarming from torpor or if it coevolved as a mechanism to promote somatic maintenance in preparation for the upcoming reproductive effort remains unclear. In a longitudinal study measuring telomere length using buccal swabs, we tested if telomere elongation was related to reproductive success in wild adult female Columbian ground squirrels (Urocitellus columbianus) that were monitored from emergence from hibernation to the end of the reproductive season. We found three key results. First, female telomere length increased at the start of the breeding season, both in breeding and non-breeding individuals. Second, post-emergence telomere lengthening was unrelated to female future reproductive output. Third, telomere length decreased in breeding females during lactation, but remained stable in non-breeding females over a similar period. Within breeders, telomeres shortened more in females producing larger and heavier litters. We concluded that telomere lengthening after hibernation did not constrain immediate female reproductive capacities. It was more likely to be part of the body recovery process that takes place after hibernation. Telomere erosion that occurs after birth may constitute a physiological cost of female reproduction.
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Komar E, Fasel NJ, Szafrańska PA, Dechmann DKN, Zegarek M, Ruczyński I. Energy allocation shifts from sperm production to self-maintenance at low temperatures in male bats. Sci Rep 2022; 12:2138. [PMID: 35136106 PMCID: PMC8826387 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05896-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability of animals to produce endogenous heat provides a buffer against environmental changes but also incurs high energetic costs. Especially small endothermic mammals have high energy demands. Some temperate-zone species (heterotherms) regularly use torpor, which slows down their entire metabolism but also potentially delays reproduction, to compensate for this. We used a unique experimental approach to test the consequences of extended low and high ambient temperatures on the trade-off in energy allocation to body mass maintenance, thermoregulation effort and seasonal sexual maturation in temperate zone male bats. We showed that long exposure to low ambient temperature shifts energy allocation away from sexual maturation to self-maintenance and results in a delay of sperm maturation by as much as an entire month. This effect was partially buffered by higher body mass. Heavier bats were able to afford more intensive thermoregulation and consequently speed up maturation. Interestingly, bats at constant high temperatures avoided deep torpor and matured faster than those at low temperatures, but sperm production was also slower than under natural conditions. Our results show that not only low, but also constant high ambient temperatures are detrimental during seasonal sexual maturation and the trade-off between investing into self-maintenance and fitness is a finely tuned compromise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ewa Komar
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Stoczek 1, Białowieża, Poland. .,Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, 02-096, Warszawa, Poland.
| | - Nicolas J Fasel
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, 1015, Biophore, Switzerland
| | - Paulina A Szafrańska
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Stoczek 1, Białowieża, Poland
| | - D K N Dechmann
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, 78315, Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78457, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Marcin Zegarek
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Stoczek 1, Białowieża, Poland
| | - Ireneusz Ruczyński
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Stoczek 1, Białowieża, Poland
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Bilinski T, Bylak A, Kukuła K, Zadrag-Tecza R. Senescence as a trade-off between successful land colonisation and longevity: critical review and analysis of a hypothesis. PeerJ 2021; 9:e12286. [PMID: 34760360 PMCID: PMC8570163 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.12286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2020] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Most common terrestrial animal clades exhibit senescence, suggesting strong adaptive value of this trait. However, there is little support for senescence correlated with specific adaptations. Nevertheless, insects, mammals, and birds, which are the most common terrestrial animal clades that show symptoms of senescence, evolved from clades that predominantly did not show symptoms of senescence. Thus, we aimed to examine senescence in the context of the ecology and life histories of the main clades of animals, including humans, and to formulate hypotheses to explain the causes and origin of senescence in the major clades of terrestrial animals. METHODOLOGY We reviewed literature from 1950 to 2020 concerning life expectancy, the existence of senescence, and the adaptive characteristics of the major groups of animals. We then proposed a relationship between senescence and environmental factors, considering the biology of these groups of animals. We constructed a model showing the phylogenetic relationships between animal clades in the context of the major stages of evolution, distinguishing between senescent and biologically 'immortal' clades of animals. Finally, we synthesised current data on senescence with the most important concepts and theories explaining the origin and mechanisms of senescence. Although this categorisation into different senescent phenotypes may be simplistic, we used this to propose a framework for understanding senescence. RESULTS We found that terrestrial mammals, insects, and birds show senescence, even though they likely evolved from non-senescent ancestors. Moreover, secondarily aquatic animals show lower rate of senescence than their terrestrial counterparts. Based on the possible life histories of these groups and the analysis of the most important factors affecting the transition from a non-senescent to senescent phenotype, we conclude that aging has evolved, not as a direct effect, but as a correlated response of selection on developmental strategies, and that this occurred separately within each clade. Adoption of specific life history strategies could thus have far-reaching effects in terms of senescence and lifespan. CONCLUSIONS Our analysis strongly suggests that senescence may have emerged as a side effect of the evolution of adaptive features that allowed the colonisation of land. Senescence in mammals may be a compromise between land colonisation and longevity. This hypothesis, is supported by palaeobiological and ecological evidence. We hope that the development of new research methodologies and the availability of more data could be used to test this hypothesis and shed greater light on the evolution of senescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomasz Bilinski
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Faculty of Biology and Agriculture, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland
| | - Aneta Bylak
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Protection; Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Land Management and Environmental Protection, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland
| | - Krzysztof Kukuła
- Department of Ecology and Environmental Protection; Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Land Management and Environmental Protection, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland
| | - Renata Zadrag-Tecza
- Department of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Institute of Biology and Biotechnology, University of Rzeszów, Rzeszów, Poland
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Popova SS, Yurshenas DA, Mikhailova GZ, Bobyleva LG, Salmov NN, Tyapkina OV, Nurullin LF, Gazizova GR, Nigmetzyanov IR, Gusev OA, Zakharova NM, Vikhlyantsev IM. Stable Level of Giant Sarcomeric Cytoskeletal Proteins in Striated Muscles of the Edible Dormouse Glis glis during Hibernation. J EVOL BIOCHEM PHYS+ 2021. [DOI: 10.1134/s0022093021040128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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