Rank-Related Contrasts in Longevity Arise from Extra-Group Excursions Not Delayed Senescence in a Cooperative Mammal.

Current Biology : CB
Dominic L CramTim Clutton-Brock

Abstract

In many cooperatively breeding animal societies, breeders outlive non-breeding subordinates, despite investing heavily in reproduction [1-3]. In eusocial insects, the extended lifespans of breeders arise from specialized slowed aging profiles [1], prompting suggestions that reproduction and dominance similarly defer aging in cooperatively breeding vertebrates, too [4-6]. Although lacking the permanent castes of eusocial insects, breeders of vertebrate societies could delay aging via phenotypic plasticity (similar rank-related changes occur in growth, neuroendocrinology, and behavior [7-10]), and such plastic deferment of aging may reveal novel targets for preventing aging-related diseases [11]. Here, we investigate whether breeding dominants exhibit extended longevity and delayed age-related physiological declines in wild cooperatively breeding meerkats. We show that dominants outlive subordinates but exhibit faster telomere attrition (a marker of cellular senescence and hallmark of aging [12]) and that in dominants (but not subordinates), rapid telomere attrition is associated with mortality. Our findings further suggest that, rather than resulting from specialized aging profiles, differences in longevity between dominants and...Continue Reading

Associated Datasets

Oct 2, 2018·Robert GillespieDominic Cram

Citations

Nov 28, 2019·Ecology Letters·Marion ChatelainMarta Szulkin
Nov 30, 2019·Ecology·Sahas BarveEric L Walters
Jan 17, 2020·The Journal of Animal Ecology·Jack ThorleyTim Clutton-Brock
May 23, 2020·Science·Noah Snyder-MacklerJenny Tung
Jul 17, 2020·Biology Letters·Gregorio Sánchez-MontesIvan Gomez-Mestre
Sep 22, 2020·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Fernando A CamposSusan C Alberts
Oct 3, 2019·BioEssays : News and Reviews in Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology·Joanna Sudyka
Jan 11, 2022·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Noah D SimonsJenny Tung
Jan 11, 2022·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·T M MilewskiJ P Curley

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