Data from: Artificial selection for increased reproductive effort accelerates actuarial senescence and reduces lifespan in a precocial bird
Data files
Feb 24, 2026 version files 28.76 KB
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README.md
3.07 KB
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ReproductiveAgeing.csv
2.74 KB
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Survival_all.csv
16.57 KB
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Survival_breedingfemales.csv
6.38 KB
Abstract
Life history theory and evolutionary theories of ageing predict that trade-offs between reproduction and somatic maintenance shape the evolution of ageing and lifespan. However, the significance of these trade-offs remains debated, as previous correlational studies have produced inconsistent results. Here we used an experimental artificial selection approach in a precocial bird, the Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica), to directly test this fundamental tenet. We found that selection for divergent reproductive effort affected adult survival, with shorter lifespans in individuals selected for higher reproductive effort compared to individuals selected for lower reproductive effort at generations five and six. This difference in lifespan was driven by accelerated actuarial senescence rather than changes in baseline mortality. No differences in reproductive senescence were observed between the selection treatments. Our findings provide experimental evidence that vertebrate mortality trajectories can evolve rapidly in response to selection and demonstrate that increased reproductive effort is intrinsically linked to faster ageing and a shorter lifespan - thereby supporting a central tenet of life history and ageing theory.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.2547d7x5d
Description of the data and file structure
File: Survival_all.csv
Description:
Survival data for all birds included in the study.
Variables
- ring: individual ID
- line: selection line: H - high investment, L - low investment
- sex: sex of the individual (male or female)
- replicate: biological replicate of selection lines (replicate 1 or 2)
- tarsus: tarsus length in mm (a measure of body size)
- cause.death: died naturally (natural death), was euthanised due to health or welfare reasons (Euthanised due to health reason) or still alive at the end of the study (NA)
- time: time from hatching to event (either death or end of study) in days
- status: 1 = dead, 0 = alive
- generation: generation of selection treatment (5 or 6)
- family: ring number of mother
File: Survival_breedingfemales.csv
Description:
Survival and breeding data for females incuded in the first breeding event.
Variables
- ring: individual ID
- line: selection line: H - high investment, L - low investment
- sex: sex of the individual (male or female)
- replicate: biological replicate of selection lines (replicate 1 or 2)
- tarsus: tarsus length in mm (a measure of body size)
- Cause.Death: died naturally (natural death), was euthanised due to health or welfare reasons (Euthanised due to health reason) or still alive at the end of the study (NA)
- time: time from hatching to event (either death or end of study) in days
- status: 1 = dead, 0 = alive
- Mean.Egg.Size: mean egg size (in g) of all eggs laid by a female during a breeding event
- Generation: generation of selection treatment (5 or 6)
- family: ring number of mother
- second.breeding: female included in two breeding events? 1 = yes, 0 = no
File: ReproductiveAgeing.csv
Description:
Breeding data for females included in two breeding events.
Variables
- ring: individual ID
- breeding.event: first (1) or second (2) breeding event of a female
- line: selection line: H - high investment, L - low investment
- Replicate: biological replicate of selection lines (replicate 1 or 2)
- Generation: generation of selection treatment (5 or 6)
- Age: age of female at the specified breeding event (in days)
- tarsus: tarsus length in mm (a measure of body size)
- Egg.mass: mean egg size (in g) of eggs laid by a female during the specified breeding event
- family: ring number of mother
Code/software
The following R packages were used for the analyses:
R 4.2.1
lme4 1.1 35 - 5
coxme 2.2 - 20
survival 3.7 - 0
survminer 0.4.9
ggplot2 3.5.1
nimble 1.3.0
tidyverse 2.0
coda 0.19
data.table 1.17.8
The R scripts (Quail_Lifespan, Quail_Ageing, Dist_Gompertz, Dist_GompertzNim) contain code for the analyses and figures contained in the paper. These can be found under the 'Software' link in the Related Works.