Hidden causes of variation in offspring reproductive value: negative effects of maternal breeding age on offspring telomere length persist undiminished across multiple generations
Data files
Jan 01, 2026 version files 10.01 KB
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Data1_ELE-00395-2024.csv
4.97 KB
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Data2_ELE-00395-2024.csv
2.37 KB
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Data3_ELE-00395-2024.csv
650 B
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README.md
2.02 KB
Abstract
Offspring of older breeders frequently show reduced longevity, which has been linked to shorter offspring telomere length. It is currently unknown whether such telomere reduction persists beyond a single generation, as would be the case if germline transmission is involved. In a within-grandmother, multi-generational study using zebra finches, we show that the shorter telomeres observed in F1 offspring of older mothers is still present in the F2 generation even when the breeding age of their F1 mothers is young. The effect was substantial - 43% shorter telomeres in grandoffspring from the ‘grandmother old at breeding’ line compared with those from the ‘grandmother young at breeding’ line. Shorter telomeres at fledging in this species are associated with a reduction in lifespan. Our data demonstrate the need to look beyond a single generation to explain inter-individual variation in ageing rates, and thereby variation in optimal allocation of age-specific reproductive effort.
by Valeria Marasco, Winnie Boner, Kate Griffits, Shirley Raveh, & Pat Monaghan
Data Description
Telomere length: T/S ratio (Telomere repeat copy number / GAPDH)
Body mass: grams
Data1_ELE-00395-2024.csv
dataset to analyse effect of grandmother (F0) age at breeding on grandoffspring (F2) body mass and telomere length at 30 days of age. Description of variables (from left to right):
- F2 Ring: id F2 bird
- Gen: Generation of birds (i.e., F2, F2.2)
- TEL: Telomere length at 30-day sampling
- D30_Mass: Body mass at 30-day sampling
- Sex: sex of F2 bird
- Hatch_Nest: nest id of F2 bird
- Chick_Num: hatching order of F2 bird
- Cluth_site: size of the clutch from which F2 bird originates
- ID_mother_of_F2: mother id of F2 bird
- TEL_Mother_of_F2: telomere length at 30-day sampling of the mother of F2 bird (i.e., F1 female)
- ID_Father_of_F2: Father id of F2 bird
- ID_F0: id of F0 female
Data2_ELE-00395-2024.csv
dataset to analyse changes in 30-day telomere length of females across the three generations (F0, F1, and F2), separately by grandmother breeding event. Description of variables (from left to right):
- Gen: Generation of birds (i.e., F0, F1, F2, F1.2, F2.2)
- F0_Breeding: indicates age at breeding of F0 female (i.e., young adulthood, or old adulthood)
- ID: Telomere length at 30-day sampling
- ID_F0: id of F0 female
Data3_ELE-00395-2024.csv
dataset to analyse differences in breeding performance of F1 daughters used to generate the F2 birds. Description of variables (from left to right):
- ID_mother_of_F2: mother id of F2 bird (i.e., F1 female)
- Gen: Generation of birds (i.e., F2, F2.2)
- Clutch_size_F2: size of the clutch produced by F1 mother
- N_F2_reared: number of reared F2 birds by F1 mother
- ID_F0: id of F0 female
- Mass_mother_breeding: Body mass at breeding of F1 female