Journal Article

Shorter telomeres precede population extinction in wild lizards

Angelier, Frédéric, School of Biological Sciences [Nouvelle-Zélande] ; University of Auckland [Auckland], Dupoué, Andréaz, Miles, Donald, B, Meylan, Sandrine, Station d'écologie théorique et expérimentale (SETE) ; Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier (UT3) ; Communauté d'universités et établissements de Toulouse (Comue de Toulouse)-Communauté d'universités et établissements de Toulouse (Comue de Toulouse)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Clobert, Jean, Centre d'Études Biologiques de Chizé - UMR 7372 (CEBC) ; Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-La Rochelle Université (ULR)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Le Galliard, Jean-François, Marciau, Coline, Ruault, Stéphanie, Rutschmann, Alexis, Institut d'écologie et des sciences de l'environnement de Paris (iEES) ; Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6 (UPMC)-Université Paris-Est Créteil Val-de-Marne - Paris 12 (UPEC UP12)-Centre National de la Reche

2017

Overview

Identifying the early warning signals of catastrophic extinctions has recently became a central focus for ecologists, but species’ functional responses to environmental changes remain an untapped source for the sharpening of such warning signals. Telomere length (TL) analysis represents a promising molecular tool with which to raise the alarm regarding early population decline, since telomere attrition is associated with aging processes and accelerates after a recurrent exposure to environmental stressors. In the southern margin of their range, populations of the common lizard (Zootoca vivipara) recently became extinct at lowest elevations due to changes in climate conditions. However, the proximal signals involved in these demographic declines are still unknown. Here, we sampled 100 yearling lizards from 10 natural populations (n = 10 per population) along an extinction risk gradient. Relative lizard abundance dramatically dropped over 12 years in low-altitude populations characterized by warmer ambient temperatures and higher body growth of lizards early in life. A non-linear relationship was found between TL and population extinction risk, with shorter telomeres in populations facing high risk of extinction when compared to non-threatened ones. Our results identify TL as an extremely promising biomarker and imply that population extinctions might be preceded by a loop of physiological aging.

• Publisher: Nature Publishing Group,CCSD,Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Portfolio
• Subject: 45/22 / 631/158/2455 / 631/158/672 / 631/337/103/560 / Aging / Ambient temperature / Climate change / Climatic conditions / Environmental changes / Environmental Sciences / Environmental stress / Extinction / Fish / Humanities and Social Sciences / Lizards / multidisciplinary / Natural populations / Population / Population decline / Science / Science (multidisciplinary) / Species extinction / Telomeres