Diverse aging rates in ectotherms provide insights for the evolution of aging and longevity

Authors: Beth A Reinke; Hugo Cayuela; Fredric J Janzen; Jean-Francois Lemaitre; Jean-Michel Gaillard; Michelle A Lawing; John B Iverson; Ditte G Christiansen; Iñigo Martinez-Solano; Gregorio Sánchez-Montes; Jorge Gutiérrez-Rodríguez; Francis L Rose; Nicola Nelson; Susan Keall; Alain J Crivelli; Theodoros Nazirides; Annegret Grimm-Seyfarth; Klaus Henle; Emiliano Mori; Gaëtan Guiller; Rebecca Homan; Anthony Olivier; Erin Muths; Blake R Hossack; Xavier Bonnet; David S Pilliod; Marieke Lettink; Tony Whitaker; Benedikt R Schmidt; Michael G Gardner; Marc Cheylan; Francoise Poitevin; Ana Golubovi?; Ljiljana Tomovic; Dragan Arsovski; Richard A Griffiths; Jan W Arntzen; Jean-Pierre Baron; Jean-Francois Le Galliard; Thomas Tully; Luca Luiselli; Massimo Capula; Lorenzo Rugiero; Rebecca M McCaffery; Lisa A Eby; Venetia Briggs-Gonzalez; Frank J Mazzotti; David Pearson; Brad A Lambert; D M Green; Nathalie Jreidini; Claudio Angelini; Graham Pyke; Jean-Marc Thirion; Pierre Joly; Jean-Paul Lena; Tony Tucker; Col Limpus; Pauline Priol; Aurélien Besnard; Pauline Bernard; Kristin Stanford; Richard King; Justin Garwood; Jaime Bosch; Franco Souza; Jaime Bertoluci; Shirley Famelli; Kurt Grossenbacher; Omar Lenzi; Kathleen Matthews; Sylvain Boitaud; Deanna H Olson; Tim Jessop; Graeme Gillespie; Jean Clobert; Murielle Richard; Andrés Valenzuela-Sánchez; Gary M Fellers; Patrick M Kleeman; Brian J Halstead; Evan HC Grant; Phillip G Byrne; Thierry Frétey; Bernard Le Garff; Pauline Levionnois; John C Maerz; Julian Pichenot; Kurtulus Olgun; Nazan Uzum; Aziz Avci; Claude Miaud; Johan Elmberg; Gregory P Brown; Richard Shine; Nathan F Bendik; Lisa O'Donnell; Courtney L Davis; Michael J Lannoo; Rochelle M Stiles; Robert M Cox; Aaron M Reedy; Daniel A Warner; Eric Bonnaire; Kristine Grayson; Roberto Ramos-Targarona; Eyup Baskale; David J Muñoz; John Measey; Andre de Villiers; Will Selman; Anne M Bronikowski; David AW Miller

Contribution Number: 805

https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abm0151

Abstract/Summary

Comparative studies of mortality in the wild are necessary to understand the evolution of aging, yet ectothermic tetrapods are under-represented in this comparative landscape despite their suitability for testing evolutionary hypotheses. We provide the first comprehensive study of aging rates and longevity across tetrapod ectotherms in the wild, utilizing data from 107 populations (77 species) of reptiles and amphibians. We test hypotheses of how thermoregulatory mode, temperature, protective phenotypes, and pace of life contribute to aging. Controlling for phylogeny and body size, ectotherms displayed a higher diversity of aging rates than endotherms, and included many groups with negligible aging. Furthermore, protective phenotypes and life-history tactics further explained macroevolutionary patterns of aging. By including ectothermic tetrapods, our comparative analyses enhance our understanding of aging evolution.

Publication details

Published Date:	2022-06-23
Outlet/Publisher:	Science
Media Format:

Figure 2, aging and longevity rates of reptile and amphibian groups

ARMI Organizational Units:

Rocky Mountains, Southern - Biology
Northeast - Biology

Topics:

Climate Change; Species and their Ecology

Keywords:

amphibians; reptiles

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