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Hibernation telomere dynamics in a shifting climate: insights from wild greater horseshoe bats

Hibernation is linked with various hypotheses to explain the extended lifespan of hibernating mammals compared with their non-hibernating counterparts. Studies on telomeres, markers of ageing and somatic maintenance, suggest telomere shortening slows during hibernation, and lengthening may reflect s...

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Autores principales: Power, Megan L., Ransome, Roger D., Riquier, Sébastien, Romaine, Luke, Jones, Gareth, Teeling, Emma C.
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: The Royal Society 2023
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10565397/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37817598
http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.1589
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author Power, Megan L.
Ransome, Roger D.
Riquier, Sébastien
Romaine, Luke
Jones, Gareth
Teeling, Emma C.
author_facet Power, Megan L.
Ransome, Roger D.
Riquier, Sébastien
Romaine, Luke
Jones, Gareth
Teeling, Emma C.
author_sort Power, Megan L.
collection PubMed
description Hibernation is linked with various hypotheses to explain the extended lifespan of hibernating mammals compared with their non-hibernating counterparts. Studies on telomeres, markers of ageing and somatic maintenance, suggest telomere shortening slows during hibernation, and lengthening may reflect self-maintenance with favourable conditions. Bats in temperate zones adjust body temperatures during winter torpor to conserve energy and exploit mild conditions for foraging. Climate change may impact the hibernation cycle of bats, but more research is needed regarding the role of telomeres in understanding their response to a changing climate. Here, relative telomere length (rTL) was measured in the long-lived greater horseshoe bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (n = 223 individuals) over three winters, considering climatic conditions. Cross-sectional analyses revealed between-individual variation in rTL with a strong year effect, likely linked to varying weather conditions and foraging success. Additionally, within-individual increases of rTL occurred in 51% of consecutive measurements, with evidence of increasing telomerase expression during hibernation in this species. These findings highlight the beneficial effects of hibernation on telomeres and potential consequences of changing climatic conditions for long-lived temperate bats. Understanding the interplay between hibernation, telomeres, and climate can provide insights into the adaptive capacity and survival of bat populations facing environmental challenges.
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spelling pubmed-105653972023-10-12 Hibernation telomere dynamics in a shifting climate: insights from wild greater horseshoe bats Power, Megan L. Ransome, Roger D. Riquier, Sébastien Romaine, Luke Jones, Gareth Teeling, Emma C. Proc Biol Sci Evolution Hibernation is linked with various hypotheses to explain the extended lifespan of hibernating mammals compared with their non-hibernating counterparts. Studies on telomeres, markers of ageing and somatic maintenance, suggest telomere shortening slows during hibernation, and lengthening may reflect self-maintenance with favourable conditions. Bats in temperate zones adjust body temperatures during winter torpor to conserve energy and exploit mild conditions for foraging. Climate change may impact the hibernation cycle of bats, but more research is needed regarding the role of telomeres in understanding their response to a changing climate. Here, relative telomere length (rTL) was measured in the long-lived greater horseshoe bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (n = 223 individuals) over three winters, considering climatic conditions. Cross-sectional analyses revealed between-individual variation in rTL with a strong year effect, likely linked to varying weather conditions and foraging success. Additionally, within-individual increases of rTL occurred in 51% of consecutive measurements, with evidence of increasing telomerase expression during hibernation in this species. These findings highlight the beneficial effects of hibernation on telomeres and potential consequences of changing climatic conditions for long-lived temperate bats. Understanding the interplay between hibernation, telomeres, and climate can provide insights into the adaptive capacity and survival of bat populations facing environmental challenges. The Royal Society 2023-10-11 /pmc/articles/PMC10565397/ /pubmed/37817598 http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.1589 Text en © 2023 The Authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Published by the Royal Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) , which permits unrestricted use, provided the original author and source are credited.
spellingShingle Evolution
Power, Megan L.
Ransome, Roger D.
Riquier, Sébastien
Romaine, Luke
Jones, Gareth
Teeling, Emma C.
Hibernation telomere dynamics in a shifting climate: insights from wild greater horseshoe bats
title Hibernation telomere dynamics in a shifting climate: insights from wild greater horseshoe bats
title_full Hibernation telomere dynamics in a shifting climate: insights from wild greater horseshoe bats
title_fullStr Hibernation telomere dynamics in a shifting climate: insights from wild greater horseshoe bats
title_full_unstemmed Hibernation telomere dynamics in a shifting climate: insights from wild greater horseshoe bats
title_short Hibernation telomere dynamics in a shifting climate: insights from wild greater horseshoe bats
title_sort hibernation telomere dynamics in a shifting climate: insights from wild greater horseshoe bats
topic Evolution
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10565397/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37817598
http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2023.1589
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