Abstract
Although disruption of glucose homeostasis is a hallmark of ageing in humans and laboratory model organisms, we have little information on the importance of this process in free-living animals. Poor control of blood glucose levels leads to irreversible protein glycation. Hence, levels of protein glycation are hypothesized to increase with age and to be associated with a decline in survival. We tested these predictions by measuring blood glycated haemoglobin in 274 adult collared flycatchers of known age and estimating individual probability of recapture in the following 2 years. Results show a strong decrease in glycated haemoglobin from age 1 to 5 years and an increase thereafter. Individuals with high levels of glycated haemoglobin had a lower probability of recapture, even after controlling for effects of age and dispersal. Altogether, our findings suggest that poor control of glucose homoeostasis is associated with lower survival in this free-living bird population, and that the selective disappearance of individuals with the highest glycation levels could account for the counterintuitive age-related decline in glycated haemoglobin in the early age categories.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 20160243 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Biology Letters |
Volume | 12 |
Issue number | 8 |
Early online date | 1 Aug 2016 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 31 Aug 2016 |
Bibliographical note
This work was supported by the ANR (ANR-06-JCJC0082 toB.D.), the CNRS (PEPS INEE and PICS France–Switzerland to B.D.),
the French Ministe`re de l’Enseignement Supe´rieur et de la Recherche (PhD fellowship to C.R.), the Re´gion Rhoˆne-Alpes (Explora’doc mobility grant to C.R.), the University of Aberdeen (stipend to C.R.), the L’Ore´al Foundation-UNESCO ‘For Women in Science’ program (fellowship to C.R.) and the Rectors’ Conference of the Swiss Universities (grant to C.R. and P.B.).
Keywords
- ageing
- diabetes
- glycation
- survival
- collared flycatcher
- Ficedula albicollis
- SENESCENCE
- AGE
- POPULATIONS
- DISPERSAL
- MODEL
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Data from: Selective disappearance of individuals with high levels of glycated haemoglobin in a free-living bird
Récapet, C. (Creator), Sibeaux, A. (Creator), Cauchard, L. (Creator), Doligez, B. (Creator), Bize, P. (Creator) & Paton, G. (Data Manager), Dryad Digital Repository, 23 May 2016
DOI: 10.5061/dryad.87035
Dataset