Utility of telomere length measurements for age determination of humpback whales

This study examines the applicability of telomere length measurements by quantitative PCR as a tool for minimally invasive age determination of free-ranging cetaceans. We analysed telomere length in skin samples from 28 North Atlantic humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), ranging from 0 to 26 ye...

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Main Authors:	Morten Tange Olsen, Jooke Robbins, Martine Bérubé, Mary Beth Rew, Per J Palsbøll
Format:	Article
Language:	English
Published:	Septentrio Academic Publishing 2014-12-01
Series:	NAMMCO Scientific Publications
Subjects:	ageing telomere humpback whales North Atlantic Megaptera novaeangliae
Online Access:	https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/NAMMCOSP/article/view/3194

id	doaj-3757d32d743a4bf0a595fcb53d31e51b
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spelling	doaj-3757d32d743a4bf0a595fcb53d31e51b2020-11-25T01:12:12ZengSeptentrio Academic PublishingNAMMCO Scientific Publications1560-22062309-24912014-12-0110010.7557/3.31942971Utility of telomere length measurements for age determination of humpback whalesMorten Tange Olsen0Jooke Robbins1Martine Bérubé2Mary Beth Rew3Per J Palsbøll4Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Genetics, Microbiology, and Toxicology, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm *Present address: Section for Evolutionary Genomics, Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5–7, Copenhagen K 1350, DenmarkCenter for Coastal Studies, 5 Holway Avenue, Provincetown, MA 02657Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Genetics, Microbiology, and Toxicology, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden And Marine Evolution and Conservation, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, PO Box 11103, 97 CC Groningen, The Netherlands4Cooperative Institute for Marine Resources Studies, Oregon State University, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Newport, OR 97365Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Genetics, Microbiology, and Toxicology, Stockholm University, S-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden And Marine Evolution and Conservation, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, PO Box 11103, 97 CC Groningen, The NetherlandsThis study examines the applicability of telomere length measurements by quantitative PCR as a tool for minimally invasive age determination of free-ranging cetaceans. We analysed telomere length in skin samples from 28 North Atlantic humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), ranging from 0 to 26 years of age. The results suggested a significant correlation between telomere length and age in humpback whales. However, telomere length was highly variable among individuals of similar age, suggesting that telomere length measured by quantitative PCR is an imprecise determinant of age in humpback whales. The observed variation in individual telomere length was found to be a function of both experimental and biological variability, with the latter perhaps reflecting patterns of inheritance, resource allocation trade-offs, and stochasticity of the marine environment.https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/NAMMCOSP/article/view/3194ageingtelomerehumpback whalesNorth AtlanticMegaptera novaeangliae
collection	DOAJ
language	English
format	Article
sources	DOAJ
author	Morten Tange Olsen Jooke Robbins Martine Bérubé Mary Beth Rew Per J Palsbøll
spellingShingle	Morten Tange Olsen Jooke Robbins Martine Bérubé Mary Beth Rew Per J Palsbøll Utility of telomere length measurements for age determination of humpback whales NAMMCO Scientific Publications ageing telomere humpback whales North Atlantic Megaptera novaeangliae
author_facet	Morten Tange Olsen Jooke Robbins Martine Bérubé Mary Beth Rew Per J Palsbøll
author_sort	Morten Tange Olsen
title	Utility of telomere length measurements for age determination of humpback whales
title_short	Utility of telomere length measurements for age determination of humpback whales
title_full	Utility of telomere length measurements for age determination of humpback whales
title_fullStr	Utility of telomere length measurements for age determination of humpback whales
title_full_unstemmed	Utility of telomere length measurements for age determination of humpback whales
title_sort	utility of telomere length measurements for age determination of humpback whales
publisher	Septentrio Academic Publishing
series	NAMMCO Scientific Publications
issn	1560-2206 2309-2491
publishDate	2014-12-01
description	This study examines the applicability of telomere length measurements by quantitative PCR as a tool for minimally invasive age determination of free-ranging cetaceans. We analysed telomere length in skin samples from 28 North Atlantic humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), ranging from 0 to 26 years of age. The results suggested a significant correlation between telomere length and age in humpback whales. However, telomere length was highly variable among individuals of similar age, suggesting that telomere length measured by quantitative PCR is an imprecise determinant of age in humpback whales. The observed variation in individual telomere length was found to be a function of both experimental and biological variability, with the latter perhaps reflecting patterns of inheritance, resource allocation trade-offs, and stochasticity of the marine environment.
topic	ageing telomere humpback whales North Atlantic Megaptera novaeangliae
url	https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/NAMMCOSP/article/view/3194
work_keys_str_mv	AT mortentangeolsen utilityoftelomerelengthmeasurementsforagedeterminationofhumpbackwhales AT jookerobbins utilityoftelomerelengthmeasurementsforagedeterminationofhumpbackwhales AT martineberube utilityoftelomerelengthmeasurementsforagedeterminationofhumpbackwhales AT marybethrew utilityoftelomerelengthmeasurementsforagedeterminationofhumpbackwhales AT perjpalsbøll utilityoftelomerelengthmeasurementsforagedeterminationofhumpbackwhales
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Utility of telomere length measurements for age determination of humpback whales

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