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. 2019 Jan;33(1):152-161.
doi: 10.1111/1365-2435.13228. Epub 2018 Oct 16.

Longevity and life history coevolve with oxidative stress in birds

Csongor I Vágási  1   2 , Orsolya Vincze  1   2 , Laura Pătraș  3 , Gergely Osváth  1   2   4 , Janka Pénzes  1 , Mark F Haussmann  5 , Zoltán Barta  2 , Péter L Pap  1   2
Affiliations

Longevity and life history coevolve with oxidative stress in birds

Csongor I Vágási et al. Funct Ecol. 2019 Jan.

Abstract

1. The mechanisms that underpin the evolution of ageing and life histories remain elusive. Oxidative stress, which results in accumulated cellular damages, is one of the mechanisms suggested to play a role. 2. In this paper, we set out to test the "oxidative stress theory of ageing" and the "oxidative stress hypothesis of life histories" using a comprehensive phylogenetic comparison based on an unprecedented dataset of oxidative physiology in 88 free-living bird species. 3. We show for the first time that bird species with longer lifespan have higher non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity and suffer less oxidative damage to their lipids. We also found that bird species featuring a faster pace-of-life either have lower non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity or are exposed to higher levels of oxidative damage, while adult annual mortality does not relate to oxidative state. 4. These results reinforce the role of oxidative stress in the evolution of lifespan and also corroborate the role of oxidative state in the evolution of life histories among free-living birds.

Keywords: ageing; antioxidants; comparative biology; life history; lifespan; lipid peroxidation; mortality; oxidative damage.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Longevity and oxidative state. Maximum lifespan potential is positively associated with total antioxidant status, TAS (a) and negatively with oxidative damage to lipids, MDA (b). Model fits ± SE (continuous and dashed lines, respectively) are based on model no. 1 (see the Materials and Methods)
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
The oxidative cost of reproduction. Higher brood value (i.e., higher investment into current reproduction) is associated with significantly lower total antioxidant status, TAS (a), residual total antioxidant status, TASua (b) and total glutathione level, tGSH (c). Model fits ± SE (continuous and dashed lines, respectively) are based on models no. 2, 4 and 5, respectively
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Pace-of-life in relation to oxidative state. PC1 (an inverse “pace-of-life axis”) is negatively related to oxidative damage to lipids, MDA. Model fit ± SE (continuous and dashed lines, respectively) is based on model no. 8
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