Periodic Reporting for period 1 - REPRODAGEING (Direct and transgenerational consequences of divergent reproductive strategies on ageing trajectories of parents and their offspring)
Reporting period: 2019-10-01 to 2022-09-30
In this project, REPRODAGEING, the question why individuals differ in their ageing trajectories was addressed, which is a key long-standing issue of biological and medical sciences. A unique avian life history model was used for quantifying a) how divergent life history strategies modulate individual and sex-specific ageing trajectories (work package 1, WP1), b) within-individual mosaics of physiological damage accumulation across somatic and reproductive tissues (WP2), and c) the consequences of parental ageing trajectories for the next generation (WP3). For this purpose, approaches from evolutionary biology, behavioural ecology and ecophysiology were combined with cutting-edge molecular techniques to quantify physiological damage accumulation and ageing, using telomere length, oxidative stress, and methylation status as physiological markers.
REPRODAGEING is highly relevant for fundamental evolutionary biology, but has also applied implications for biomedicine, assisted reproduction, animal breeding and wildlife conservation. Indeed, understanding the underlying mechanisms of ageing is the base for the development of human “healthy ageing” strategies. Besides, by producing high impact publications, the project contributes to enhance the European science excellence and competitiveness. For all these reasons, the results from this project have significant social impact.
REPRODAGEING is highly relevant for fundamental evolutionary biology, but has also applied implications for biomedicine, assisted reproduction, animal breeding and wildlife conservation. Indeed, understanding the underlying mechanisms of ageing is the base for the development of human “healthy ageing” strategies. Besides, by producing high impact publications, the project contributes to enhance the European science excellence and competitiveness. For all these reasons, the results from this project have significant social impact.
Although because of the COVID pandemic some activities have been delayed or had to be cancelled, most of the work proposed in the work packages has been completed as planned. All the experimental procedures and sampling are finished, most of the laboratory analyses are done, databases are completed and some manuscripts have been published whereas others are in preparation.
For WP1, one manuscript is published in American Naturalist. In this paper, I show that life history strategies (high vs low reproductive investment) affect telomere length (a biomarker of ageing) depending on the sex (male or female) and the life period (early development or adulthood). For WP2, one manuscript is under review in Proceedings of the Royal Society B journal and one manuscript is in preparation. These results show that there is a sex-specific within body mosaic of telomere length and oxidative status, and that the life history strategy of the own individual and the reproductive partner can influence such patterns in a tissue-specific way. These results are very novel in the field. Finally, for WP3, two manuscripts are published in American Naturalist and Physiological and Biochemical Zoology journals. One manuscript shows that harsh conditions faced by the parents during their development negatively affect the offspring growth. The second manuscript shows that the oxidative damage of parents during offspring conception negatively affect the future reproductive performance of the daughters. Both manuscripts highlight a sex-specific pattern, with maternal effects being stronger than the paternal ones.
To date, five manuscripts have been published in connection with the project. That is, about physiological biomarkers underlying the ageing process. I expect that at least three more manuscripts will be published. The results have been also disseminated by oral contributions in two congresses: the Society for Experimental Biology (SEB, Montpellier, July 2022) and the European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB, Prague, August 2022). The researcher also imparted two invited talks about the project’s results in the Behavioural and Physiological Ecology (BPE) seminars series of the University of Groningen (Groningen, February 2022) and in the symposium “Understanding life-history trade-offs and senescence patterns” (Madrid, September 2022). She also gave a talk in the seminars series of the College of Life and Environmental Sciences (CLES, Penryn, February 2020). In addition, as an alternative mean of results dissemination, the researcher collaborated with her supervisor in the training of two master students and she stablished different laboratory protocols to analyse ageing biomarkers at the host institution. Although no specific website to this project has been developed, results and manuscripts were also disseminated through social networks, as ResearchGate and Twitter.
For WP1, one manuscript is published in American Naturalist. In this paper, I show that life history strategies (high vs low reproductive investment) affect telomere length (a biomarker of ageing) depending on the sex (male or female) and the life period (early development or adulthood). For WP2, one manuscript is under review in Proceedings of the Royal Society B journal and one manuscript is in preparation. These results show that there is a sex-specific within body mosaic of telomere length and oxidative status, and that the life history strategy of the own individual and the reproductive partner can influence such patterns in a tissue-specific way. These results are very novel in the field. Finally, for WP3, two manuscripts are published in American Naturalist and Physiological and Biochemical Zoology journals. One manuscript shows that harsh conditions faced by the parents during their development negatively affect the offspring growth. The second manuscript shows that the oxidative damage of parents during offspring conception negatively affect the future reproductive performance of the daughters. Both manuscripts highlight a sex-specific pattern, with maternal effects being stronger than the paternal ones.
To date, five manuscripts have been published in connection with the project. That is, about physiological biomarkers underlying the ageing process. I expect that at least three more manuscripts will be published. The results have been also disseminated by oral contributions in two congresses: the Society for Experimental Biology (SEB, Montpellier, July 2022) and the European Society for Evolutionary Biology (ESEB, Prague, August 2022). The researcher also imparted two invited talks about the project’s results in the Behavioural and Physiological Ecology (BPE) seminars series of the University of Groningen (Groningen, February 2022) and in the symposium “Understanding life-history trade-offs and senescence patterns” (Madrid, September 2022). She also gave a talk in the seminars series of the College of Life and Environmental Sciences (CLES, Penryn, February 2020). In addition, as an alternative mean of results dissemination, the researcher collaborated with her supervisor in the training of two master students and she stablished different laboratory protocols to analyse ageing biomarkers at the host institution. Although no specific website to this project has been developed, results and manuscripts were also disseminated through social networks, as ResearchGate and Twitter.
The project has pushed frontiers in our understanding of sex-specific within-body mosaics of ageing, the role life history strategy in influencing the amount of harm a male causes in the reproductive tract of his partner and the age-dependent association between telomere length and age. These results will likely have a strong impact in the field and will help in the understanding of the ageing process and life history trade-offs. Besides, this project has been the seed for collaborations between the researcher, her supervisor and other European research groups that will result in new projects, manuscripts and conferences. For example, the researcher and the supervisor are planning to teach together a new master student this starting academic year.
The already published results and the future resulting outputs of this Action are of interest for the scientific community in evolutionary ecology and biomedicine, as well as, for the society in general. Understanding why we differentiate in our ageing rate is a fundamental question for humanity. Indeed, it is a vital issue for the EU health policy, since by 2050 the EU population aged over 65 is predicted to have increased by +70%. In modern societies, where the age at reproduction is increasing year by year, identifying the consequences of parental physiological states for the next generation is of extraordinary relevance. Indeed, it can have direct implications in, for example, human assisted reproduction. Thus, this project has contributed to increase European research excellence and competitiveness at the international level and will continue to do so.
The already published results and the future resulting outputs of this Action are of interest for the scientific community in evolutionary ecology and biomedicine, as well as, for the society in general. Understanding why we differentiate in our ageing rate is a fundamental question for humanity. Indeed, it is a vital issue for the EU health policy, since by 2050 the EU population aged over 65 is predicted to have increased by +70%. In modern societies, where the age at reproduction is increasing year by year, identifying the consequences of parental physiological states for the next generation is of extraordinary relevance. Indeed, it can have direct implications in, for example, human assisted reproduction. Thus, this project has contributed to increase European research excellence and competitiveness at the international level and will continue to do so.