Senescence is more important in the natural lives of long- than short-lived mammals.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Senescence has been widely detected among mammals, but its importance to fitness in wild populations remains controversial. According to evolutionary theories, senescence occurs at an age when selection is relatively weak, which in mammals can be predicted by adult survival rates. However, a recent analysis of senescence rates found more age-dependent mortalities in natural populations of longer lived mammal species. This has important implications to ageing research and for understanding the ecological relevance of senescence, yet so far these have not been widely appreciated. We re-address this question by comparing the mean and maximum life span of 125 mammal species. Specifically, we test the hypothesis that senescence occurs at a younger age relative to the mean nat

SUBMITTER: Turbill C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2917356 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature