Measuring telomere length and telomere dynamics in evolutionary biology and ecology.

ABSTRACT: Telomeres play a fundamental role in the protection of chromosomal DNA and in the regulation of cellular senescence. Recent work in human epidemiology and evolutionary ecology suggests adult telomere length (TL) may reflect past physiological stress and predict subsequent morbidity and mortality, independent of chronological age.Several different methods have been developed to measure TL, each offering its own technical challenges. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the advantages and drawbacks of each method for researchers, with a particular focus on issues that are likely to face ecologists and evolutionary biologists collecting samples in the field or in organisms that may never have been studied in this context before.We discuss the key issues to consider and wherever

SUBMITTER: Nussey DH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4375921 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature