The cascading effects of human food on hibernation and cellular aging in free-ranging black bears.

ABSTRACT: Human foods have become a pervasive subsidy in many landscapes, and can dramatically alter wildlife behavior, physiology, and demography. While such subsidies can enhance wildlife condition, they can also result in unintended negative consequences on individuals and populations. Seasonal hibernators possess a remarkable suite of adaptations that increase survival and longevity in the face of resource and energetic limitations. Recent work has suggested hibernation may also slow the process of senescence, or cellular aging. We investigated how use of human foods influences hibernation, and subsequently cellular aging, in a large-bodied hibernator, black bears (Ursus americanus). We quantified relative telomere length, a molecular marker for cellular age, and compared lengths in adult female

SUBMITTER: Kirby R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6385323 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature