Hematocrit, age, and survival in a wild vertebrate population.

ABSTRACT: Understanding trade-offs in wild populations is difficult, but important if we are to understand the evolution of life histories and the impact of ecological variables upon them. Markers that reflect physiological state and predict future survival would be of considerable benefit to unraveling such trade-offs and could provide insight into individual variation in senescence. However, currently used markers often yield inconsistent results. One underutilized measure is hematocrit, the proportion of blood comprising erythrocytes, which relates to the blood's oxygen-carrying capacity and viscosity, and to individual endurance. Hematocrit has been shown to decline with age in cross-sectional studies (which may be confounded by selective appearance/disappearance). However, few studies have test

SUBMITTER: Brown TJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7790625 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature