Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Diverse aging rates in ectothermic tetrapods provide insights for the evolution of aging and longevity

June 23, 2022
Comparative studies of mortality in the wild are necessary to understand the evolution of aging; yet, ectothermic tetrapods are underrepresented in this comparative landscape, despite their suitability for testing evolutionary hypotheses. We present a study of aging rates and longevity across wild tetrapod ectotherms, using data from 107 populations (77 species) of nonavian reptiles and amphibians. We test hypotheses of how thermoregulatory mode, environmental temperature, protective phenotypes, and pace of life history contribute to demographic aging. Controlling for phylogeny and body size, ectotherms display a higher diversity of aging rates compared with endotherms and include phylogenetically widespread evidence of negligible aging. Protective phenotypes and life-history strategies further explain macroevolutionary patterns of aging. Analyzing ectothermic tetrapods in a comparative context enhances our understanding of the evolution of aging.
Publication Year 2022
Title Diverse aging rates in ectothermic tetrapods provide insights for the evolution of aging and longevity
DOI 10.1126/science.abm0151
Authors Beth A. Reinke, Hugo Cayuela, Fredric J. Janzen, Jean-François Lemaitre, Jean-Michel Gaillard, A. Michelle Lawing, John B. Iverson, Ditte G Christiansen, Iñigo Martínez-Solano, Gregorio Sánchez-Montes, Jorge Gutiérrez-Rodríguez, Francis L Rose, Nicola J. Nelson, Susan Keall, Alain J Crivelli, Theodoros Nazirides, Annegret Grimm-Seyfarth, Klaus Henle, Emiliano Mori, Gaëtan Guiller, Rebecca Homan, Anthony Olivier, Erin L. Muths, Blake R. Hossack, Xavier Bonnet, David Pilliod, Marieke Lettink, Tony Whitaker, Benedikt R. Schmidt, Michael G. Gardner, Marc Cheylan, Françoise Poitevin, Ana Golubović, Ljiljana Tomović, Dragan Arsovski, Richard A Griffiths, Jan W. Arntzen, Jean-Pierre Baron, Jean-François Le Galliard, Thomas Tully, Luca Luiselli, Massimo Capula, Lorenzo Rugiero, Rebecca McCaffery, Lisa A Eby, Briggs-Gonzalez; Venetia, Frank Mazzotti, David M. Pearson, Brad A. Lambert, David M. Green, Nathalie Jreidini, Claudio Angelini, Graham Pyke, Jean-Marc Thirion, Pierre Joly, Jean-Paul Léna, Tony Tucker, Col Limpus, Pauline Priol, Aurélien Besnard, Pauline Bernard, Kristin Stanford, Richard S. King, Justin M Garwood, Jaime Bosch, Franco Souza, Jaime Bertoluci, Shirley Famelli, Kurt Grossenbacher, Omar Lenzi, Kathleen Matthews, Sylvain Boitaud, Deanna H. Olson, Tim Jessop, Graeme Gillspie, Jean Clobert, Murielle Richard, Andrés Valenzuela-Sánchez, Gary M. Fellers, Patrick M. Kleeman, Brian J. Halstead, Evan H. Campbell Grant, Phillip G Byrne, Thierry Frétey, Gernard Le Garff, Pauline Levionnois, John C. Maerz, Julian Pichenot, Kurtulus Olgun, Nazan Üzüm, Aziz Avcı, Claude Miaud, Johan Elmberg, Gregory P Brown, Richard Shine, Nathan F Bendik, Lisa O'Donnell, Courtney L. Davis, Michael J Lannoo, Rochelle M Stiles, Robert M Cox, Aaron M Reedy, Daniel A. Warner, Eric Bonnaire, Kristine Grayson, Roberto Ramos-Targarona, Eyup Baskale, David J. Muñoz, John Measey, F. Andre de Villiers, Will Selman, Victor Ronget, Anne M. Bronikowski, David A W Miller
Publication Type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Series Title Science
Index ID 70241792
Record Source USGS Publications Warehouse
USGS Organization Fort Collins Science Center; Western Ecological Research Center
Was this page helpful?