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- Title
Life history and age-dependent mortality processes in tropical reptiles.
- Authors
Cayuela, Hugo; Akani, Godfrey C; Hema, Emmanuel M; Eniang, Edem A; Amadi, Nioking; Ajong, Stephanie N; Dendi, Daniele; Petrozzi, Fabio; Luiselli, Luca
- Abstract
Actuarial senescence appears to be a common process, and senescence patterns are highly variable across the tree of life. To date, studies on animal senescence have largely focused on model species, such as as fruit flies, humans and a few other endotherms. In contrast, our knowledge about ageing remains fragmentary in ectotherm vertebrates, such as reptiles. Here, we examined life history and age-dependent mortality patterns in three tropical tortoises (Kinixys erosa , Kinixys homeana and Kinixys nogueyi) and snakes (Bitis gabonica , Bitis nasicornis and Causus maculatus). Our study revealed that tortoises of the genus Kinixys had a higher survival and a lower recruitment than snakes of the genera Bitis and Causus , indicating a slower life history. Furthermore, we confirmed that survival decreased more slowly with age in tortoises than in snakes. In addition, we highlighted contrasting patterns of age-dependent mortality among the three genera. In Kinixys , the relationship between mortality rate and age was positive and linear, suggesting gradual senescence over tortoise lifetime. In contrast, the relationship between mortality rate and age was negative and sharp in Bitis and Causus , possibly owing to a 'negative senescence'. Our study is one of the few to have examined and compared the demography and age-dependent mortality patterns of tropical reptiles. Among other things, our results suggest that although negative senescence has never been reported in endotherm vertebrates, it could be a common phenomenon in ectotherms.
- Subjects
LIFE history theory; REPTILES; MORTALITY; FRUIT flies; COLD-blooded animals; WARM-blooded animals; OLD age
- Publication
Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2019, Vol 128, Issue 2, p251
- ISSN
0024-4066
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1093/biolinnean/blz103