TY - JOUR
T1 - Oxidative damage, ageing, and life-history evolution
T2 - Where now?
AU - Selman, Colin
AU - Blount, Jonathan D.
AU - Nussey, Daniel H.
AU - Speakman, John R.
N1 - We are grateful to David Costantini for helpful comments on an earlier draft. C.S. acknowledges support from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) in the form of a New Investigator Grant (BB/H012850/1). J.D.B. was supported by a Royal Society Research Fellowship. D.H.N. was supported by a BBSRC David Phillips fellowship. J.R.S. was supported by BBSRC grant (BB/G009953/1), the ‘1000 Talents Recruitment Program’ of the Chinese Government and the Key State Laboratory of Developmental and Molecular Biology, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
PY - 2012/10/1
Y1 - 2012/10/1
N2 - The idea that resources are limited and animals can maximise fitness by trading costly activities off against one another forms the basis of life-history theory. Although investment in reproduction or growth negatively affects survival, the mechanisms underlying such trade-offs remain obscure. One plausible mechanism is oxidative damage to proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here, we critically evaluate the premise that ROS-induced oxidative damage shapes life history, focussing on birds and mammals, and highlight the importance of ecological studies examining free-living animals within this experimental framework. We conclude by emphasising the value of using multiple assays to determine oxidative protection and damage. We also highlight the importance of using standardised and appropriate protocols, and discuss future research directions.
AB - The idea that resources are limited and animals can maximise fitness by trading costly activities off against one another forms the basis of life-history theory. Although investment in reproduction or growth negatively affects survival, the mechanisms underlying such trade-offs remain obscure. One plausible mechanism is oxidative damage to proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here, we critically evaluate the premise that ROS-induced oxidative damage shapes life history, focussing on birds and mammals, and highlight the importance of ecological studies examining free-living animals within this experimental framework. We conclude by emphasising the value of using multiple assays to determine oxidative protection and damage. We also highlight the importance of using standardised and appropriate protocols, and discuss future research directions.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84865861394&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.tree.2012.06.006
DO - 10.1016/j.tree.2012.06.006
M3 - Review article
C2 - 22789512
AN - SCOPUS:84865861394
SN - 0169-5347
VL - 27
SP - 570
EP - 577
JO - Trends in Ecology and Evolution
JF - Trends in Ecology and Evolution
IS - 10
ER -