Data from: Urban environment shortens telomere length in nestling great tits, Parus major

Urban environments are expanding rapidly, and with urbanization come both challenges and opportunities for wildlife. Challenges include combating the anthropogenic disturbances such as light, noise and air pollution and lower availability of natural food sources. The benefits are many, including the availability of anthropogenic food sources, breeding boxes and warmer temperatures. Thus, depending on the context, urbanization can have both positive and negative effects on fitness related traits. It is well known that early-life conditions can have lifelong implications on fitness; little is however known about development in urban environments. We reciprocally cross-fostered urban and rural nestling great tits (Parus major L.) to study how growing up in an urban versus rural habitat affected telomere length (TL)—a suggested biomarker of longevity. We show, for the first time, that growing up in an urban environment significantly shortens TL, independently of natal origin (i.e. urban or rural). This implies that the urban environment imposes a challenge to developing birds, with potentially irreversible effects on lifespan.

城市环境正快速扩张，而城市化进程亦为野生生物带来了挑战与机遇。挑战包括应对光污染、噪声污染与空气污染等人为干扰，以及天然食物资源的匮乏。其益处则不胜枚举，包括人为食物资源的供应、人工巢箱的存在，以及更高的环境温度。因此，视具体情境而定，城市化对生物适合度相关性状可兼具正向与负向影响。学界早已熟知，生命早期的环境条件会对生物适合度产生终身影响；然而，人们对城市环境中的生物发育过程却知之甚少。本研究通过对城市与乡村生境中的大山雀（Parus major L.）雏鸟开展相互交叉抚育实验，探究在城市与乡村生境中成长会如何影响端粒长度（telomere length, TL）——一种被广泛认可的寿命生物标志物。本研究首次证实，在城市环境中成长会显著缩短端粒长度，且该效应不受出生地来源（即城市或乡村）的影响。这意味着城市环境对发育中的鸟类构成了挑战，并可能对其寿命产生不可逆的影响。