Biogeography of telomere dynamics in a vertebrate - Datasets S1

Telomere length variation has been implicated in processes of ecological and evolutionary importance in a wide range of organisms. However, while the temporal component of this variation has been the subject of much research, we do not know yet whether a spatial component exists within species in telomere dynamics. Here, we investigated for the first time whether the biogeographic history of populations, a key driver of eco-evolutionary processes, can influence telomere dynamics. Based on a one-year longitudinal common-garden experiment in a tree frog species we found that co-specific populations can show striking differences in telomere dynamics, not explained by distinct environmental conditions experienced by individuals through time. Indeed, the populations did not differ in telomere length at the beginning of the study, yet they did after one year under standard conditions. We observed stability of telomere length over time within historically stable populations, but remarkable elo...