Full data on telomere length and lifespan

Telomeres are protective caps at the end of eukaryotic chromosomes that
shorten with age and in response to stressful or resource-demanding
conditions. Their length predicts individual health and lifespan across a
wide range of animals, but whether the observed positive association
between telomere length and lifespan is environmentally induced, or set at
conception due to a shared genetic basis, has not been tested in wild
animals. We applied quantitative genetic ‘animal models’ to longitudinal
telomere measurements collected over a 10-year period from individuals of
a wild seabird (common tern; Sterna hirundo) with known pedigree. We found
no variation in telomere shortening with age among individuals at the
phenotypic and genetic level, and only a small permanent environmental
effect on adult telomere length. Instead, we found telomere length to be
highly heritable and strongly positively genetically correlated with
lifespan. Such heritable differences between individuals that are set at
conception may present a hitherto underappreciated component of variation
in somatic state.