Intergenerational effects on offspring telomere length; interactions among maternal age, stress exposure and offspring sex

Offspring produced by older parents often have reduced longevity, termed the Lansing Effect. Because adults usually have similar aged-mates, it is difficult to separate effects of maternal and paternal age, and environmental circumstances are also likely to influence offspring outcomes. The mechanisms underlying the Lansing Effect are poorly understood. Variation in telomere length and loss, particularly in early life, is linked to longevity in many vertebrates and therefore changes in offspring telomere dynamics could be very important in this context. We examined the effect of maternal age and environment on offspring telomere length in zebra finches. We kept mothers under either control (ad lib food) or more challenging (unpredictable food) circumstances and experimentally minimised paternal age and mate choice effects. Irrespective of the maternal environment, there was a substantial negative effect of maternal age on offspring telomere length, evident in longitudinal and cross sect...