Genetic variability and telomeres: Insights from a tropical avian hybrid zone

Telomere lengths and telomere dynamics can correlate with lifespan, behavior, and individual quality. Such relationships have spurred interest in understanding variation in telomere lengths and their dynamics within and between populations. Many studies have identified how environmental processes can influence telomere dynamics, but the role of genetic variation is much less well characterized. To provide a novel perspective on how telomeric variation relates to genetic variability, we longitudinally sampled individuals across a narrow hybrid zone (n = 127 samples), wherein two Manacus species characterized by contrasting genome-wide heterozygosity interbreed. We measured individual (n = 66) and population (n = 3) differences in genome-wide heterozygosity and, among hybrids, amount of genetic admixture using RADseq-generated SNPs. We tested for population differences in telomere lengths and telomere dynamics. We then examined how telomere lengths and telomere dynamics covaried with geno..., , , # Genetic variability and telomeres: Insights from a tropical avian hybrid zone

This data contains telomere length measurements from Manacus vitelinus, candei, and their hybrids. Also included are the sex of the individuals, their age, and location of their capture. For a subset of the individuals, genomic data was used to quantify a genome-wide heterozygosity estimate and, for hybrids, a hybrid index. Some data files are also used to assess the precision of the telomere assay. See script and ReadMe.txt file for more information.

## **Description of Software Files**

**File name:** \"manacus.telomere.analysis.R\"

**Description:** R script containing code used to recreate results in combination with the following data files. 

## Description of the Data and file structure

Read me for data files associated with “Genetic Variability and Telomeres: Insights from a Tropical Avian Hybrid Zone.”

**File name:** “Session_info.docx”

**Description:** This file includes all the information rela...