Browsing 2012 Research Day Posters by Author "Johnson, Lara"
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The effect of nutritional stress and life history on the rate of telomere loss in black-legged kittiwake and red-legged kittiwake chicksJohnson, Lara (2012)Slow-track species such as the red-legged kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris) and fast-track species such as the black-legged kittiwake (R. tridactyla) respond differently to environmental pressures. We examined how nutritional stress may affect the rate of telomere loss, a proxy for life expectancy, in these two seabirds. We did not find a significant effect of nutrition on telomere dynamics. However, there was a difference in species effect, with black-legged kittiwakes having an increase and red-legged kittiwakes a decrease in telomere length. This result may reflect differences in life history.