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Avian Research 2018, 9(1): 41 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40657-018-0133-6
Research | Open Access | Issue | Published: 06 December 2018

Long-lived birds suffer less from oxidative stress

Show Author's Information Canwei Xia1,  Anders Pape Møller2( )
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
Keywords:
Longevity, Antioxidant, Oxidative stress, Birds, Ageing, Sampling effort
Cite this article:
Xia C, Møller AP. Long-lived birds suffer less from oxidative stress. Avian Research, 2018, 9(1): 41. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40657-018-0133-6
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Abstract Full text About this article
Background

Oxidative stress, caused by an imbalance between reactive oxygen species and antioxidants, is thought to be an important intrinsic mechanism for aging. Ecologists have tested this hypothesis in birds, although the evidence supporting the link between oxidative stress and lifespan has so far been ambiguous. Two previous studies based on a wide range of different free-living bird species provided contradictory findings: antioxidants were negatively associated with survival rate in one study, but positively associated with longevity in another.

Methods

In this study, we identified possible shortcomings in previous research, and then used the comparative methods to test whether long-lived birds experience less oxidative stress reflected by four blood redox state markers (total antioxidant status, uric acid, total glutathione, malondialdehyde) based on data for 78 free-living species.

Results

Relatively long-lived bird species had high levels of antioxidants (total antioxidant status, total glutathione) and low levels of reactive oxygen species (malondialdehyde). These associations were independent of statistical control for any effects of body mass, sampling effort and similarity among taxa due to common phylogenetic descent.

Conclusions

The direction of these associations is consistent with the oxidative stress theory of aging.


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About this article

Long-lived birds suffer less from oxidative stress

Show Author's information Canwei Xia1, Anders Pape Møller2( )
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Université Paris-Sud, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Université Paris-Saclay, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France

Abstract

Background

Oxidative stress, caused by an imbalance between reactive oxygen species and antioxidants, is thought to be an important intrinsic mechanism for aging. Ecologists have tested this hypothesis in birds, although the evidence supporting the link between oxidative stress and lifespan has so far been ambiguous. Two previous studies based on a wide range of different free-living bird species provided contradictory findings: antioxidants were negatively associated with survival rate in one study, but positively associated with longevity in another.

Methods

In this study, we identified possible shortcomings in previous research, and then used the comparative methods to test whether long-lived birds experience less oxidative stress reflected by four blood redox state markers (total antioxidant status, uric acid, total glutathione, malondialdehyde) based on data for 78 free-living species.

Results

Relatively long-lived bird species had high levels of antioxidants (total antioxidant status, total glutathione) and low levels of reactive oxygen species (malondialdehyde). These associations were independent of statistical control for any effects of body mass, sampling effort and similarity among taxa due to common phylogenetic descent.

Conclusions

The direction of these associations is consistent with the oxidative stress theory of aging.

Keywords: Longevity, Antioxidant, Oxidative stress, Birds, Ageing, Sampling effort

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Publication history
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Publication history

Received: 09 May 2018
Accepted: 02 December 2018
Published: 06 December 2018
Issue date: January 2018

Copyright

© The Author(s) 2018.

Acknowledgements

Acknowledgements

Not applicable.

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