Ottinger Mary Ann, Reed Elizabeth, Wu Julie, Thompson Nichola, French John B
Department of Animal and Avian Sciences, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
Exp Gerontol. 2003 Jul;38(7):747-50. doi: 10.1016/s0531-5565(03)00102-5.
In order to reveal patterns of reproductive aging in birds we focus on a short lived species, the Japanese quail and the American kestrel, which has a life span of medium length. Quail have been studied extensively in the laboratory as models for understanding avian endocrinology and behavior, and as a subject for toxicological research and testing. In the lab, Japanese quail show age-related deterioration in endocrine, behavioral, and sensory system responses; the American kestrel is relatively long lived and shows moderate evidence of senescence in the oldest birds. Using data collected from captive kestrels at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, a database was designed to document selected parameters over the life cycle of the kestrels. Life table data collated from many species indicate that longer lived species of birds show senescence in survival ability but this pattern has not been established for reproductive function. We suggest that useful comparisons among species can be made by identifying stages in reproductive life history, organized on a relative time scale. Preliminary data from quail and kestrels, admittedly only two species, do not yet indicate a pattern of greater reproductive senescence in longer-lived birds.
为了揭示鸟类生殖衰老的模式，我们聚焦于一种寿命较短的物种——日本鹌鹑，以及一种寿命中等的物种——美洲红隼。鹌鹑在实验室中作为理解鸟类内分泌学和行为的模型，以及毒理学研究和测试的对象，已被广泛研究。在实验室中，日本鹌鹑在内分泌、行为和感觉系统反应方面表现出与年龄相关的衰退；美洲红隼寿命相对较长，在最老的个体中显示出适度的衰老迹象。利用从帕塔克森特野生动物研究中心圈养的红隼收集的数据，设计了一个数据库来记录红隼生命周期中的选定参数。从许多物种整理的生命表数据表明，寿命较长的鸟类物种在生存能力方面表现出衰老，但这种模式在生殖功能方面尚未得到证实。我们建议，通过在相对时间尺度上确定生殖生命史中的阶段，可以在物种间进行有用的比较。诚然，来自鹌鹑和红隼的初步数据仅涉及两个物种，尚未表明寿命较长的鸟类存在更大的生殖衰老模式。
