Guarino Fabio Maria, Mezzasalma Marcello
Department of Biology, University of Naples Federico II, Via Cinthia 26, 80126 Naples, Italy.
Department of Biology, Ecology and Earth Science, University of Calabria, Via P. Bucci 4/B, 87036 Rende, Italy.
Animals (Basel). 2025 Sep 17;15(18):2722. doi: 10.3390/ani15182722.
In this work, we provide an overview of the age determination methods of amphibians and reptiles, critically evaluating their methodological principles, utility (including range of applicability), as well as experimental and biological limitations. Potentially, the most reliable age estimation method is the capture-mark-recapture (CMR) technique, allowing a precise chronological age estimation of wild individuals. However, this is a time-consuming method and is not always applicable. Among the indirect methods of age estimation, skeletochronology is one of the most reliable techniques and has been successfully applied in numerous species of amphibians and reptiles. Skeletochronology is based on the interpretation of the growth marks (especially lines of arrested growth or LAGs) that form in hard-mineralized tissues. Other indirect methods such as the counting of growth marks on epidermal scutes, dermal scales, and claw sections have shown to be less reliable and/or have a more limited range of applicability. Recently, the estimation of chronological age using molecular methods has acquired new perspectives from different approaches. Among them, measurements of telomere length and DNA methylation represent promising and minimally invasive methods, but their effective use requires further refinement and testing on a larger number of species.
在这项工作中，我们概述了两栖动物和爬行动物的年龄测定方法，严格评估了它们的方法学原理、实用性（包括适用范围）以及实验和生物学局限性。潜在地，最可靠的年龄估计方法是标记重捕（CMR）技术，它能精确估计野生个体的实际年龄。然而，这是一种耗时的方法，并不总是适用。在间接年龄估计方法中，骨骼年代学是最可靠的技术之一，已成功应用于众多两栖动物和爬行动物物种。骨骼年代学基于对硬矿化组织中形成的生长标记（特别是生长停滞线或LAGs）的解读。其他间接方法，如计算表皮盾片、真皮鳞片和爪部切片上的生长标记，已证明不太可靠和/或适用范围更有限。最近，利用分子方法估计实际年龄从不同途径获得了新的视角。其中，端粒长度测量和DNA甲基化是有前景且微创的方法，但它们的有效应用需要进一步完善并在更多物种上进行测试。
