Telomere Length Is Determined by Intrinsic Factors and Is Shortened During Drought Years in <i>Gallotia galloti</i>
) across diverse environments over 10 years. Using mixed-effect model-averaging and hierarchical partitioning, we assessed the effects of intrinsic morphological (sex and body length) and extrinsic environmental (elevation, radiant sky temperature, wind speed and relative humidity) factors while controlling for temporal (year sampled) effects on rTL variation. In addition, we investigated temporal signals corresponding to extreme weather events over the sampling period. Intrinsic factors had the strongest influence, with males exhibiting shorter rTL than females, and females showing shorter rTL with increasing size. Temporal patterns revealed a negative correlation with dry years, indicating that even though environmental drivers may be secondary predictors compared to individual determinants, severe weather conditions may represent cumulative burdens. Multiple intrinsic and extrinsic variables, including climate, should be considered when investigating telomere dynamics in ectotherms.
Authors
- Anamarija Žagar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2165-417X)
- Pedro Beltrán-Álvarez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8136-8963)
- Marta López‐Darias (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7611-1298)
- Katharina C. Wollenberg Valero (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8858-1804)
- Megan L. Power (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7402-3254)
- Annika Wolberg
- Rodrigo Megía-Palma
- Edward Gilbert (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3273-1986)
- Miguel A. Carretero (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2335-7198)
- Nina Serén (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0207-8437)
Institutions
- University College Dublin (IE)
- Universidad Complutense de Madrid (ES)
- University of Ljubljana (SI)
- Universidade do Porto (PT)
- Wellesley College (US)
- University of Hull (GB)
- Canary Institute of Cancer Research (ES)
- National Institute of Biology (SI)
- National Education Institute of the Republic of Slovenia (SI)
- National Institute of Chemistry (SI)
- Instituto Volcanológico de Canarias (ES)
- Hull York Medical School (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Ecology and Evolution
- Published
- 2026-05-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.73549
- Primary Topic
- Telomeres, Telomerase, and Senescence
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Arcadia Fund
- UK Research and Innovation
- European Commission
- Javna Agencija za Raziskovalno Dejavnost RS
- Ministerio de Asuntos Económicos y Transformación Digital, Gobierno de España
- Natural Environment Research Council
- Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
- European Regional Development Fund
- H2020 European Research Council