Individual variation in telomere length is predictive of health and mortality risk across a range of species. However, the relative influence of environmental and genetic variation on individual telomere length in wild populations remains poorly understood. Heritability of telomere length has primarily been calculated using parent–offspring regression which can be confounded by shared environments. To control for confounding variables, quantitative genetic “animal models” can be used, but few studies have applied animal models in wild populations. Furthermore, parental age at conception may also influence offspring telomere length, but most studies have been cross-sectional. We investigated within- and between-parental age at conception effects and heritability of telomere length in the Seychelles warbler using measures from birds caught over 20 years and a multigenerational pedigree. We found a weak negative within-paternal age at conception effect (as fathers aged, their offspring had shorter telomeres) and a weak positive between-maternal age at conception effect (females that survived to older ages had offspring with longer telomeres). Animal models provided evidence that heritability and evolvability of telomere length were low in this population, and that variation in telomere length was not driven by early-life effects of hatch period or parental identities. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction plate had a large influence on telomere length variation and not accounting for it in the models would have underestimated heritability. Our study illustrates the need to include and account for technical variation in order to accurately estimate heritability, as well as other environmental effects, on telomere length in natural populations.

中文翻译：

---

端粒遗传力和受孕时父母年龄对野生鸟类种群的影响

端粒长度的个体差异可预测一系列物种的健康和死亡风险。然而，环境和遗传变异对野生种群个体端粒长度的相对影响仍然知之甚少。端粒长度的遗传力主要是使用父母-后代回归来计算的，这可能会被共享环境所混淆。为了控制混杂变量，可以使用定量遗传“动物模型”，但很少有研究在野生种群中应用动物模型。此外，父母受孕年龄也可能影响后代端粒长度，但大多数研究都是横断面研究。我们使用 20 多年捕获的鸟类和多代谱系的测量方法，调查了塞舌尔莺的受孕效应和端粒长度遗传性的父母年龄内和父母年龄之间的关系。我们发现受孕时父亲年龄的负效应较弱（随着父亲年龄的增长，他们的后代端粒较短）和受孕时母体年龄之间的较弱正效应（存活到较大年龄的女性后代端粒较长）。动物模型提供的证据表明，该群体中端粒长度的遗传力和进化能力较低，并且端粒长度的变化不受孵化期或父母身份的早期影响驱动。定量聚合酶链反应板对端粒长度变化有很大影响，在模型中不考虑它会低估遗传力。我们的研究表明，为了准确估计遗传力以及其他环境影响对自然种群端粒长度的影响，需要包括并考虑技术变异。