Heritability of Telomere Length in American Kestrels

There is increasing interest in understanding the drivers and consequences of telomere quality on fitness, stress, and longevity in various organisms, including humans. In this project, we examined how telomere quality is related to several aspects of biology in the American Kestrel (Falco sparverius), including whether maternal telomere length is inherited in offspring and how brood size affects telomere length. Towards this aim, we collected blood samples from seven female American Kestrels nesting near Boise, Idaho and from all of her offspring. We extracted DNA from these blood samples and estimated relative telomere lengths for each of the 36 individuals by using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay. Our results indicate that there is no significant effect of maternal telomere length on offspring’s telomere length. However, there is evidence that a larger brood size negatively affects telomere length in nestlings and that telomere length increases during nestling development. These findings may be explained by competition among young for resources, and by differential telomerase activity during nestling development, respectively. This study presents the opportunity for further exploration of the mechanisms underlying telomere elongation in kestrels, as well as the opportunity to explore this issue in other study systems