Suitability of real-time quantitative PCR to estimate the relative telomere length in European Hake (Merluccius merluccius Linnaeus, 1758)

Telomere length measurement has been proposed as a promising tool to estimate the age of individuals in natural populations. We used real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) to measure relative telomere length in four tissues (brain, kidney, liver and muscle) of European hake (Merluccius merluccius) in different groups based upon body length an otolith age estimate. We observed a high level of inter-individual differences in the measurements of relative telomere length in hakes of similar age and body length groups. The results of qPCR analysis showed a great variability in all measures and a lack of repeatability and reproducibility with significant statistical differences in the results of the different assays. The paper discusses the technical reasons for the variability in qPCR obtained in this work and by other authors.

Exploration Of Survival Traits In The White-Nose Syndrome-Affected Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus Fuscus)

The widespread mortality of hibernating bats is associated with the emerging infectious disease white-nose syndrome (WNS), and has provoked a strong interest in understanding which bats will survive, and why? The ability of infected bats to resist WNS may depend upon variation in the expression of different characteristics. In a captive colony of big brown bats, I sought to characterize the phenotypic variability, repeatability, and survivability for several key ¿survival¿ traits, including: torpor patterns, microclimate preferences, and wound healing capacity. Torpor patterns were profiled using temperature sensitive dataloggers throughout the hibernation season, while microclimate preferences were quantified by using temperature-graded boxes and thermal imaging. In order to assess wound healing capacity, small wing biopsies were obtained from each bat and healing progress was tracked for one month. Individuals exhibited a wide range of phenotypes that were significantly influenced by sex and body condition. Repeatability estimates suggest that there is not a strong genetic basis for the observed variation in torpor patterns or microclimate preferences. Certain phenotypes (e.g., BMI) were associated with an increased probability of overwinter survivorship, which suggests a basis for intra-species differences in WNS susceptibility. The results from this project provide novel insight into what we know about ¿who will survive,¿ and will influence the direction and implementation of future conservation and mitigation strategies.