DOI: 10.5061/dryad.6j4n154
title: Data from: Developmental stress and telomere dynamics in a genetically polymorphic species

description: A central objective of evolutionary biology is understanding variation in
 life-history trajectories and aging rate, or senescence. Senescence can be
 affected by tradeoffs and behavioral strategies in adults, but may also be
 affected by developmental stress. Developmental stress can accelerate
 telomere degradation, with long-term longevity and fitness consequences.
 Little is known regarding whether variation in developmental stress and
 telomere dynamics contribute to patterns of senescence during adulthood.
 We investigated this question in the dimorphic white-throated sparrow
 (Zonotrichia albicollis), a species in which adults of the two morphs
 exhibit established differences in behavioral strategy and patterns of
 senescence, and also evaluated the relationship between oxidative stress
 and telomere length. Tan morph females, which exhibit high levels of
 unassisted parental care, display faster reproductive senescence than
 white females, and faster actuarial senescence than all of the other
 morph-sex classes. We hypothesized that high oxidative stress and telomere
 attrition in tan female nestlings could contribute to this pattern, since
 tan females are small and potentially at a competitive disadvantage even
 as nestlings. Nestlings that were smaller than nest mates had higher
 oxidative stress, and nestlings with high oxidative stress and fast growth
 rates displayed shorter telomeres. However, we found no consistent
 morph-sex differences in oxidative stress or telomere length. Results
 suggest that oxidative stress and fast growth contribute to developmental
 telomere attrition, with potential ramifications for adults, but that
 developmental oxidative stress and telomere dynamics do not account for
 morph-sex differences in senescence during adulthood.
description: Oxidative stress data
 for nestling white-throated sparrowsThis data file contains
 levels of total antioxidant capacity (OXY), reactive oxygen metabolites
 (ROM), and oxidative stress (OS) measured in nestling white-throated
 sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis). OS was calculated as: mM ROMs/mM TAC x
 1000. Also provided are nestling morph (white (W) or tan (T)), nestling
 sex, day in the nestling stage, basic body measurements, growth rates, and
 the time and date of blood sampling.WTSP OS data JEB,
 2014-15.xlsxTelomere data for
 nestling white-throated sparrowsThis data file contains
 relative telomere length (RTL) data for nestling white-throated sparrows.
 Also included in the file are total antioxidant capacity (OXY), reactive
 oxygen metabolite (ROM), and oxidative stress (OS) levels. OS levels were
 calculated as: mM ROMs/mM OXY x 1000. In addition, we list nestling morph
 (white (W) or tan (T)), nestling sex, and nestling age (in days). Note
 that only 5 and 6 day old nestlings were used in our analysis, whereas
 some nestlings in this dataset were either younger or older. Basic body
 measurements and time and date of sampling are also given, along with
 information regarding each nestling's size rank within the brood. The
 largest nestling received size rank 1, and so forth until the brood size
 was reached.WTSP Telomere data JEB,
 2014-2015.xlsx