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Related Experiment Video

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Author Spotlight: Optimization of Performance Parameters of the TAGGG Telomere Length Assay

Author Spotlight: Optimization of Performance Parameters of the TAGGG Telomere Length Assay

Published on: April 21, 2023

Is Telomere Length Optimized in Hatchling Sand Lizards?

Mats Olsson^1,2, Emily Miller³, Nicky Rollings⁴

¹Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Evolution & Development

|November 5, 2025

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Optimal telomere length in sand lizards enhances survival and reproduction. While shorter telomeres can lengthen, this comes at a cost to body condition, highlighting natural selection

Keywords:

Lacertidae Squamata adaptation hatchling telomere length life span lifetime reproductive success offspring recruitment telomere elongation

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Modified Terminal Restriction Fragment Analysis for Quantifying Telomere Length Using In-gel Hybridization

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Published on: July 10, 2017

Area of Science:

Evolutionary Biology
Genetics
Herpetology

Background:

Telomeres, protective DNA-protein structures at chromosome ends, are crucial for cellular integrity.
Natural selection may favor optimal telomere length for enhanced individual viability and reproductive success.
Limited data exist for ectothermic vertebrates regarding telomere length dynamics and fitness correlations.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between telomere length and fitness (lifespan, reproductive success, offspring recruitment) in a natural population of sand lizards (Lacerta agilis).
To examine facultative telomere length adjustments in ectotherms and their associated costs.

Main Methods:

A decade-long study involving over 1700 hatchling sand lizards and their 500 parents.
Measurement of 2736 telomeres across individuals.
Tracking of lifespan, lifetime reproductive success, and offspring recruitment rates.

Main Results:

Hatchlings with average-length telomeres exhibited the highest lifespan, lifetime reproductive success, and offspring recruitment.
Lizards with shorter-than-average telomeres elongated them to the population average by sexual maturity.
Compensatory telomere elongation was associated with reduced body condition in juvenile lizards.

Conclusions:

Telomere length is under natural selection in sand lizards, with intermediate lengths conferring fitness advantages.
Facultative telomere elongation can occur but may impose a physiological cost, impacting body condition.
Findings contribute to understanding telomere dynamics and their evolutionary implications in free-ranging ectotherms.