A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Warm and cool temperatures decrease early‐life telomere length in wild pied flycatchers
Authors: Furic, Clémence; Marciau, Coline; Hsu, Bin‐Yan; Cossin‐Sevrin, Nina; Fleitz, Julie; Reichert, Sophie; Ruuskanen, Suvi; Stier, Antoine
Publisher: Wiley
Publication year: 2026
Journal: Journal of Avian Biology
Article number: 03511
Volume: 2026
Issue: 1
ISSN: 0908-8857
eISSN: 1600-048X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/jav.03511
Publication's open availability at the time of reporting: Open Access
Publication channel's open availability : Open Access publication channel
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1002/jav.03511
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/509002747
Self-archived copy's licence: CC BY
Self-archived copy's version: Publisher`s PDF
Climate change represents a major challenge for avian species. It is characterized by an increase in average ambient temperatures, but also by an increase of extreme weather events, such as heatwaves and cold snaps. These abrupt temperature changes can modify the immediate and long-term survival prospects of nestling birds, when their thermoregulatory capacities are still not fully developed. While immediate nestling survival can easily be measured, long-term survival is more challenging to evaluate. Early-life telomere length has been suggested as a potential biomarker of future fitness prospects. To evaluate the potential impact of changes in early-life temperature, we thus experimentally increased (ca +2.8°C) and decreased (ca −1.7°C) average nestbox temperatures in wild pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca during nestling postnatal growth, and measured nestling telomere length before fledging. Shorter telomeres were observed in individuals exposed to either experimental heating or cooling during growth. Our results suggest that long-term survival prospects, or long-term performance of individuals exposed to abrupt changes in early-life temperature, may be decreased.
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Funding information in the publication:
This study was financially supported by the Academy of Finland (no. 286278 to SRu and no. 356397 to SRe). AS and SRe were both supported by a ‘Turku Collegium for Science and Medicine' Fellowship and Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships (no. 894963 and 101110339).
