A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Asynchrony of ageing among traits in a wild bird population;




AuthorsTsui, Claire Lok Sze; Briga, Michael; Komdeur, Jan; Burke, Terry; Richardson, David S.; Dugdale, Hannah L.

PublisherOxford University Press (OUP)

Publication year2026

Journal: Evolution letters

Article numberqrag029

eISSN2056-3744

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1093/evlett/qrag029

Publication's open availability at the time of reportingOpen Access

Publication channel's open availability Open Access publication channel

Web address https://doi.org/10.1093/evlett/qrag029

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/527040027

Self-archived copy's licenceCC BY

Self-archived copy's versionPublisher`s PDF

Research data linkhttps://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21101620


Abstract

Ageing i.e., age-related changes in a trait, is a highly variable process. Studies have investigated variation in ageing among species and individuals, but little is yet understood about variation between traits. Evolutionary hypotheses argued that traits should age synchronously as selection should improve the trait that first senesces, therefore leading to trait synchrony. However, some past studies have demonstrated that traits do not senesce synchronously. We tested for the (a)synchrony of ageing across 13 reproductive, behavioral, physiological, and morphological traits in a population of wild Seychelles warblers (Acrocephalus sechellensis). We modeled ageing trajectories for each trait and quantified synchrony between traits with similar ageing trajectory shapes by comparing the onset and rate of ageing and running bivariate models to quantify covariation between traits. We found that five traits exhibited ageing while eight did not. Upon visual comparison of ageing trajectories, there were three groups of traits that shared ageing trajectories of the same shape. There was no support for synchronous ageing among any traits. Our study adds to growing evidence that ageing is asynchronous, and that the theory of synchronous ageing was erroneous. Our finding of senescence in direct fitness indices, such as survival and reproductive success but not in wing length or tarsus length gives weak support to newer evolutionary theories of asynchronous ageing stating that traits more strongly associated with fitness age faster.



Keywords:
ageingselection pressuresenescenceSeychelles warbler

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Funding information in the publication
We thank the Genetics Society Heredity Grant for providing funding to C.L.S.T. for fieldwork. The long-term data collection that enabled this study was supported by various Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) grants; NE/P011284/1 and NE/S010939/1 (H.L.D. and D.S.R.), NE/B504106/1 (T.A.B. and D.S.R.), NE/I021748/1 (H.L.D.), and NE/F02083X/1 and NE/K005502/1 (D.S.R.). M.B. thanks the funding from the Turku Collegium for Science, Medicine and Technology.


Last updated on 13/08/2026 12:48:14 PM