|
|
Physiological adaptations associated with body size and longevity in endothermic vertebrates
Pazdera, Lukáš ; Tomášek, Oldřich (advisor) ; Blažek, Radim (referee)
Abstact Lifespan is related to a number of physiological processes that are interconnected. Longevous species are assumed to have evolved certain physiological adaptations that slow down ageing rate and enable long lifespan. The aim of my thesis was to review physiological traits that has been hypothesised to be associated with lifespan, and to evaluate the empirical support for such hypotheses. Studies testing the association of these traits with body size has also been included in my thesis, as body size is known to be tightly related to lifespan. Traits that are reviewed in my thesis due to their hypothesised coevolution with lifespan are as follows: metabolic rate (i.e., a total amount of energy expended by the organism per unit of body mass and unit of time), oxidative stress resistance, telomere length and rate of telomere shortening and intensity of stress and immune responses. Key words: Lifespan, longevity, survival, reproduction, oxidative stress, free radicals, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, metabnolic rate, immunity, antioxidants
|
guest ::
RSS feed.