Table 2.
Tests for the first two hypotheses (see §§1,2) in a phylogenetically corrected regression (* indicates p < 0.05, ±denotes s.e.). Models were tested with and without body mass (log10-transformed) as a covariate, and with and without mean telomere length as a covariate. Telomere rate of change (TROC) is the only significant and strong predictor of maximum lifespan variation among species, with greater telomere loss rates associating with shorter maximum lifespan (hypothesis i). TROC was not related to mean telomere length of a species (hypothesis ii).
| without body mass |
body mass included |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| dependent | TROC (+100, log10) | mean TL (log10) | TROC (+100, log10) | mean TL (log10) | body mass (log10) |
| hypothesis i Max lifespan (log10) | −0.37 ± 0.14* | −0.34 ± 0.14* | 0.11 ± 0.07 | ||
| 0.18 ± 0.16 | 0.18 ± 0.16 | 0.13 ± 0.08 | |||
| −0.38 ± 0.14* | 0.19 ± 0.14 | −0.35 ± 0.14* | 0.19 ± 0.14 | 0.11 ± 0.07 | |
| hypothesis ii TROC (+100, log10) | 0.02 ± 0.24 | 0.03 ± 0.25 | −0.07 ± 0.13 | ||