Table 1.

Examples of studies of the relationship between post-natal growth parameters and telomere length and/or loss in a range of vertebrate taxa. GH, growth hormone; SDS, standard deviation score; d, day; PCA, principal component analysis; cort, corticosterone.

species	field/lab	exp/corr	growth manipulation	growth measurements	telomere measurement points	tissue	telo method	telo length or change	relationship between growth and telomere measurements	reference
mammal Homo sapiens	n.a.	corr + exp	GH treatment in childhood	birth length and weight SDS + adult height and weight SDS	17 and 24 years	leucocytes	qPCR	length	not significant for birth + adult measurements and GH treatment	Smeets et al. [53]
mammal Homo sapiens	n.a.	corr	n.a.	mass and length at birth and 11 years	Ca 60 and 70 years	leucocytes	qPCR	length and change over 10 years in late life	weight gain in first 12 months: −ve TL and + with loss between 60 and 70 years	Guzzardi et al. [54]
mammal Ovis aries	field	corr	n.a.	horn length in males at 4 months	4 months	leucocytes	qPCR	length	−ve between horn length and TL at 4 months	Watson et al. [55]
mammal Rattus norvegicus Wistar	laboratory	exp	maternal diet	3, 7, 14, 21 d and 12 months	12 months	skeletal muscle	TRF Southern blot	length	−ve for growth 3–21 d	Tarry-Adkins et al. [56]
mammal Eliomys quercinus	laboratory	corr	n.a.	weekly mass 6–10 weeks	6 and 10 weeks	buccal swab	qPCR	change	not significant	Giroud et al. [57]
mammal Rattus norvegicus Wistar	laboratory	exp	maternal diet	3, 7, 14 d, 3 months, 6 months	3 and 6 months	oviduct	Southern blot	length	−ve for growth 3–14 d	Aiken et al. [58]
mammal Rattus norvegicus Wistar	laboratory	exp	maternal diet	3, 7, 14, 21 d, 3 and 12 months	3 months and 12 months	heart	Southern blot	length	−ve for growth 3–21 d	Tarry-Adkins et al. [59]
mammal Rattus norvegicus Wistar	laboratory	exp	maternal diet	3, 7, 14, 21 d, and 3 months	3 months	pancreatic islets	Southern blot	length	−ve for growth 3–21 d	Tarry-Adkins et al. [60]
mammal Rattus norvegicus Wistar	laboratory	exp	maternal diet	3, 7, 14, 21 d, and 12 months	12 months	aorta	Southern blot	length	−ve for growth 3–21 d	Tarry-Adkins et al. [61]
mammal Rattus norvegicus Wistar	laboratory	exp	maternal diet	3, 7, 14 and 21 d	13 months	kidney	Southern blot	length	−ve for growth 3–21 d	Jennings et al. [62]
bird Rissa tridactyla	field	exp	brood size increase and food supp	9 and 25 d, g/d mass mm/d tarsus and wing	9 and 25 d post-hatch	RBC	TRF in-gel	proportional change in TL	+ve for wing growth	Young et al. [24]
bird Parus major	field	corr	n.a.	mass and size (PCA on wing, tarsus and head) 2 d intervals hatching to fledging at 17 d	7 and 16 d post-hatch	RBC	qPCR	change 7–16 d	−ve for body size in last hatched nestlings but not first; NS for body mass	Stier et al. [63]
bird Hirundo rustica	field	corr + exp	brood size increased and reduced	12 d mass and tarsus	12 d	RBC	qPCR	length	not significant for treatment, mass or tarsus	Costanzo et al. [64]
bird Sterna hirundo	field	corr	n.a.	3 and 18–22 d mass	3 and 18–22 d	RBC	TRF in-gel	length + change 5–20 d	not significant	Vedder et al. [65]
bird Hirundo rustica	field	corr	n.a.	7 and 16 d tarsus length and mass; 16 d wing and tail length	7 and 16 d	RBC	qPCR	length	not significant for tarsus at 7 and 16 d; NS for mass at 16 d; +ve for wing and tail length at 16 d	Parolini et al. [66]
bird Passer domesticus	field	corr	n.a.	tarsus, bill, wing length, mass at 9 d	length	RBC	qPCR	length	not significant	Meillere et al. [67]
bird Taeniopygia guttata	laboratory	exp	brood size increased and reduced	daily mass 0–30 d	10 and 30 d	RBC	qPCR	change	treatment effect but mass not related to telomere length	Reichert et al. [68]
bird Taeniopygia guttata	laboratory	exp/corr	dietary antioxidants	mass at hatching 20 and 40 d	20 and 40 d	RBC	qPCR	length and change	no treatment effect of growth or TL; −ve between TL at 40 d and mass	Noguera et al. [69]
bird Sturnus vulgaris	field	exp/corr	position in brood hierarchy	3, 4, 7 and 12 d mass	3 and 12 d	RBC	qPCR	length	no treatment effect on growth; not significant bet mass growth and TL	Nettle et al. [70]
bird Corvus monedula	field	exp	brood size increased and reduced	fledging mass	5 and 30 d	RBC	TRF-in-gel	length and change	not significant in reduced broods; −ve bet TL change and fleding mass in enlarged brood	Boonekamp et al. [35]
bird Phalacro-corax aristotelis	field	exp/corr	cort treatment daily 10–29 d	daily mass gain 10–30 d	10 and 30 d	RBC	qPCR	length and change	no treatment effect on growth; −ve between growth rate and 30 d TL	Herborn et al. [71]
bird Taeniopygia guttata	laboratory	exp	maternal treatment with oestradiol pre and during laying	mass at hatching, 10, 20 and 30 d	10, 20 and 30 d	RBC	qPCR	change	treatment increased growth in male chicks; no effect on telomere change	Tissier et al. [72]
bird Ficedula albicollis	field	exp	brood size increased and reduced	mass and tarsus	12 d	12 d	qPCR	length	heavier nestlings in reduced broods; NS effect on tarsus or TL	Voillemot et al. [73]
bird Phalacro-corax aristotelis	field	corr	n.a.	mass	ca 15 days	RBS	TRF- Southern blot	change	+ve relationship between growth rate and loss	Hall et al. [74]
amphibian Delobates cultripes	laboratory	exp	pond drying and predator exposure in tadpoles from 2 months to metamorphosis	average mass gain per family during treatment	at metamorphosis	leg muscle	qPCR	length	pond drying reduced growth, inc predatory exposure inc growth; weak –ve corr bet growth rate and TL	Burraco et al. [75]
fish Pungitius pungitius	laboratory	exp	temperature during growth	length weekly from 17 to 115 d	122 d	brain	qPCR	length	no temperature of length effect on TL	Noreikiene et al. [76]
fish Salmo salar	field	corr + exp	harshness of post-natal growth environment	mass at fry stage	fry stage at ca 5 months	whole body	qPCR	length	−ve for mass at 5 months in both groups; exp—shorter TL when growing in harsher enviros	McLennan et al. [77]
fish Salmo trutta	field	exp and corr	at 1 year food deprived for ca three weeks to induce compensatory growth	mass and length at start of treatment 1 year and at 2 years	1 and 2 years	pelvic Fin TL	qPCR	change 1–2yrs	exp—not significant treatment effect; corr - +ve for mass-specific growth 1–2 years	Naslund et al. [78]
fish Oncorhyn-chus kisutch	laboratory	exp	transgenic—manipulation of GH to give fish 54× heavier and 7× longer than wild-type	mass and fork length at 7 and 10 months	7 and 10 months	peliv fin	qPCR	length and change	transgenics had longer length but lost more during growth; wild-type showed no change	Pauliny et al. [79]
fish Cyprinus carpio	field		n.a.	mass and fork length at capture	at capture	muscle and caudal fin	qPCR	length	+ve bet TL in muscle and fork length; NS for fin	Izzo et al. [80]
fish Oryzias latipes	laboratory	corr	n.a.	0 and 7 months body length	repeated	whole body and other tissues	TRF Southern blot	change	faster loss during period of rapid growth	Hatakeyama et al. [81]