Data from: Shorter juvenile telomere length is associated with higher survival to spawning in migratory Atlantic salmon ...

• Main Authors: McLennan, Darryl, Armstrong, John D., Stewart, David C., Mckelvey, Simon, Boner, Winnie, Monaghan, Pat, Metcalfe, Neil B.
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2018
• Subjects: Salmo salar; sex effects; physiological state; Atlantic salmon
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.rk030; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.rk030

The risk of mortality associated with a long-distance migration will depend on an animal's physiological state, as well as the prevailing ecological conditions. Here we assess whether juvenile telomere length, which in endotherms has been shown to be a biomarker of physiological state and expected lifespan, predicts whether wild Atlantic salmon Salmo salar successfully complete their marine migration. Over 1800 juvenile fish were trapped, measured, PIT-tagged and a tissue biopsy taken when migrating as juveniles down-river towards the sea. Survivors of the marine phase of the life cycle were then re-trapped and re-sampled when returning to the river to spawn as sexually mature adults, 1.5-2.5 years later. Most individuals experienced a reduction in telomere length during the marine migratory phase of their life cycle. While the relative rate of telomere loss was greater in males than females, telomere loss was unrelated to growth at sea. Contrary to expectations, salmon that had the shortest telomeres at the ... : Smolt RTL, adult RTL and RTL changeData contained in this spreadsheet relates to the general linear models assessing variation in adult RTL and RTL change. This spreadsheet was also used for the paired t-test, assessing RTL in relation to life stage.Smolt survival by date and weightData contained in this spreadsheet relates to the logistic regression model assessing migration survival in relation to smolt weight and timing of smolt migration.Smolt survival by smolt RTL and FW ageData contained in this spreadsheet relates to the logistic regression model assessing migration survival in relation to smolt RTL and FW age. ...