![]() Despite the challenges involved in studying ageing in natural populations, the understanding of the ageing process (demographic, functional and reproductive declines) gained from natural populations is indispensable 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. However, recent evidence demonstrates that ageing is widespread in natural populations 2. Animals were generally considered to succumb to predation or pathogens before they started to age. This is unfortunate because information about the selective forces (environmental or biotic) driving particular adaptations may provide stronger insights into the general understanding of the key findings in laboratory populations 1.įor a long time, the mere existence of ageing in the wild was regarded negligible and unimportant. However, despite the fact that laboratory conditions often differ considerably from model species’ natural environment, it is usual to interpret the outcome of laboratory studies without the context of the evolutionary and natural history of these species. Model species provide key insights into many aspects of fundamental and applied biological research. This represents selective force that can shape the evolution of lifespan, and its variation across populations, beyond the effects of the gradient in habitat persistence. furzeri and its congeners suffer strong mortality throughout their lives, with apparent selective disappearance (condition-dependent mortality) at the individual level. Our data clearly demonstrate that natural populations of N. Nothobranchius community composition did not significantly vary across the season. furzeri also became more female-biased with progressing season suggesting that males had lower survival. Declines in population size over the season were stronger than predicted, because they exceeded the effect of steady habitat shrinking on population density that, contrary to the prediction, decreased. Data from 13 isolated savanna pools in southern Mozambique demonstrate that the pools supporting killifish populations desiccated 1–4 months after their filling, though some pools persisted longer. Annual killifish hatch synchronously, have non-overlapping generations, and reproduce daily after reaching sexual maturity. To address this gap, we present lifetime demographic data from wild populations of an annual species, the turquoise killifish, Nothobranchius furzeri, a model species in ageing research, and two other species of coexisting annual killifishes. Ageing is particularly understudied in natural populations. The natural history of model organisms is often overlooked despite its importance to correctly interpret the outcome of laboratory studies.
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