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The adequacy of aging techniques in vertebrates for rapid estimation of population mortality rates from age distributions.

ABSTRACT: As a key parameter in population dynamics, mortality rates are frequently estimated using mark-recapture data, which requires extensive, long-term data sets. As a potential rapid alternative, we can measure variables correlated to age, allowing the compilation of population age distributions, from which mortality rates can be derived. However, most studies employing such techniques have ignored their inherent inaccuracy and have thereby failed to provide reliable mortality estimates. In this study, we present a general statistical model linking birth rate, mortality rate, and population age distributions. We next assessed the reliability and data needs (i.e., sample size) for estimating mortality rate of eight different aging techniques. The results revealed that for half of the aging techniques, correlations with age varied considerably, translating into highly variable accuracies when used to estimate mortality rate from age distributions. Telomere length is generally not sufficiently correlated to age to provide reliable mortality rate estimates. DNA methylation, signal-joint T-cell recombination excision circle (sjTREC), and racemization are generally more promising techniques to ultimately estimate mortality rate, if a sufficiently high sample size is available. Otolith ring counts, otolithometry, and age-length keys in fish, and skeletochronology in reptiles, mammals, and amphibians, outperformed all other aging techniques and generated relatively accurate mortality rate estimation with a sample size that can be feasibly obtained. Provided the method chosen is minimizing and estimating the error in age estimation, it is possible to accurately estimate mortality rates from age distributions. The method therewith has the potential to estimate a critical, population dynamic parameter to inform conservation efforts within a limited time frame as opposed to mark-recapture analyses.

SUBMITTER: Zhao M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6374686 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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The adequacy of aging techniques in vertebrates for rapid estimation of population mortality rates from age distributions.

Zhao Meijuan M Klaassen Chris A J CAJ Lisovski Simeon S Klaassen Marcel M

Ecology and evolution 20181227 3

As a key parameter in population dynamics, mortality rates are frequently estimated using mark-recapture data, which requires extensive, long-term data sets. As a potential rapid alternative, we can measure variables correlated to age, allowing the compilation of population age distributions, from which mortality rates can be derived. However, most studies employing such techniques have ignored their inherent inaccuracy and have thereby failed to provide reliable mortality estimates. In this stu ...[more]

PMID: 30805168

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Project description:BackgroundBiological heart age estimation can provide insights into cardiac aging. However, existing studies do not consider differential aging across cardiac regions.PurposeTo estimate biological age of the left ventricle (LV), right ventricle (RV), myocardium, left atrium, and right atrium using magnetic resonance imaging radiomics phenotypes and to investigate determinants of aging by cardiac region.Study typeCross-sectional.PopulationA total of 18,117 healthy UK Biobank participants including 8338 men (mean age = 64.2 ± 7.5) and 9779 women (mean age = 63.0 ± 7.4).Field strength/sequenceA 1.5 T/balanced steady-state free precession.AssessmentAn automated algorithm was used to segment the five cardiac regions, from which radiomic features were extracted. Bayesian ridge regression was used to estimate biological age of each cardiac region with radiomics features as predictors and chronological age as the output. The "age gap" was the difference between biological and chronological age. Linear regression was used to calculate associations of age gap from each cardiac region with socioeconomic, lifestyle, body composition, blood pressure and arterial stiffness, blood biomarkers, mental well-being, multiorgan health, and sex hormone exposures (n = 49).Statistical testMultiple testing correction with false discovery method (threshold = 5%).ResultsThe largest model error was with RV and the smallest with LV age (mean absolute error in men: 5.26 vs. 4.96 years). There were 172 statistically significant age gap associations. Greater visceral adiposity was the strongest correlate of larger age gaps, for example, myocardial age gap in women (Beta = 0.85, P = 1.69 × 10-26 ). Poor mental health associated with large age gaps, for example, "disinterested" episodes and myocardial age gap in men (Beta = 0.25, P = 0.001), as did a history of dental problems (eg LV in men Beta = 0.19, P = 0.02). Higher bone mineral density was the strongest associate of smaller age gaps, for example, myocardial age gap in men (Beta = -1.52, P = 7.44 × 10-6 ).Data conclusionThis work demonstrates image-based heart age estimation as a novel method for understanding cardiac aging.Evidence level1.Technical efficacyStage 1.

Dataset Information

The adequacy of aging techniques in vertebrates for rapid estimation of population mortality rates from age distributions.

Publications

The adequacy of aging techniques in vertebrates for rapid estimation of population mortality rates from age distributions.

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