Ardea
Official journal of the Netherlands Ornithologists' Union

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Goede A.A. (1993) Longevity in homeotherms, the high lifespan and lifespan energy potential in charadriiformes. ARDEA 81 (2): 81-88
The lifespan potential of homeotherms is described with allometric equations relating body mass of the species to maximal recorded ages. According to these equations, species of the avian orders Charadriiformes and probably Procellariiformes have 1.5 times the lifespan potential compared to other non-passerine birds with similar body mass. Species of the mammalian order Primates can become twice as old as other mammals with similar body mass. However, the Charadriiformes and the Procellariiformes have the potential to become twice as old as primates with similar body mass. The lifespan energy potential (LEP), the product of the maximal recorded lifespan and the mass-specific basal metabolic rate, denotes the potential energy expenditure per gram body mass. The average LEP differs markedly between various groups of warm-blooded animals. The free-living marine species of the avian orders Charadriiformes and Procellariiformes have an almost 6 times average LEP compared to the LEP of free-living non-primate mammals. In the framework of the free radical theory of aging, it is suggested that the high selenium levels found in birds, particularly in Charadriiformes, may be an important factor determining the exceptional high LSP and LEP in these animals.


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