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What determines the length of a life span?


CloudSix

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This question popped in my head while I was playing with my cat, why does she only get to live like 12-15 years(or less) and humans way more?

What determines the length, what factors are necessary for a species to possess in order to have a longer life span?

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There are thousands of variables; energy efficiency, metabolic rate, adaptability, DNA repair rate, reproductive rates, etc

There's no one thing that determines the lifespan of an animal.

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There are thousands of variables; energy efficiency, metabolic rate, adaptability, DNA repair rate, reproductive rates, etc

There's no one thing that determines the lifespan of an animal.

Yea, thats why I asked factors :)

Not sure I understand what does energy efficiency have with that?

Edited by BorisIWantToKnow
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Yea, thats why I asked factors :)

Not sure I understand what does energy efficiency have with that?

Rates at which nutrients are are absorbed and processed by the animal and how efficiently such actions are completed.

For example: Some primates have very slow transit times for their guts, so they can eat abundant leaves and get the highest return rates from their digestion processes.

Some primates have fast transit time sin their guts, so food items like leaves don't spend enough time in their guts to be digested all the way, so they eat high quality foods packed with nutrients, like various ripe fruits.

Being a frugivore (fruit eater) or a folivore (leave eater) affects everything about a primates life from it''s habitat, to methods of locomotion, social systems and reproduction rates. All these factors, and many more, work together to determine the lifespan of an animal.

Edited by Imaginarynumber1
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We could sit here all day and just list things, too.

But a basic rule of thumb is that the larger an animal is, the longed it's lifespan is as it has lengthen it's reproductive cycle and maturation rates. (Though this is not always true)

Here's a good example of how environment can dictate the lifespan of an animal;

Compare a patas monkey and a gibbon. Both get to be about 6.5 kg, but live in different environments. Patas monkeys grow fast and live on the savannas while gibbons grow slow and live in the rainforests. Patas monkeys are sexual mature by age three while gibbons not until 11. Patas monkeys then tend to have an interbirth interval of a year while the gibbons is closer to three and a half years. Patas monkeys live about 15 years while gibbons live to about 50.

It's the environment that drives the fast maturation and reproductive rates of the patas monkey. It faces threats from predators everywhere it goes. So it has to live fast. And indeed, it is the fastest monkey.

Edited by Imaginarynumber1
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Yea, thats why I asked factors :)

Not sure I understand what does energy efficiency have with that?

The amount of energy an animal trades off to gather it's food or reproduce I suppose, metabolic rates vary from species to species.I think the social element plays a part as well, we along with the Gorillas and Chimps are very social and this contributes a little.

Edited by shaddow134
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Rates at which nutrients are are absorbed and processed by the animal and how efficiently such actions are completed.

For example: Some primates have very slow transit times for their guts, so they can eat abundant leaves and get the highest return rates from their digestion processes.

Some primates have fast transit time sin their guts, so food items like leaves don't spend enough time in their guts to be digested all the way, so they eat high quality foods packed with nutrients, like various ripe fruits.

Being a frugivore (fruit eater) or a folivore (leave eater) affects everything about a primates life from it''s habitat, to methods of locomotion, social systems and reproduction rates. All these factors, and many more, work together to determine the lifespan of an animal.

Oh, nice. Thank you, much clearer now

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it might also have something to due with how long it takes a species to procreate? it takes many years for a human to come of age , and we maintain the ability to procreate for many more. Most insects have a very short life and procreation cycle.

Just a rather mundane observation ;)

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For me, personally, it has been my ability to avoid dying.

I suspect my luck will give out eventually.

But, hey, you never know, right?

Edited by bubblykiss
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breathing rate

nutrition

state of mind

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Longevity with human beings has largely to do with diet and environment.

It is often claimed that it has to do with genetics, but we understand that even those can be improved from one generation to the next.

DNA carries the info to the offspring, and although there are chances that not all the best info is passed on due to the activity of the sperm, the chances of good DNA being passed on is greater if the parent has done everything possible to improve their health.

If human beings followed the basic principles of health, which by the way they do not know as a whole, they could increase the life span of future generations to the age of 400 within 6 generations, and they would virtually eliminate heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, to begin with.

Most people are aware of the poor state of the environment, due to pollution, etc.

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I remember watching a David Attenborough documentary on just this subject (many years ago). The conclusion that they came up with was actually the number of times the heart beats over an animal's lifetime (I think it averaged out at c6Billion). It didn't matter which species they looked at but that within a small variation they all seemed to be c 6Billion heartbeats.

I will see if I can find the BBC reference for this and post back.

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I remember watching a David Attenborough documentary on just this subject (many years ago). The conclusion that they came up with was actually the number of times the heart beats over an animal's lifetime (I think it averaged out at c6Billion). It didn't matter which species they looked at but that within a small variation they all seemed to be c 6Billion heartbeats.

I will see if I can find the BBC reference for this and post back.

Have you found the reference? :)

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It's actually genetics that play the greatest role in how long a species can live. Not saying that diet/exercise and medical eradication of disease doesn't play a large part, but the 'set point' of how long it's possible for an organism to live is indeed genetically predetermined.

Here's a really interesting study done on whales that highlights the genetics involved lifespan:

http://geneticliteracyproject.org/2015/01/stretching-human-life-span-to-200-years-implications-of-bowhead-whale-study/

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Although, with epigenetics, there is the coming understanding that genetic disposition and the on-off switch of many markers can become activated and deactivated throughout life through influences and changes in environment, or, through a change in perception, or attitude of the individual about their environment. These changes can nullify, or reverse many 'inherited' or seemingly 'incurable' states. Nothing is prewritten.

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