However, the concept that metabolic rate and ROS production are directly correlated has been called into question (Hulbert et al., 2007; Costantini, 2008), and low metabolic rates are not necessarily associated with greater longevities in mammals or birds (de Magalhaes et al., 2007; Hulbert et al., 2007). There is an interesting reversal of the body mass–longevity correlation in a mammal that further clarifies the evolutionary forces molding senescence patterns in general. Usually extrinsic mortality is inversely related

to body size, but DNA Damage inhibitor in domestic dogs Canis familiaris the small-bodied breeds live longer than large-bodied breeds (Li et al., 1996; Speakman, Acker & Harper, 2003; Galis et al., 2007). This anomaly is illuminating because larger breeds of dogs were artificially selected for participation in dangerous activities such as hunting large game, fighting and protecting their owners, all of which carry high mortality risks, and for rapid growth and early maturation (rather than somatic maintenance and repair) to facilitate these activities. By contrast,

smaller dog breeds were selected to serve as companion animals and lap dogs or to capture vermin (rats and mice), so they lived in more protected environments, suffered lower extrinsic mortality and matured more slowly. As a result, the onset of senescence occurs later in small-bodied breeds than large-bodied breeds. Among families of birds, diet significantly affected maximum longevities (Table 2, Appendix 3). Follow-up analyses Z-VAD-FMK mw indicated that among all birds, herbivores lived significantly longer than carnivores or omnivores (Fig. 3a), and that among

passerine families herbivores and omnivores lived longer than carnivores (Fig. 3). There are several reasons to hypothesize that herbivores generally experience lower rates of extrinsic mortality than carnivores, all else being equal. First, carnivorous (and some omnivorous) species can be injured learn more or killed during chases and attacks on prey, whereas herbivores experience no direct danger from their food. Second, herbivores are less likely to contract parasites or pathogens from their food than carnivorous or omnivorous species. Third, the food supply of herbivores is more stable, consistently available and evenly distributed than the prey of carnivores. To further examine these possibilities, we tried to separate herbivores into grass/leaf eaters and frugivores, and to separate carnivores into meat, fish and insect eaters. However, small sample sizes and high intra-category variances thwarted statistical analyses of these sub-categories. Overall, our dietary results parallel those of Munshi-South & Wilkinson (2006), who found that diet explained a significant amount of the variance in maximum life spans of parrots, and that granivorous species lived longer than omnivorous and fruit-eating/insectivorous species.