Abstract：
Telomeres are short repetitive DNA sequences capping the ends of chromosomes. Telomere shortening occurs during cell division and may be accelerated by oxidative damage or ameliorated by telomere maintenance mechanisms. Consequently, telomere length changes with age, which was recently confirmed in a large meta-analysis across vertebrates. However, based on the correlation between telomere length and age, it was concluded that telomere length can be used as a tool for chronological age estimation in animals. Correlation should not be confused with predictability, and the current data and studies suggest that telomeres cannot be used to reliably predict individual chronological age. There are biological reasons for why there is large individual variation in telomere dynamics, which is mainly due to high susceptibility to a wide range of environmental, but also genetic factors, rendering telomeres unfeasible as a tool for age estimation. The use of telomeres for chronological age estimation is largely a misguided effort, but its occasional reappearance in the literature raises concerns that it will mislead resources in wildlife conservation.
摘要：
端粒是覆盖染色体末端的短重复DNA序列。端粒缩短发生在细胞分裂过程中，可通过氧化损伤加速或通过端粒维持机制改善。因此,端粒长度随年龄变化,最近在一项跨脊椎动物的大型荟萃分析中证实了这一点。然而,基于端粒长度和年龄之间的相关性，结论是端粒长度可以用作动物按实际年龄估计的工具。相关性不应与可预测性混淆，目前的数据和研究表明，端粒不能用于可靠地预测个体的实际年龄。端粒动力学存在较大个体差异的生物学原因，这主要是由于对各种环境的高度敏感性，还有遗传因素，将端粒作为年龄估计的工具不可行。使用端粒进行实际年龄估计在很大程度上是一种误导的努力，但它偶尔出现在文献中，引起了人们的担忧，即它会误导野生动物保护资源。
