Why and when should organisms elongate their telomeres? : Elaborations on the 'excess resources elongation' and 'last resort elongation' hypotheses
Telomere length and telomere shortening are thought to be critical cellular attributes and processes that are related to an individual's life span and fitness. The general pattern across most taxa is that after birth telomere length gradually decreases with age. Telomere protection and restoration mechanisms are usually assumed to reduce the rate of shortening or at most keep telomere length const