STABILITY OF PENTOSIDINE CONCENTRATIONS IN MUSEUM STUDY SKINS

Accumulation of the advanced glycation endproduct pentosidine (Ps) in skin collagen is strongly correlated with age of adult birds. This allows age estimates to be made without use of banding data. We examined the stability of Ps in museum study skins. We took skin samples from six Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) study skins at three-month intervals over the course of one year. The data revealed no significant variation in Ps concentrations within individual birds, which indicates that Ps is stable in study skins for at least 12 months. These data suggest that inferences concerning age might be made from similarly prepared specimens from collections around the world. Additionally, we found significant variations in Ps concentrations in skin collagen among six different locations on the study skins. This suggests that care and consistency are important when excising skin for Ps measurement and age estimation in birds. Estabilidad de las Concentraciones de Pentosidina en Pieles de Estudio de Museo