Data from: Age-related changes of oxidative status and immune function in a long-lived seabird

Experimental studies in humans and laboratory species have shown that the decline of the immune system with age (immunosenescence) and the accumulation of oxidative damage to macromolecules are two key contributors to the onset and progression of the ageing process. Although laboratory models have provided important insights, the physiological basis of ageing in natural populations remains comparatively understudied. In this study, we compared four markers of oxidative status (SOD, GPx, Catalase and DNA damage) and eight immune markers (IgY, haptoglobin, hemolysis–hemagglutination, and counts of basophils, neutrophils, lymphocytes, heterophils, and eosinophils) between younger (5-9 years old, n=21) and older (17-36 years old, n=22) breeders of a long-lived seabird, the Scopoli’s shearwater (Calonectris diomedea), to identify potential physiological signatures of ageing. Our dataset is reported in the Excel file “shearwater_ageing_data.xlsx” and refers to adult shearwaters sampled in May 2024, during the egg-laying period. The dataset is structured so that, for each individual, there is its ring number, sex, age and body mass along with the values of the immune and oxidative markers analyzed. Ethic statement: Fieldwork was carried out under the authorizations issued by the Regione Siciliana, Assessorato Agricoltura e Foreste with letter Prot. 17233 dated December 1, 2010, and subsequent communications Prot. 2452 dated February 01, 2018, and Prot. 48759 dated May 22, 2023.