fanson-sexandrogens-2014.pdf (1.44 MB)
Sex, androgens, and whole-organism performance in an Australian lizard
journal contribution
posted on 2014-04-01, 00:00 authored by D W A Noble, Kerry FansonKerry Fanson, M J WhitingUnderstanding underlying physiological differences between the sexes in circulating androgens and how hormonal variation affects morphology-performance relationships may help clarify the evolution of sexual dimorphism in diverse taxa. Using a widely distributed Australian lizard (Eulamprus quoyii) with weak sexual dimorphism and no dichromatism, we tested whether circulating androgens differed between the sexes and whether they covaried with morphological and performance traits (bite force, sprint speed, endurance). Males had larger head dimensions, stronger bite force, faster sprint speed, and longer endurance compared to females. We found that the sexes did not differ in androgen concentrations and that androgens were weakly associated with both morphological and performance traits. Interestingly, high circulating androgens showed a nonlinear relationship with bite force in males and not females, with this relationship possibly being related to alternative male reproductive tactics. Our results suggest that androgens are not strongly correlated with most performance and morphological traits, although they may play an important organizational role during the development of morphological traits, which could explain the differences in morphology and thus performance between the sexes. Differences in performance between the sexes suggest differential selection on these functional traits between males and females. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London.
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Journal
Biological journal of the Linnean SocietyVolume
111Issue
4Pagination
834 - 849Publisher
WileyLocation
London, Eng.Publisher DOI
ISSN
0024-4066eISSN
1095-8312Language
engPublication classification
C Journal article; C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2014, WileyUsage metrics
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