Open AccessSex, androgens, and whole‐organism performance in an A ustralian lizard
Author(s) -
Noble Daniel W. A.,
Fanson Kerry V.,
Whiting Martin J.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
biological journal of the linnean society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.906
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1095-8312
pISSN - 0024-4066
DOI - 10.1111/bij.12252
Subject(s) - biology , sexual dimorphism , lizard , bite force quotient , androgen , sprint , reproduction , sexual selection , sauria , anolis , zoology , hormone , ecology , endocrinology , medicine , physical therapy
Understanding 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 A ustralian lizard ( E ulamprus 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, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2014, 111, 834–849.