A condition dependent link between testosterone and disease resistance in the house finch
A condition dependent link between testosterone and disease resistance in the house finch
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DOI：
10.1098/rspb.2001.1827
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发表时间：
2001-12-07
影响因子：
4.7
通讯作者：
Hill, GE
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Duckworth, RA;Mendonça, MT;Hill, GE
最近，睾丸素被认为是男性素质、健康和性特征表现之间的联系。我们在一个自然种群的家雀(Carpodacus Micianus)中调查了睾丸激素与雄性个体状况和健康的测量之间的关系。我们还进行了一项圈养实验，以测试睾酮对球虫病的抵抗力，球虫病是家雀的一种常见寄生虫。条件较好的自由生活尾鱼的睾酮水平和游荡皮质酮水平高于条件较差的自由生活雄性III。在我们的圈养实验中，与假植入或性腺切除的男性相比，增加的睾丸素加速了球虫感染的速度。尽管差异并不显著，但感染了球虫的自由生活男性的睾丸素水平和皮质酮水平都高于未感染的男性。因此，试验性地提高圈养雄性的睾丸激素水平会导致感染雄性的比例更高，而患有球虫感染的自由生活的雄性睾丸激素水平较低。圈养和自由生活的雄性之间的这种明显的差异III睾丸激素和疾病之间的联系可以用睾丸激素的状况依赖性来解释。这些结果表明，睾丸素依赖的性征可以可靠地反映男性的整体状况和健康状况，因此，女性可以根据这些特征对潜在配偶进行正面评估。
Testosterone has recently been proposed as a link between male quality and health and the expression of sexual traits. We investigated the relationship between testosterone and measures of the individual condition and health of males in a natural population of house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus). We also conducted a captive experiment in order to test for the effects of testosterone on resistance to coccidia, which is a common parasite of house finches. Free-living finales in better condition had higher testosterone levels and loiter corticosterone levels than free-living males iii poor condition. In our captive experiment, increased testosterone accelerated the rate of coccidial infection as compared with sham-implanted or gonadectomized males. Although the differences were not significant, free-living males infected with coccidia had louver levels of testosterone and higher levels of corticosterone than males that were not infected. Thus, experimentally elevating testosterone levels in captive males resulted in a higher percentage of infected males, while free-living males with coccidial infection had low testosterone levels. This apparent discrepancy between captive and free-living males iii the association of testosterone and disease may be explained by the condition dependence of testosterone. These results suggest that the testosterone-dependent sexual traits reliably indicate male overall condition and health and, thus, females could benefit front assessing potential mates based on these traits.