title: Heritability and cross-sex genetic correlations of early-life circulating testosterone levels in a wild mammal.
abstract: Testosterone is an important hormone that has been shown to have sex-specific links to fitness in numerous species. Although testosterone concentrations vary substantially between individuals in a population, little is known about its heritable genetic basis or between-sex genetic correlations that determine its evolutionary potential. We found circulating neonatal testosterone levels to be both heritable (0.160 ± 0.064 s.e.) and correlated between the sexes (0.942 ± 0.648 s.e.) in wild red deer calves (Cervus elaphus). This may have important evolutionary implications if, as in adults, the sexes have divergent optima for circulating testosterone levels.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK a.pavitt@sms.ed.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Alyson T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Pavitt
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK.
authors.forename: Craig A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Walling
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK.
authors.forename: Josephine M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pemberton
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK Division of Evolution, Ecology and Genetics Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 0200, Australia.
authors.forename: Loeske E B
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Kruuk
mesh_terms: D000728:Androgens / Q000097:blood*; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D003670:Deer / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques / Q000662:veterinary; D008297:Male; D019655:Quantitative Trait, Heritable; D012606:Scotland; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D000728:Androgens; D013739:Testosterone
keywords: androgens; interindividual variation; quantitative genetics; reproductive endocrinology; selection; steroid hormones