Vertebrate Secondary Sexual Characteristics—Physiological Mechanisms and Evolutionary Patterns

As most commonly presented, the organization‐activation theory of sexual differentiation emphasizes the importance of the relative age of the organism for understanding steroid hormone effects. However, considering the actual physiological mechanisms of tissue enlargement (hyperplasia/hypertrophy) p...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The American naturalist 2000-07, Vol.156 (1), p.84-91
Main Author: Emerson, Sharon B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Androgens
Cell growth
Cellular differentiation
Evolution
Female animals
Hormones
Male animals
Secondary sexual characteristics
Sex hormones
Sexual behavior
Sexual dimorphism
Sexual maturity
Vertebrata
Vertebrates
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:As most commonly presented, the organization‐activation theory of sexual differentiation emphasizes the importance of the relative age of the organism for understanding steroid hormone effects. However, considering the actual physiological mechanisms of tissue enlargement (hyperplasia/hypertrophy) provides an additional perspective for interpreting patterns of evolutionary change in sexual dimorphism. Using that focus, it is possible to suggest mechanistic explanations for patterns of allometry and the size of some secondary sexual characteristics produced by “runaway” selection. It can also lead to the formulation of testable hypotheses regarding the type of sexually dimorphic characters that might evolve through “good genes” models; the relationship between intrasexual competition, polygyny, and the development and size of male weapons; and the control and type of secondary sexual characteristics that will be present in males with associated and disassociated reproductive patterns.
ISSN:0003-0147
1537-5323
DOI:10.1086/303370