Behavioral Ecology Vol. 10 No. 3: 345-350
© 1999 International Society for Behavioral Ecology
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Stress, testosterone, and the immunoredistribution hypothesis
a International Center for Tropical Ecology, University of Missouri-St. Louis, and Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA b Department of Biology c Department of Psychology, University of Missouri-St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
Address correspondence to S. Braude, Department of Biology, Box 1137, Washington University, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA. E-mail: braude@wustlb.wustl.edu.
Received 22 April 1998; revised 28 November 1998; accepted 17 December 1998.
Recent interest in parasites and sexual selection has focused attention on
the paradox that the sexual displays which indicate parasite resistance in
male vertebrates are triggered by testosterone, an apparently
immunosuppressive hormone. We question the underlying assumption that
testosterone is immunosuppressive and offer here the alternative of
immunoredistribution to explain the changes in circulating leukocytes
associated with male displays and elevated testosterone. First, we briefly
examine three hypotheses that have attempted to resolve the testosterone
immunosuppression paradox (Folstad and
Karter, 1992
; Hillgarth et
al., 1997; Wedekind and
Folstad, 1994). Although the immunoredistribution hypothesis
undermines the premise of these hypotheses, there are other problems intrinsic
to each one.
The immunocompetence handicap hypothesis
Folstad and Karter (1992)
proposed the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis as an extension of Zahavi's
(1975) handicap hypothesis for
the evolution of secondary sexual characteristics. While Folstad and Karter's
hypothesis offered an explanation for higher parasite loads in males
The resource allocation hypothesis
The sperm protection hypothesis
The immunoredistribution alternative
Stress and immunosuppression
Stress and immunoredistribution
The testosterone immunoredistribution hypothesis
Mounting evidence against testosterone immunosuppression
Predictions and tests
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
REFERENCES
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