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Cited by 2,799Animal Behavior and ReproductionEvolutionary Psychology and Human BehaviorEvolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 100 of the 101 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Parasites, Bright Males, and the Immunocompetence Handicap

Folstad, Ivar, Karter, Andrew John·1992·The American Naturalist
DOI 10.1086/285346
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Abstract

It has been argued that females should be able to choose parasite-resistant mates on the basis of the quality of male secondary sexual characters and that such signals must be costly handicaps in order to evolve. To a large extent, handicap hypotheses have relied on energetic explanations for these costs. Here, we have presented a phenomenological model, operating on an intraspecific level, which views the cost of secondary sexual development from an endocrinological perspective. The primary androgenic hormone, testosterone, has a dualistic effect; it stimulates development of characteristics used in sexual selection while reducing immunocompetence. This "double-edged sword" creates a physiological trade-off that influences and is influenced by parasite burden. We propose a negative-feedback loop between signal intensity and parasite burden by suggesting that testosterone-dependent signal intensity is a plastic response. This response is modified in accordance with the competing demands of the potential costs of parasite infection versus that of increased reproductive success afforded by exaggerated signals. We clarify how this trade-off is intimately involved in the evolution of secondary sexual characteristics and how it may explain some of the equivocal empirical results that have surfaced in attempts to quantify parasite's effect on sexual selection.

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Metadata

Authors
Folstad, I., & Karter, A. J.
ORCID
Venue
The American Naturalist
Publisher
University of Chicago Press
Published
1992-03
Volume
139
Issue
3
Pages
603-622
ISSN
  • 0003-0147 (ISSN-L)
  • 1537-5323
DOI
10.1086/285346
OpenAlex
W2078121933
Cited by
2,799
References
101
Citations by year
2026: 28 · 2025: 41 · 2024: 64 · 2023: 74 · 2022: 123 · 2021: 111 · 2020: 94 · 2019: 82 · 2018: 98 · 2017: 101 · 2016: 115 · 2015: 130 · 2014: 155 · 2013: 101 · 2012: 129
FWCI
33.31
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
The American Naturalist (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Evolutionary Game Theory and Cooperation
Keywords
parasite resistance, secondary sexual characteristics, sexual selection, testosterone, androgenic hormones, infection intensity, physiological trade-offs, signal intensity, negative feedback loop, endocrinology, intraspecific variation, female mate choice

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