Relationships between Endocrine Traits and Life Histories in Wild Animals: Insights, Problems, and Potential Pitfalls

摘要: The endocrine mechanisms causing variation and plasticity in life history traits (e.g., development time, mass at birth/hatching, rate of postnatal growth, age or size sexual maturity, litter clutch size, annual survival, lifespan) fitness (annual lifetime reproductive success) have recently garnered considerable interest. We review three issues facing studies that quantify relationships between histories measures describe possible solutions using insights from evolutionary ecology. focus particular on the steroid hormones glucocorticoids are involved vertebrate neuroendocrine stress response. First, context-dependent associations widespread, therefore, it is important to how intrinsic extrinsic factors modify these relationships. Second, endocrinology may aspire patterns natural selection traits, but this not tell us they influence fitness. Studies also identify actual targets influencing will be very useful. Third, environmental can cause co-variance This problematic for interpreting potential consequences produce divergent answers depending upon whether data analyzed an among- within-year framework. Future long-term following uniquely marked individuals over their (longitudinal individual-based approach) combination with experimental manipulations both help new despite issues. ambitious endeavor, we briefly some key such traits.