1. Reproductive maturation in a sample of captive male baboons.
- Author
-
Muehlenbein MP, Campbell BC, Phillippi KM, Murchison MA, Richards RJ, Svec F, and Myers L
- Subjects
- Animals, Cross-Sectional Studies, Dehydroepiandrosterone blood, Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate blood, Estradiol blood, Hydrocortisone blood, Male, Papio anatomy & histology, Statistics, Nonparametric, Testis anatomy & histology, Testosterone blood, Papio physiology, Sexual Maturation physiology
- Abstract
Though baboons have been considered an appropriate non-human primate model for studying human reproductive and endocrine development. the overall similarity of reproductive maturation between the two species is unclear. This paper examines the role of testicular and adrenal hormones for pubertal changes in a cross-sectional sample of 21 captive male savanna baboons. Morphometric and hormonal indices demonstrate changes in size and gonadal function, but not adrenal function, during pubertal maturation among baboons. Results also indicate that gonadal, but not adrenal, androgens are related to morphometric variables. We conclude that savanna baboons do not make an appropriate evolutionary model of human pubertal maturation.
- Published
- 2001
- Full Text
- View/download PDF