The Expression of Female Sex-limited Characters in the Male

The quantitative expression of sexual activity in males and females may be genetically correlated, a possibility supported by the observation that breed and seasonal differences in ovine female fertility are associated with differences in male libido.

Abstract

DESPITE very different reproductive characteristics of males and females, autosomal genes controlling these characters are common to both sexes. (The transmission of genes for female fertility through the males is demonstrated by differences in the reproductive performance of the daughters of different sires1,2.) Furthermore, the fact that the same gonadotrophic hormones are intermediaries in the physiological control of reproductive activity in both sexes is well established3. The quantitative expression of sexual activity in males and females may therefore be genetically correlated, a possibility which is supported by the observation that breed and seasonal differences in ovine female fertility are associated with differences in male libido4.