Diurnal variation in plasma testosterone and cortisol in rhesus monkeys living in social groups

Concentrations of cortisol and testosterone in the plasma of adult male rhesus monkeys living in social groups were determined during a 27-h period. Capture and venipuncture of experienced, conditioned animals did not lead to a fall in the concentration of testosterone in the plasma during the 90 min immediately after removal from the group. Both plasm cortisol and plasma testosterone concentrations showed a significant fall and rise in samples collected every 3 h during a 27-h period, even though there was considerable individual variation. During the autumn breeding season, animals showed higher concentrations of testosterone at both 10.00 and 22.00 h compared with those observed at the same times during the summer. Even though animals demonstrated significant diurnal changes, testosterone samples withdrawn at the same time of day (10.00 h) on consecutive days were significantly correlated with one another (r = 0.65, n = 27, P less than 0.01), suggesting the usefulness of sampling once a day to study potential environmental influences on plasma testosterone concentrations.