Facial masculinity is thought to be a condition-dependent male ornament, reflecting immunocompetence in humans. To test this hypothesis, we calculated an objective measure of facial masculinity/femininity using three-dimensional images in a large sample (N = 1,233) of people of European ancestry. We show that facial masculinity is positively correlated with adult height in both males and females. This suggests that variation in growth contributes, at least in part, to variation in facial masculinity, which is characteristic of condition-dependent traits. However, facial masculinity scales with growth similarly in males and females, suggesting that facial masculinity is not specifically a male ornament. Additionally, we measured immunocompetence via heterozygosity at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), a well known genetic marker of immunity. We show that while height is positively correlated with MHC heterozygosity, facial masculinity is not. Thus, facial masculinity does not reflect immunocompetence measured by MHC heterozygosity in humans as thought previously. Overall, we find no support for the idea that facial masculinity is a condition-dependent male ornament that has evolved to indicate immunocompetence.

Nine bedding plant vegetable and flower cultivars were grown in each of 10 night air and root media temperature regimes. Generally, fresh and dry weights were greater at 16°C than at 7° night air temperature when root-zone (RZ) heating was not used. Soil warming increased fresh and dry weights of all cultivars grown at 16° night air temperatures. When air temperatures were below 16°, soil warming maintained fresh and dry weights equivalent to or better than plants grown at 16° without soil warming. Two split-night (SN) air temperature regimes were as effective as a constant 16° night temperature, ranking first and 3rd in fresh and dry weight per unit of energy consumption. All soil warming treatments had higher energy productivity than the 16° air temperature treatment with no RZ heating.