Sex determination in reptiles

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Skip navigation. The sex of a reptile embryo partly results from the production of sex hormones during development, and one such process to produce those hormones depends on temperature of the embryo's environment. The production of sex hormones can result solely from genetics or from genetics in combination with the influence of environmental factors. Non-genetic sex determination occurs when the sex of an organism can be altered during a sensitive period of development due to external factors such as temperature, humidity, or social interactions. All crocodilians, most turtles , many fish , and some lizards exhibit TSD. One cause of TSD is the enzyme aromatase.

Metrics details. Sex-determining systems may profoundly influence the ecology, behaviour and demography of animals, yet these relationships are poorly understood. Here we investigate whether species with temperature-dependent TSD and genetic sex determination GSD differ in key demographic traits, using data from species representing all major phylogenetic lineages of extant reptiles.

Charles Darwin first provided a lucid explanation of how gender differences evolve nearly years ago. Yet, a disconnect remains between his theory of sexual selection and the mechanisms that underlie the development of males and females. In particular, comparisons between representatives of different phyla i. Such differences are hard to comprehend unless we study organisms that bridge the phylogenetic gap. Analysis of variation within monophyletic groups i.