Environmental sex determination

Environmental sex determination

Environmental sex determination (pronounced: en-vi-ron-men-tal sex de-ter-mi-na-tion) is a type of sex determination in which an organism's sex is determined by environmental factors, rather than by its genetic makeup. The term is derived from the Greek words 'environ' meaning 'around', 'sexus' meaning 'sex', and 'determinare' meaning 'to limit or define'.

Overview

In many species, the sex of an individual is determined by environmental factors such as temperature, social context, or the availability of resources. This is in contrast to genetic sex determination, where the sex of an individual is determined by its chromosomes.

Examples

One of the most well-known examples of environmental sex determination is in reptiles, where the temperature at which eggs are incubated can determine the sex of the offspring. This is known as Temperature-dependent sex determination. Other examples include some species of fish and invertebrates, where social factors or the availability of resources can influence sex determination.

Implications

Environmental sex determination has important implications for conservation biology, as changes in the environment can potentially skew sex ratios and impact population dynamics. It also has implications for our understanding of evolution and biology more broadly.

Related terms

External links

Medical encyclopedia article on Environmental sex determination
Wikipedia's article - Environmental sex determination

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