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Natural sex change in fish
Neil J Gemmell1, Erica V Todd1, Alexander Goikoetxea1
1Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Current Topics in Developmental Biology
|April 20, 2019
Summary
Sexual fate is a dynamic process, not fixed at birth. Many fish exhibit sequential hermaphroditism, changing sex during adulthood, a transformation influenced by molecular mechanisms.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
- Ichthyology
Background:
- Sexual fate is a dynamic process, not a fixed developmental outcome.
- Antagonistic male and female genetic pathways regulate sexual phenotype.
- Flexibility in sexual phenotype is observed in many fish species.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the biological processes underlying sex change in sequential hermaphroditic fish.
- To focus on the molecular mechanisms regulating sex change initiation and control.
- To highlight the role of genomic technologies in understanding sex determination.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on sexual fate and sex change in fish.
- Focus on molecular and genetic aspects of sex determination.
- Integration of findings from behavioral, anatomical, and neuroendocrine studies.
Main Results:
- Sexual fate is actively regulated by the suppression and activation of genetic networks.
- Sequential hermaphroditism (protogyny, protandry, serial) is a common and adaptive trait in fish.
- Sex change involves coordinated transformations across multiple biological systems.
Conclusions:
- Sexual phenotype is not irreversibly determined during embryonic development.
- Molecular mechanisms are key to understanding the regulation of sex change.
- Genomic technologies offer new insights into the dynamic nature of sexual fate.
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