Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 29, 2025

Induction and Evaluation of Inbreeding Crosses Using the Ant, Vollenhovia Emeryi
Published on: October 5, 2018
Optimality Versus Opportunity: The Recurrent Evolution of Similar Sex Determination Mechanisms
1San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA.
Abstract:
Sex determination mechanisms vary widely across animals, but show remarkable degrees of recurrent evolution. Recurrent features of sex determination have largely been attributed to recurrent cooption of shared ancestral regulatory circuits. However, a new study on sex determination in Daphnia magna reveals both recurrent evolution of specific regulatory logic and apparently recurrent recruitment of a regulator, suggesting a role for optimization in recurrent patterns of sex determination mechanisms.
Related Concept Videos
Natural Selection and Mating Preferences
Females, due to their biological roles in conception, pregnancy, and nursing,...
Mate Choice
The Ratio of X Chromosome to Autosomes
Normal male Drosophila has a ratio of one X chromosome to two sets of autosomes. In contrast, normal female...
Types of Selection
Criticisms of the Evolutionary Perspective
Evolutionary psychology provides one explanation for these findings, suggesting...
Background and Environment Affect Phenotype
An example of how genetic background affects phenotype can be seen in horses. The Extension gene in horses is responsible for their coat color. A wild-type gene (EE) produces black pigment in the coat, while a mutant gene (ee) produces red pigment. A...

