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Related Experiment Video

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila
09:34

Assessing Differences in Sperm Competitive Ability in Drosophila

Published on: August 22, 2013

Sex Determination in Sponges.

Jose M Lorente-Sorolla1,2, Ana Riesgo1

  • 1Department of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (CSIC), Madrid, Spain.

Molecular Reproduction and Development
|June 8, 2026

View abstract on PubMed

Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Sponges exhibit diverse sexual systems with unclear determination mechanisms. Research explores genetic and environmental factors influencing sponge sex, crucial for understanding early animal evolution and adaptation to climate change.

Keywords:
environmental sex determinationgametogenesisgenotypic sex determinationgonochorismsex determinationsponges

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Area of Science:

  • Marine Biology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Sex determination in Porifera (sponges) is poorly understood, despite their basal position in Metazoa.
  • Sponges show diverse sexual systems (gonochorism, hermaphroditism, sex reversal) without morphological dimorphism or distinct gonads.
  • This complexity blurs the lines between sex determination and gametogenesis in sponges.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To synthesize current knowledge on sponge sexual systems.
  • To investigate environmental and genetic influences on sexual fate in sponges.
  • To explore the evolutionary origins of sexual systems in sponges.

Main Methods:

  • Literature synthesis of existing research on sponge sexual systems.
  • Review of studies on environmental modulation (e.g., temperature) of sponge sex ratios.
  • Analysis of conserved metazoan sex-determining genes (e.g., fem-1, Dmrt) in sponge lineages.

    • Main Results:

    • Environmental factors, like temperature, influence sponge sex ratios and reproduction timing, but causal evidence for environmental sex determination is lacking.
    • Conserved genes involved in metazoan sex determination are found in sponges, but their functions are not yet clear.
    • Microbial symbionts may play a role in sexual allocation by mitigating gametogenesis costs.

    Conclusions:

    • Sponge sexual fate arises from a labile system involving genetic modules, environmental cues, and physiological constraints.
    • Understanding sponge sex determination is vital for insights into early metazoan evolution.
    • Clarifying these mechanisms will aid in predicting sponge reproductive resilience to environmental changes.