Various species employ different strategies for sex determination. While some rely on environmental cues, like temperature in certain reptiles, others, such as snails, can change sex, suggesting a non-genetic influence on their sexual characteristics.
What are some diverse strategies used by different species to determine the sex of newborn individuals?
Share
Different species employ diverse strategies to determine the sex of newborn individuals. In mammals, including humans, sex is determined by the combination of sex chromosomes (XX for females, XY for males). Birds often have ZW chromosomes, with females being ZW and males ZZ. Some reptiles, like certain turtles, exhibit temperature-dependent sex determination, where incubation temperature during egg development influences sex. Fish may have genetic or environmental sex determination. Honeybees have haplodiploid sex determination, where fertilized eggs develop into females (diploid), and unfertilized eggs become males (haploid). These varied strategies highlight the evolutionary adaptability of sex determination mechanisms across the animal kingdom.