Environmental sex determination

The sex of the green spoonworm, Bonellia viridis, a marine annelid, depends on where the larvae make landfall (female shown).

Environmental sex determination is the establishment of sex by a non-genetic cue, such as nutrient availability, experienced within a discrete period after fertilization.[1] Environmental factors which often influence sex determination during development or sexual maturation include light intensity and photoperiod, temperature, nutrient availability, and pheromones emitted by surrounding plants or animals. This is in contrast to genotypic sex determination, which establishes sex at fertilization by genetic factors such as sex chromosomes. Under true environmental sex determination, once sex is determined, it is fixed and cannot be switched again. Environmental sex determination is different from some forms of sequential hermaphroditism in which the sex is determined flexibly after fertilization throughout the organism’s life.[2]

  1. ^ JANZEN, F. J.; PHILLIPS, P. C. (November 2006). "Exploring the evolution of environmental sex determination, especially in reptiles". Journal of Evolutionary Biology. 19 (6): 1775–1784. doi:10.1111/j.1420-9101.2006.01138.x. ISSN 1010-061X. PMID 17040374. S2CID 15485510.
  2. ^ Warner, Robert R. (January 1975). "The Adaptive Significance of Sequential Hermaphroditism in Animals". The American Naturalist. 109 (965): 61–82. doi:10.1086/282974. ISSN 0003-0147. S2CID 84279130.