Abstract
Sex-determining mechanisms (SDMs) of reptiles are remarkably diverse, ranging from systems under complete genetic control to systems that are highly dependent upon the environment, including temperatures and endocrine signals that embryos experience during development. Because reptiles exhibit a remarkable diversity in SDMs, this group provides opportunities to address critical questions about the proximate mechanisms of sex determination, as well as their ecology and evolution. This chapter aims to integrate studies from different disciplines (e.g., ecology, evolution, physiology, molecular biology) to summarize the current understanding of reptilian sex determination, broadly. This chapter is divided into six sections that cover the taxonomic distribution of SDMs, diversity of reptilian SDMs, molecular and physiological mechanisms underlying sex determination, endocrine disruption in sex determination, ecology and evolution of reptilian SDMs, and current gaps in our understanding of this field to direct future research.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | Hormones and Reproduction of Vertebrates |
Subtitle of host publication | Reptiles: Volume 3, Second Edition |
Publisher | Elsevier |
Pages | 1-33 |
Number of pages | 33 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9780443160226 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780443160233 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2024 |
Keywords
- Environmental sex determination
- Evolutionary transitions
- GSD-TSD continuum
- Genotypic sex determination
- Sex chromosomes
- Sex-determining mechanisms
- Temperature-dependent sex determination
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Agricultural and Biological Sciences