2022 journal article

Polygenic sex determination produces modular sex polymorphism in an African cichlid fish

PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, 119(14).

By: E. Moore n, P. Ciccotto*, E. Peterson n, M. Lamm n, R. Albertson * & R. Roberts n 

author keywords: sex chromosomes; Malawi African cichlids; sexual dimorphism; sex determination
MeSH headings : Animals; Cichlids / genetics; Cichlids / physiology; Female; Genetic Fitness; Male; Phenotype; Polymorphism, Genetic; Sex Characteristics; Sex Chromosomes / genetics; Sex Determination Processes
TL;DR: This work investigates how sex differences emerge in a species with more than one set of sex chromosomes, measuring a variety of morphological, physiological, and behavioral traits and finds that significant creation or loss of variation in diverse traits can occur during transitions among sex chromosome systems. (via Semantic Scholar)
UN Sustainable Development Goal Categories
14. Life Below Water (OpenAlex)
15. Life on Land (Web of Science)
Source: Web Of Science
Added: May 10, 2022

Significance Sex differences in traits can occur when those traits are modified by genetic factors inherited on sex chromosomes. We investigated how sex differences emerge in a species with more than one set of sex chromosomes, measuring a variety of morphological, physiological, and behavioral traits. Rather than exhibiting sexual dimorphism associated with primary sex, the species has higher-order sexual polymorphism in secondary sexual characteristics or more than two phenotypic sexes. Variation in secondary sexual characteristics is modular, involving the interplay of sex-linked and sex-limited traits. Our findings provide implications for how sex determination systems and whole-organism fitness traits coevolve, including that significant creation or loss of variation in diverse traits can occur during transitions among sex chromosome systems.