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There is an astonishing diversity across nature of sexual development in animals. Some are hermaphrodites, where they express functional female and male structures simultaneously. In most vertebrates however, individuals are generally either male or female. This categorization works for most applications, but there are many ways an animal can develop that challenge our ideas of sex determination. This website investigates one of these interesting exceptions: sequential hermaphroditism. Using fish as a model, we will take a look at how some animals have evolved to naturally change their sex during their lifetime. After learning about the process broadly, we will look at 3 “case studies” that utilize specific species to highlight several schemes of sequential hermaphroditism. For curious readers, we will dive in to 2 in-depth molecular focused experiments to analyze the phenomenon further.

About: This website is intended to be explored sequentially (pun intended) using the menu at the top of this page, but feel free to jump around! In Overview and Evolution we will explore natural sex change in fish, describe some of the major ways fish exhibit this, and discuss why and how this may have evolved. After getting our feet wet and wrapping our minds around the concept, we will explore several Case Studies so we can learn about specific species. For readers who feel comfortable with advanced biological topics, we will analyze two separate research papers that cover some of the Physiology and Genetics involved in sequential hermaphroditism. All the information on this website is derived from the work of brilliant researchers, and references to their work (along with additional resources for learning more) can be found Here. Ready to begin? Click here to start!

Note: As you read, you may encounter some technical terms that you aren’t familiar with. Many terms will be linked to external educational sources that can assist you in your understanding.

 

 

(This is a student science communication project created at North Carolina State University as part of Dr. Paciulli’s BIO444: The Biology of Love and Sex. The content contained within this website does not represent original research on the part of the student, nor is it necessarily representative of the views or research of North Carolina State University. All information contained within is derived from published literature, and references are available on this website. The content of this website, except where cited, is the work of the student. 2023.)