Sex ratios and bimaturism differ between temperature-dependent and genetic sex-determination systems in reptiles

Veronika Bókony; Gregory Milne; Ivett Pipoly; Tamás Székely; András Liker

doi:10.1186/s12862-019-1386-3

Sex ratios and bimaturism differ between temperature-dependent and genetic sex-determination systems in reptiles

Veronika Bókony
, Gregory Milne
, Ivett Pipoly
, Tamás Székely
, András Liker

Hungarian Academy of Sciences
University of Bath
University of Pannonia
University of Debrecen
MTA-PE Evolutionary Ecology Research Group

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

26 Citations (SciVal)

Abstract

Background: Sex-determining systems may profoundly influence the ecology, behaviour and demography of animals, yet these relationships are poorly understood. Here we investigate whether species with temperature-dependent (TSD) and genetic sex determination (GSD) differ in key demographic traits, using data from 181 species representing all major phylogenetic lineages of extant reptiles. Results: We show that species with TSD exhibit significantly higher within-species variance in sex ratios than GSD species in three major life stages: birth or hatching, juvenility and adulthood. In contrast, sex differences in adult mortality rates do not differ between GSD and TSD species. However, TSD species exhibit significantly greater sex differences in maturation ages than GSD species. Conclusion: These results support the recent theoretical model that evolution of TSD is facilitated by sex-specific fitness benefits of developmental temperatures due to bimaturism. Our findings suggest that different sex-determination systems are associated with different demographic characteristics that may influence population viability and social evolution.

Original language	English
Article number	57
Pages (from-to)	57
Journal	BMC Evolutionary Biology
Volume	19
Issue number	1
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-019-1386-3
Publication status	Published - 18 Feb 2019

Funding

The study was supported by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office of Hungary (NKFIH-115402 to VB; NKFIH-116310 and ÉLVO-NAL-KKP-342 126949 to TS). TS was supported by a Wolfson Merit Award from the Royal Society. VB was supported by the János Bolyai Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. GM was supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). IP was supported by the ÚNKP-17-3 New National Excellence Program of the Ministry of Human Capacities, Hungary. TS was a Fellow at the Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin - Institute for Advanced Study. Funders had no role in the design of the study and collection, analysis, and interpretation of data and in writing the manuscript.

Keywords

Age of sexual maturity
Environmental sex determination
Non-avian sauropsids
Sex chromosomes
Sex ratio
Survival

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

Access to Document

10.1186/s12862-019-1386-3Licence: CC BY

Cite this

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title = "Sex ratios and bimaturism differ between temperature-dependent and genetic sex-determination systems in reptiles",

abstract = "Background: Sex-determining systems may profoundly influence the ecology, behaviour and demography of animals, yet these relationships are poorly understood. Here we investigate whether species with temperature-dependent (TSD) and genetic sex determination (GSD) differ in key demographic traits, using data from 181 species representing all major phylogenetic lineages of extant reptiles. Results: We show that species with TSD exhibit significantly higher within-species variance in sex ratios than GSD species in three major life stages: birth or hatching, juvenility and adulthood. In contrast, sex differences in adult mortality rates do not differ between GSD and TSD species. However, TSD species exhibit significantly greater sex differences in maturation ages than GSD species. Conclusion: These results support the recent theoretical model that evolution of TSD is facilitated by sex-specific fitness benefits of developmental temperatures due to bimaturism. Our findings suggest that different sex-determination systems are associated with different demographic characteristics that may influence population viability and social evolution.",

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T1 - Sex ratios and bimaturism differ between temperature-dependent and genetic sex-determination systems in reptiles

AU - Bókony, Veronika

AU - Milne, Gregory

AU - Pipoly, Ivett

AU - Székely, Tamás

AU - Liker, András

PY - 2019/2/18

Y1 - 2019/2/18

N2 - Background: Sex-determining systems may profoundly influence the ecology, behaviour and demography of animals, yet these relationships are poorly understood. Here we investigate whether species with temperature-dependent (TSD) and genetic sex determination (GSD) differ in key demographic traits, using data from 181 species representing all major phylogenetic lineages of extant reptiles. Results: We show that species with TSD exhibit significantly higher within-species variance in sex ratios than GSD species in three major life stages: birth or hatching, juvenility and adulthood. In contrast, sex differences in adult mortality rates do not differ between GSD and TSD species. However, TSD species exhibit significantly greater sex differences in maturation ages than GSD species. Conclusion: These results support the recent theoretical model that evolution of TSD is facilitated by sex-specific fitness benefits of developmental temperatures due to bimaturism. Our findings suggest that different sex-determination systems are associated with different demographic characteristics that may influence population viability and social evolution.

AB - Background: Sex-determining systems may profoundly influence the ecology, behaviour and demography of animals, yet these relationships are poorly understood. Here we investigate whether species with temperature-dependent (TSD) and genetic sex determination (GSD) differ in key demographic traits, using data from 181 species representing all major phylogenetic lineages of extant reptiles. Results: We show that species with TSD exhibit significantly higher within-species variance in sex ratios than GSD species in three major life stages: birth or hatching, juvenility and adulthood. In contrast, sex differences in adult mortality rates do not differ between GSD and TSD species. However, TSD species exhibit significantly greater sex differences in maturation ages than GSD species. Conclusion: These results support the recent theoretical model that evolution of TSD is facilitated by sex-specific fitness benefits of developmental temperatures due to bimaturism. Our findings suggest that different sex-determination systems are associated with different demographic characteristics that may influence population viability and social evolution.

KW - Age of sexual maturity

KW - Environmental sex determination

KW - Non-avian sauropsids

KW - Sex chromosomes

KW - Sex ratio

KW - Survival

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Sex ratios and bimaturism differ between temperature-dependent and genetic sex-determination systems in reptiles

Abstract

Funding

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

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