Working Group
Sex is universal among most groups of eukaryotes, yet a remarkable diversity of sex determining (SD) mechanisms exists. The evolution of separate sexes has been accompanied by the acquisition of sex chromosomes many times across fungi, plants, and animals. The mechanism of SD has important evolutionary and ecological implications, yet we know little about how and why these systems have evolved repeatedly. Traditionally, studies of SD and sex chromosomes have focused on a few model systems that represent the terminal phase of evolution, but reveal little about their origination or transitions among systems. Recent advances in molecular genomics have created exciting new possibilities to study the causes and consequences of different modes of SD in diverse non-model species that represent the full range of sex chromosome evolution. The proposed working group will capitalize upon these opportunities and facilitate interaction among disparate disciplines engaged in studies of SD. We will develop a series of testable hypotheses based on theoretical predictions regarding the evolution of SD and compile existing data to develop an integrative database containing information on SD across the Tree of Life, with relevant genetic, ecological and life-history parameters. This will enable us to perform a series of comparative analyses to identify factors influencing SD systems. The proposed activities will promote synergies among researchers working on diverse organisms in order to distinguish broad, convergent trends from species-specific idiosyncracies, and identify novel aspects that will become significant targets for future investigations into the evolutionary forces driving the diversity of SD systems.
The tree of sex – a comprehensive synthesis of sex determination systems in eukaryotes
PI(s): | Doris Bachtrog (University of California, Berkeley) Catherine Peichel (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center) Judith Mank (University of Oxford) |
Start Date: | 1-May-2011 |
End Date: | 30-Apr-2013 |
Keywords: | database, comparative methods, population genetics, mating systems, sexual selection |
Sex is universal among most groups of eukaryotes, yet a remarkable diversity of sex determining (SD) mechanisms exists. The evolution of separate sexes has been accompanied by the acquisition of sex chromosomes many times across fungi, plants, and animals. The mechanism of SD has important evolutionary and ecological implications, yet we know little about how and why these systems have evolved repeatedly. Traditionally, studies of SD and sex chromosomes have focused on a few model systems that represent the terminal phase of evolution, but reveal little about their origination or transitions among systems. Recent advances in molecular genomics have created exciting new possibilities to study the causes and consequences of different modes of SD in diverse non-model species that represent the full range of sex chromosome evolution. The proposed working group will capitalize upon these opportunities and facilitate interaction among disparate disciplines engaged in studies of SD. We will develop a series of testable hypotheses based on theoretical predictions regarding the evolution of SD and compile existing data to develop an integrative database containing information on SD across the Tree of Life, with relevant genetic, ecological and life-history parameters. This will enable us to perform a series of comparative analyses to identify factors influencing SD systems. The proposed activities will promote synergies among researchers working on diverse organisms in order to distinguish broad, convergent trends from species-specific idiosyncracies, and identify novel aspects that will become significant targets for future investigations into the evolutionary forces driving the diversity of SD systems.
Related products
Software and DatasetsPublications- Evolutionary problems in centrosome and centriole biology Laura Ross and Benjamin B. Normark. 2015, Evolutionary problems in centrosome and centriole biology, Journal of Evolutionary Biology, pp. n/a-n/a
- Recombination, chromosome number and eusociality in the Hymenoptera L. Ross, H. Blackmon, P. Lorite, V. E. Gokhman and N. B. Hardy. 2015, Recombination, chromosome number and eusociality in the Hymenoptera, Journal of Evolutionary Biology, volume 28, issue 1, pp. 105-116
- Estimating Tempo and Mode of Y Chromosome Turnover: Explaining Y Chromosome Loss With the Fragile Y Hypothesis H. Blackmon and J. P. Demuth. 2014, Estimating Tempo and Mode of Y Chromosome Turnover: Explaining Y Chromosome Loss With the Fragile Y Hypothesis, Genetics, volume 197, issue 2, pp. 561-572
- Genetic conflict, kin and the origins of novel genetic systems B. B. Normark and L. Ross. 2014, Genetic conflict, kin and the origins of novel genetic systems, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, volume 369, issue 1642, pp. 20130364-20130364
- Selective maintenance of recombination between the sex chromosomes S. P. Otto. 2014, Selective maintenance of recombination between the sex chromosomes, Journal of Evolutionary Biology, volume 27, issue 7, pp. 1431-1442
- Sex Determination: Why So Many Ways of Doing It? Doris Bachtrog, Judith E. Mank, Catherine L. Peichel, Mark Kirkpatrick, Sarah P. Otto, Tia-Lynn Ashman, Matthew W. Hahn, Jun Kitano, Itay Mayrose, Ray Ming, Nicolas Perrin, Laura Ross, Nicole Valenzuela and Jana C. Vamosi. 2014, Sex Determination: Why So Many Ways of Doing It?, PLoS Biol, volume 12, issue 7, pp. e1001899