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

Emily C. Moore | Zendy; Patrick J. Ciccotto | Zendy; Erin N. Peterson | Zendy; Melissa S. Lamm | Zendy; R. Craig Albertson | Zendy; Reade B. Roberts | Zendy

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

Author(s) -

Emily C. Moore,

Patrick J. Ciccotto,

Erin N. Peterson,

Melissa S. Lamm,

R. Craig Albertson,

Reade B. Roberts

Publication year - 2022

Publication title -

proceedings of the national academy of sciences

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 5.011

H-Index - 771

eISSN - 1091-6490

pISSN - 0027-8424

DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2118574119

Subject(s) - cichlid , fish <actinopterygii> , biology , genetics , polymorphism (computer science) , evolutionary biology , fishery , genotype , gene

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.

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