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The Truth About Nemo’s Dad: Sex-Changing Behaviors in Fishes

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Book cover Choosing Sexes

Part of the book series: Fascinating Life Sciences ((FLS))

Abstract

Thus far, I have provided evidence in mammals, birds, and reptiles that mammals may adaptively skew sex ratios of offspring and that mechanisms exist by which this may occur. In fishes, there is virtually no evidence showing parental manipulation of sex ratios, perhaps because many fish species exhibit a higher level of plasticity within their sex-determining systems. We now know that fish exhibit the most diverse range of sex-determining systems, ranging from strict gonochorists to hermaphrodites, some with clear genetic mechanisms of sex determination and others with little or no clear genetic influence. In some cases, individuals maintain ovarian and testicular tissue simultaneously through adulthood, choosing whether to produce sperm or eggs in a given attempt. In this chapter, I introduce the many systems of sex determination found in fish species, highlight the environmental and social influences shown to influence piscine sex ratios, and discuss potential adaptive mechanisms of sex allocation in these systems.

Finding Nemo lied to your kids!

How Finding Nemo should have started if it were biologically accurate:

Father and mother clownfish are tending to their clutch of eggs at their sea anemone when the mother is eaten by a barracuda. Nemo hatches as an undifferentiated hermaphrodite (as all clownfish are born) while his father transforms into a female now that his female mate is dead. Since Nemo is the only other clownfish around, he becomes a male and mates with his father (who is now a female). Should his father die, Nemo would change into a female and mate with another male. Although a much different storyline, it still sounds like a crazy adventure!

Patrick Cooney, in Fun Fish Fodder

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Poultry Science, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA

    Kristen J. Navara

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Navara, K.J. (2018). The Truth About Nemo’s Dad: Sex-Changing Behaviors in Fishes. In: Choosing Sexes. Fascinating Life Sciences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71271-0_9

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