Hermaphroditism

A Primer on the Biology, Ecology, and Evolution of Dual Sexuality

John Avise (Autor)

Buch | Hardcover

256 Seiten

2011
Columbia University Press (Verlag)
978-0-231-15386-7 (ISBN)

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While it is true that members of most sexually reproducing species can be defined as either male or female, those who belong to the rest of the biological world are not so simply understood. Hermaphroditic creatures reproduce both as male and as female individuals, providing a fascinating glimpse into alternative sexual practices in nature and their ecological and evolutionary successes and failures. Eloquently written by an award-winning biologist and pioneer in molecular ecology, this primer on hermaphroditism traces the phenomenon throughout Earth's myriad species, accounting for the adaptive significance of alternative sexual systems. Accessible and richly illustrated, the text maps the evolutionary origins of hermaphroditism, as well as its historical instances and fictional representations, underscoring the relevance of dual sexuality to our biological, intellectual, and cultural making. John C. Avise describes the genetics, ecology, phylogeny, and natural history of hermaphroditic plants, fish, and invertebrate animals and details organisms that either reproduce simultaneously as male and female or switch routinely between one sex and the other.
Filled with surprising creatures and compelling revelations, this textbook stands alone in its clear yet comprehensive treatment of hermaphroditism and its unique challenge to the supremacy of separate sexes.

John C. Avise is Distinguished Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Irvine. He is an elected member of both the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the author or editor of 20 books, including most recently Inside the Human Genome: A Case for Non-intelligent Design; Molecular Ecology and Evolution: The Organismal Side; and Clonality: The Genetics, Ecology, and Evolution of Sexual Abstinence in Vertebrate Animals.

Preface The Phenomenon of Dual Sexuality Hermaphroditism in Fiction Hermaphroditism in the Real World 1. Two Sexes in One Maleness and Femaleness Anisogamy and the Separate-sex Condition Sex Ratios in Separate-sex Taxa Sex Ratios in Hermaphroditic Taxa Hermaphroditism Versus Separate Sexes Summary 2. Dual-sex Plants Terminology Alternative Sexual Systems: Natural History and Examples Cosexuality Versus Dioecy Selfing Versus Outcrossing Sexual Selection in Plants Summary 3. Dual-sex Invertebrates Biological Examples Sex Determination and Pseudohermaphroditism Evolutionary Histories: Gonochorism and Hermaphroditism Selfing Versus Outcrossing Sex Allocation in Simultaneous Hermaphrodites Sex Allocation in Sequential Hermaphrodites Conclusions About Sex Allocation Theory Sexual Selection Summary 4. Dual-sex Vertebrates Sexual Flexibility Sequential Hermaphroditism Adaptive Significance of Alternative Modes Simultaneous Hermaphroditism Summary Glossary References Cited Index

Erscheint lt. Verlag	18.3.2011
Zusatzinfo	60 line drawings, 5 tables
Verlagsort	New York
Sprache	englisch
Maße	152 x 229 mm
Themenwelt	Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Botanik
	Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Evolution
	Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Genetik / Molekularbiologie
	Naturwissenschaften ► Biologie ► Ökologie / Naturschutz
ISBN-10	0-231-15386-4 / 0231153864
ISBN-13	978-0-231-15386-7 / 9780231153867
Zustand	Neuware