Hermaphroditism

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

By: John C. Avise

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Hardcover | 18 March 2011 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Hardcover
256 Pages

Age
22+

Dimensions(cm)
2.36 x 1.57 x 0.19

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RRP $157.95

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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.

Industry Reviews

This book provides a basic, nontechnical introduction to sexual systems for a wide audience of readers. Choice Avise's book is truly what is expected from a primer, and ought to be read by all researchers interested in hermaphroditism, perhaps even more botanists than zoologists. -- Philippe Jarne The Quarterly Review of Biology Finally!...This new book, for the first time, assembles our state-of-the-art understanding of the biology of hermaphrodite gender expression, and makes the current research agenda on these fascinating organisms broadly accessible to both scientists and (under-)graduate students... -- Nils Anthes Ecology

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Preface	p. xi
The Phenomenon of Dual Sexuality	p. xi
Hermaphroditism in Fiction	p. xii
Hermaphroditism in the Real World	p. xiv
Two Sexes in One	p. 1
Maleness and Femaleness	p. 4
Anisogamy and the Separate-sex Condition	p. 7
Evolutionary Origins	p. 8
Evolutionary Ramifications	p. 11
Sex Ratios in Separate-sex Taxa	p. 19
Relationship to Sexual Selection and Mating Systems	p. 20
Impact on Demographic Parameters	p. 26
Sex Ratios in Hermaphroditic Taxa	p. 28
Hermaphroditism Versus Separate Sexes	p. 30
Fitness Considerations	p. 30
Mating Systems and Related Phenomena	p. 32
Sex Allocation	p. 34
Phylogenetic Legacy Versus Contemporary Adaptive Significance	p. 36
Summary	p. 41
Dual-sex Plants	p. 43
Terminology	p. 44
Alternative Sexual Systems: Natural History and Examples	p. 47
Hermaphroditism	p. 47
Monoecy	p. 51
Andromonoecy	p. 51
Gynomonoecy	p. 52
Gynodioecy	p. 53
Androdioecy	p. 54
Trioecy	p. 55
Sex-changers	p. 56
Dioecy	p. 58
Cosexuality Versus Dioecy	p. 58
Ecological Considerations	p. 59
Phylogenetic Character Mapping	p. 60
Transitional States	p. 63
An Evolutionary Enigma	p. 68
Selfing Versus Outcrossing	p. 69
Inbreeding	p. 70
Coadapted Genotypes	p. 73
Fertilization Insurance	p. 75
Sex Allocation	p. 76
Sexual Selection in Plants	p. 78
Summary	p. 79
Dual-sex Invertebrates	p. 81
Biological Examples	p. 83
Reef-building Corals	p. 83
Love-dart Snails, Earthworms, and Sea Slugs	p. 83
Sperm-storing Freshwater Snails	p. 89
Sex-changing Limpets, Isopods, and Polychaetes	p. 91
Androdioecious Clam Shrimps and Gynodioecious Sea Anemones	p. 92
Protandric Simultaneously Hermaphroditic Shrimps	p. 93
Quasi-asexual Flatworms	p. 95
Other Oddities	p. 95
Sex Determination and Pseudohermaphroditism	p. 96
Evolutionary Histories: Gonochorism and Hermaphroditism	p. 97
Phylogenetic Character Mapping	p. 97
Gynodioecy and Androdioecy	p. 100
Genetics	p. 101
Selective Pressures	p. 102
Selfing Versus Outcrossing	p. 103
Genetic Considerations	p. 105
Ecological Considerations	p. 107
Joint Genetic and Ecological Considerations	p. 108
Sex Allocation in Simultaneous Hermaphrodites	p. 109
Selfing and Allocation to Female Function	p. 112
Stress and Allocation to Male Function	p. 112
Local Mate Competition	p. 113
Local Resource Competition	p. 114
Brooding Constraints	p. 115
Intra-individual Trade-offs	p. 115
Sexual Conflicts	p. 117
Other Factors	p. 120
Sex Allocation in Sequential Hermaphrodites	p. 120
The Size-advantage Hypothesis	p. 121
Mating Systems	p. 122
Conclusions About Sex Allocation Theory	p. 124
Sexual Selection	p. 124
Summary	p. 126
Dual-sex Vertebrates	p. 129
Sexual Flexibility	p. 131
Evolutionary Lability	p. 131
Ontogenetic Plasticity	p. 133
Sequential Hermaphroditism	p. 133
The Cast of Players	p. 133
Evolutionary History	p. 142
Adaptive Significance of Alternative Modes	p. 148
Simultaneous Hermaphroditism	p. 154
The Cast of Players	p. 154
Evolutionary Constraints	p. 155
Mating Behaviors in Outcrossers	p. 156
Self-fertilization	p. 161
History of Genetic Research on the Mangrove Rivulus	p. 163
Adaptive Significance of Selfing	p. 165
Summary	p. 169
Glossary	p. 171
References Cited	p. 185
Index	p. 227
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Hermaphroditism

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

At a Glance

Hardcover

Industry Reviews

Shipping

How to return your order

Defective items

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