Is It Possible For living Organisms To Undergo A Sex Transition In A Natural Way?

 

Imagine that it's a lovely morning, and after you've gotten some good sleep the night before, you get up feeling joyful and revitalized. Then, all of a sudden, you come to the realization that the gender you identified with in the past no longer applies to you. What emotions would that bring up for you? Peculiar right? 

          

The good news is that an occurrence like this will never take place due to our lack of susceptibility. It is not customary for humans as a species or for any of the other animals, birds, or insects to go through a sex change during a particular life span; but, it is very normal for certain species that inhabit on our very own Earth. The phenomenon is called Sequential Hermaphroditism which allows certain species to change their sex during its life span.

The majority of organisms that are able to accomplish this are marine in nature, this is because marine environments are more conducive to the development of these abilities. But the question of “Why?” still remains, why do these species undergo this change?

CONNECTION WITH THE MOVIE

In the setting of the film Splice (2009), we saw that the creatures that had been formed early on, Fred and Ginger, as well as Dren, through the process of sex transformation. The question is, how exactly did Dren or one of Fred and Ginger manage to pull that off? The wonder of being able to change their gender! It was clear that Fred and Ginger had been romantically involved in the past, but during the presentation, both of them were extremely hostile, and the reason for this turned out to be that one of them transitioned it's sex. The same thing occurred with Dren when Sarah became pregnant with Dren's offspring after Dren had transitioned. Now this was only possible because the DNA of Dren and Fred and Ginger was sort of mixture of many species which included a specie that is able to posses the ability of sex transition.

SPECIES THAT CAN DO SEX TRANSTION

The majority of organisms that are able to accomplish this are marine in nature, this is because marine environments are more conducive to the development of these abilities. Sex changing behaviour may be seen in a variety of different species, the majority of which are invertebrates. This transition from one sexual identity to another is frequently referred to as sequential hermaphroditism or protogyny. Many of the animals that display this behaviour are hermaphroditic, which means that they have reproductive organs that are both male and female and are therefore able to procreate with any other member of the same species. The Wrasse, a species of fish that lives in tropical and subtropical waters, is an excellent illustration of a species that possesses the ability to change the gender of its offspring. In this particular species, individuals begin their shift from female to male as they get older. Females give birth to males. Once this transformation is complete, the individual will become the dominant member of a group of females and will be responsible for fertilising them. This transition can take weeks or even years, but once it is complete, the individual will become the case. Clownfish, which are typically found on tropical coral reefs, are another example of a species that may change its sexual identity. Individuals of the clownfish species are normally born male and undergo a gender change as they mature into adulthood. This change typically takes place when the most powerful female member of the group passes away or is expelled from the community. At such time, the largest male member of the community will step into her role and transition into the female role.

WHY DO SPECIES POSSES THE BEHAVIOUR OF SEX TRANSITION

Sequential hermaphrodites are a type of animal that can change their gender at different times throughout their lifetimes. This phenomenon is observed in a very wide variety of species, and it is critical to comprehend the reasons why these animals have evolved to alter their gender over the course of their history.There are a few different reasons why different animals could switch genders over the course of their evolution. One of the reasons is that it improves a species' ability to adapt to its environment, which in turn raises the probability of the species' survival. For instance, in certain species, there may be unique benefits associated with being either a male or a female. When a species has both males and females of its species, it has a better chance of successfully reproducing and also of locating sources of food. It is possible for members of a species to be more successful and increase their chances of survival if they alternate between genders. Another justification for this is that it provides the species with a competitive advantage in the hunt for resources. For instance, if one gender is superior to the other in terms of its ability to locate food or mates, then the species may benefit by alternating the genders of its members. This can assist ensure that the species has an edge over its rivals, which can lead to a higher likelihood of survival for the species in question. It is possible that animals alter their gender in order to optimise their reproductive success and maximise their genetic contribution to the following generation. This would be one explanation for why species change their gender. For instance, if a species only consists of a handful of individuals, it could be beneficial for one of those individuals to transition from being male to female so that it can mate with the other individuals and have more children. This would allow the species to continue existing. This allows the species to both increase the size of its population and assure that it will continue to exist. In conclusion, gender shifts are just another mechanism that can assist a species in avoiding inbreeding. When it comes to certain species, it can be advantageous for individuals to swap genders in order to avoid mating with near relatives. This can be the case in both human and animal populations. Because of this, there is a greater chance of the species' gene pool expanding.

CONCLUSION

Yes, it is conceivable for a species to undergo sexual transition during its lifetime. Humans, the remaining mammals, and other species that are not sequential hermaphrodites are unable to undergo sex change. This is most prevalent in fish, amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates, however it has also been recorded in mammals. Sex transition happens when an organism transitions from male to female or vice versa, usually as a result of environmental influences such as temperature, light, and hormones. As discussed previously, after the dominant female clownfish dies, the remaining males can transform into females and spawn. Moreover, it was obvious that this process is essential and plays a crucial part in the survival and reproduction of the species, as well as being nature's way of treating different species according to their needs and the environment in order to achieve a healthy ecosystem.

References:

1. Thomas, Jodi T., et al. “Sex Change in Fish.” Encyclopedia of Reproduction, 2018, pp. 192–197, www.sciencedirect.com/topics/biochemistry-genetics-and-molecular-biology/sequential-hermaphroditism#:~:text=Protogynous%20sequential%20hermaphroditism%20has%20been,et%20al.%2C%202006)., 10.1016/b978-0-12-809633-8.20555-4. Accessed 15 Dec. 2022.

2. Todd, Erica V., et al. “Bending Genders: The Biology of Natural Sex Change in Fish.” Sexual Development, vol. 10, no. 5-6, 2016, pp. 223–241, www.karger.com/Article/Fulltext/449297, 10.1159/000449297.  Accessed 15 Dec. 2022.

3. Vega-Frutis, R., et al. “Sex Change in Plants and Animals: A Unified Perspective.” Journal of Evolutionary Biology, vol. 27, no. 4, 21 Feb. 2014, pp. 667–675, onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jeb.12333, 10.1111/jeb.12333. Accessed 15 Dec. 2022.

4. TED-Ed. “Sex Determination: More Complicated than You Thought.” YouTube, 23 Apr. 2012, www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMWxuF9YW38. Accessed 15 Dec. 2022.

5. Natali, Vincenzo, et al. “Splice.” IMDb, 4 June 2010, www.imdb.com/title/tt1017460/. Accessed 15 Dec. 2022.