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Evolutionary Biology – Concepts, Molecular and Morphological Evolution pp 3–17Cite as

Extinct and Extant Reptiles: A Model System for the Study of Sex Chromosome Evolution

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Abstract

The evolution and functional dynamics of sex chromosomes are focuses of current biological research. Although common organismal morphologies and functions of males and females are found among amniotes, underlying sex chromosome organizations and sex-determining mechanisms are widely variable. This chapter investigates the role that reptiles play in the study of sex chromosome evolution. Reptile studies have described the coevolution of genotypic sex determination and viviparity, the adaptive significance of sex-determining mechanisms, and shared ancestry of chromosomes. Novel resources, including whole-genome sequences and mapped sex-linked markers, have allowed researchers to examine sex chromosome evolution in reptiles, an important group for this type of study for their position as the sister group to mammals. Compared with mammals, reptiles exhibit much more variability in sex chromosome organization, providing raw material for study of sex chromosome evolution across amniotes.

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Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Miguel Alcaide, Maude Baldwin, Elena Gonzalez, June Yong Lee, Christopher Organ, and Irene Salicini for their critical reviews of this chapter. This work has benefited from conversations with Nicole Valenzuela (NV), Scott V. Edwards (SVE), Tariq Ezaz, Jennifer A.M. Graves, Arthur Georges, and Andrew Sinclair. Support in the laboratory and valuable discussions were shared by Christopher Balakrishnan, Charles Chapus, and Andrew Shedlock. Funding for this work was provided by a grant from the United States National Science Foundation (MCB0817687) to NV and SVE. Last, I would like to thank Pierre Pontarotti for the invitation to contribute to the 13th Evolutionary Biology Meeting at Marseille where this work was presented.

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  1. Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, 02138-3899, USA

    Daniel E. Janes

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  1. Daniel E. Janes
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Correspondence to Daniel E. Janes .

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  1. CNRS UMR 6632, Labo. Evolution Biologique et, Université d'Aix-Marseille, place Victor Hugo 3, Marseille CX 03, 13331, France

    Pierre Pontarotti

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Janes, D.E. (2010). Extinct and Extant Reptiles: A Model System for the Study of Sex Chromosome Evolution. In: Pontarotti, P. (eds) Evolutionary Biology – Concepts, Molecular and Morphological Evolution. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-12340-5_1

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