Meeting Abstract
For an animal to reproduce it must successfully develop either testes or ovaries, and the supporting behaviours to make use of them. In gonochoristic species, a developmental process of sex determination resulting in the decision to mature as either male or female is followed by a process of primary sexual differentiation ending in functional gonads, and processes of secondary sexual differentiation which produces the other morphological and behavioural traits. An adapted phenotype includes a whole range of physiological and behavioral traits which must develop to sexually differentiated endpoints to support the sex and reproductive strategy of the individual. Many species also show discrete variation in morphology and behaviour within a sex that represent alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs). A process very much like, or indeed a part of, sexual differentiation underlies the differentiation of these alternative morphs. Here we investigate promoter methylation and expression of two copies of the gene encoding the aromatase enzyme, in fry towards the end of the critical period of environmental sex determination. We also compare expression and promoter methylation among adult females and males of three different morphs.
