Human male karyotpe high resolution - XY chromosome cropped

Heterogametic sex (digametic sex) refers to the individuals of a species in which the

sex chromosomes A sex chromosome (also referred to as an allosome, heterotypical chromosome, gonosome, heterochromosome, or idiochromosome) is a chromosome that differs from an ordinary autosome in form, size, and behavior. The human sex chromosomes, a typical ...

are not the same. For example, in humans, males with an X and a Y sex chromosome would be referred to as the heterogametic sex, and females having two X sex chromosomes would be referred to as the homogametic sex. This arrangement is known as the

XY sex-determination system The XY sex-determination system is a sex-determination system used to classify many mammals, including humans, some insects (''Drosophila''), some snakes, some fish (guppies), and some plants (''Ginkgo'' tree). In this system, the sex of an indi ...

. However, in birds and some reptiles, males have two Z sex chromosomes and so are the homogametic sex, while females, with one Z and one W chromosome, are the heterogametic sex. Platypus males are heterogametic while females are homogametic. Among the insects, Lepidopterans (butterflies and moths) have heterogametic females, but in ''

Drosophila ''Drosophila'' () is a genus of flies, belonging to the family Drosophilidae, whose members are often called "small fruit flies" or (less frequently) pomace flies, vinegar flies, or wine flies, a reference to the characteristic of many species ...

'', males are the heterogametic sex. This arrangement is known as the

ZW sex-determination system The ZW sex-determination system is a chromosomal system that determines the sex of offspring in birds, some fish and crustaceans such as the giant river prawn, some insects (including butterflies and moths), the schistosome family of flatworms, ...

. Heterogamesis can lead to reduced or absent

meiotic recombination Genetic recombination (also known as genetic reshuffling) is the exchange of genetic material between different organisms which leads to production of offspring with combinations of traits that differ from those found in either parent. In eukaryo ...

between the sex chromosomes, and in some species, this extends to the autosomes, a phenomenon called achiasmy. For example, most lineages of male ''

Drosophila melanogaster ''Drosophila melanogaster'' is a species of fly (the taxonomic order Diptera) in the family Drosophilidae. The species is often referred to as the fruit fly or lesser fruit fly, or less commonly the "vinegar fly" or "pomace fly". Starting with Ch ...

'' flies are achiasmic, lacking recombination on all chromosomes, although females show recombination. Heterogametic sex determination systems typically have an approximately equal

sex ratio The sex ratio (or gender ratio) is usually defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. Many species devia ...

, with distributions of sexes conforming to binomial variance. However, in practice, some populations deviate from this expectation, in a phenomenon termed

sex ratio distortion Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing animal or plant produces male or female gametes. Male plants and animals produce smaller mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm, pollen), while females produce larger ones (ova, o ...

. Sex ratio distortion has been observed in mice, mosquitos, and other organisms and can be caused by

meiotic drive Meiotic drive is a type of intragenomic conflict, whereby one or more loci within a genome will effect a manipulation of the meiotic process in such a way as to favor the transmission of one or more alleles over another, regardless of its phenotyp ...

elements.

References

Plant sexuality Animal sexuality Chromosomes {{genetics-stub

See also

References