A review of sex determining mechanisms in geckos (Gekkota: Squamata).
Geckos are a species-rich clade of reptiles possessing diverse sex determining mechanisms. Some species possess genetic sex determination, with both male and female heterogamety, while other species have temperature-dependent sex determination. I compiled information from the literature on the taxonomic distribution of these sex determining mechanisms in geckos. Using phylogenetic data from the literature, I reconstructed the minimum number of transitions among these sex determining mechanisms with parsimony-based ancestral state reconstruction. While only a small number of gecko species have been characterized, numerous changes among sex determining mechanisms were inferred. This diversity, coupled with the high frequency of transitions, makes geckos excellent candidates as a model clade for the study of vertebrate sex determination and evolution.
Department of Genetics, Cell Biology and Development, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA. gambl007 @ umn.edu
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D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D005260:Female; D008116:Lizards / Q000235:genetics*; D008297:Male; D019849:Sex Determination Processes