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Sex-determination system

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 213.253.39.232 (talk) at 11:08, 17 April 2002 ("A '''sex-determination system''' is a biological system for determining the sex of an organism, usually a genetic mechanism" -- any experts on biology here?). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

A sex-determination system is a biological system for determining the sex of an organism, usually a genetic mechanism based on the chromosomes of that organism.

The most familiar sex-determination system is the XY sex-determination system found in human beings and other mammals. In the XY sex-determination system, females have two of the same kind of sex chromosome (XX), while males have two distinct sex chromosomes (XY). There can also be other, abnormal, cases: see the chromosome article for information on abnormalities of the XY sex-determination system.

The WZ sex-determination system is found in birds and some insects and other organisms. In the WZ sex-determination system, the situation is reversed: females have two different kinds of chromosomes (WZ), and males have two of the same kind of chromosomes (ZZ).


Other sex-determination systems

Many other exotic sex-determination systems exist.

  • Swordtail fish?
  • etc
This is a stub article, and needs lots of tender loving care from people who know about this stuff

External links:

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