Did you know that the clownfish changes sex? That's right, this peculiar little fish, symbol and inspiration for our sun creams, has the ability to change sex. This transition can occur in males at a very specific time and circumstance in their life cycle. Read on, here are all the details about this amazing transformation capacity of the clownfish.
The clownfish is a protandric hermaphrodite species.
The clownfish(Amphiprion bicinctus) is a protandric (male to female sex change) hermaphrodite species in which each family consists of two or more individuals with a social hierarchy. This hierarchy is based on size, where only the two largest are mature and monogamous. The female is dominant.
Recently, scientists at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology(KAUST) in Saudi Arabia have studied this phenomenon and have identified the changes in gene expression within the brain and gonads that lead to the process of sequential hermaphroditism. To do this, they compared gene activity profiles in adult males and females and in males at various stages of their life process. After being separated from a female for two weeks, gene expression in the brains of the males changed markedly. This was the way to predict the onset of sex change.
A key candidate is a gene encoding an enzyme called aromatase. It is responsible for a fundamental step in the biosynthesis of estrogens. This enzyme was highly expressed in the brains and gonads of fish that adapted to sex alterations. In addition, the team of scientists discovered that many other genes may interact with aromatase to manage the degeneration of the testes and the development of the ovaries.
The movie Finding Nemo does not reveal the "secret". This biological characteristic of the clownfish is not told in Disney's animated film 'Finding Nemo. The reason is obvious: the central argument of the plot would have had a radical change if the screenwriters included a key characteristic of this species of fish. Nemo's father should have changed sex and become his mother.
What role does the clownfish play when it becomes a female?
When the clownfish changes sex, it becomes the dominant female of the group. That is, she is in charge of increasing the population of the school by laying eggs. The change from male to female organs is irreversible, i.e. the specimen cannot become a male again.
The researchers conclude that this fact contributes to the adaptation and survival of the species. Thanks to the formation of a new reproductive pair without moving from its anemone. In addition, they say that these results open the door to new sublines of research within the study of clownfish. For example, determining whether the acceleration of growth in males occurs before, during or after the sex change. Or if this adaptive process is affected by environmental changes. This last option would also help to predict the effects of climate change on the survival of this and other hermaphrodite species.
