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Up To 6 Percent Of Wild Australian Birds Appear To Be Switching Sexes And Scientists Think Pollution Could Be To Blame
Up to 6% of nearly 500 wild birds studied showed sex reversal, which could affect population models and conservation efforts for endangered species, scientists said.
- This week, University of the Sunshine Coast researchers documented that up to 6% of almost 500 wild birds in southeast Queensland exhibited sex reversal, with findings published in Biology Letters.
- Although sex reversal is known in fish, reptiles and amphibians, Kate Buchanan, at Deakin University, suggested environmental stimulation, probably from chemicals, as the likely cause in birds.
- Scientists performed DNA tests on the birds from five common Australian species, including kookaburras, magpies and lorikeets, and found about 6% had mismatched chromosomes and reproductive organs.
- Errors of up to 6% in sex cues could skew population models for endangered species, Clancy Hall warned that sex reversal may impact conservation efforts.
- Highlighting adaptive potential, researchers noted that sex determination in wild birds is more fluid than thought and can persist into adulthood, said Dominique Potvin, ecologist at the University of the Sunshine Coast.
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11 Articles
In a study published in the journal "Biology Letters" on Wednesday, August 13, Australian scientists discovered a male koookaburra laying eggs.
In a recent study, scientists have discovered a surprising rate of sex change in wild birds.
Researchers in Australia found that 6% of the wild birds studied presented sexual investment, a change of natural sex that could be related to pollution and other environmental factors. Scientists detected a surprising rate of sexual investment in wild birds (Continue reading...) The entry Sex change in wild birds is more common was first published in Remolacha - News Dominican Republic.
"Down Under", about 6% of five species of volatiles, including kookaburras, pies and loriquets, present chromosomes of one sex but reproductive organs of another. A phenomenon known in fish or reptiles but less common in birdsAustral scientists have documented a surprising rate of sex change in wild birds, a phenomenon that could be explained by increasing pollution or other environmental triggers.A study of five common Australian species, inclu…
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