tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post2781738256134832917..comments2024-02-10T05:13:50.322-05:00Comments on Ecographica: Sex with Flexible Partners #3Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-32592763552914959962009-02-06T09:06:00.000-05:002009-02-06T09:06:00.000-05:00ranka,I think you’ve got it, but keep in mind that...ranka,<BR/><BR/>I think you’ve got it, but keep in mind that the intent of defining an organism as “functional” in regards to a sex role is to better delineate the behavior of a reproductively mature organism, not to describe sexually immature members of a group.<BR/><BR/>In the case of Amphiprion ocellaris, it’s not so much that the subordinate males are gender neutral (they are male), rather it’s that they’re sexually immature and do not take on any reproductive role – because they don’t reproduce, they can be thought of as without “sexual function.” Later, when the subordinate males begin to reproduce, hormones will drive them towards one gender or the other, when this occurs they will take on a functioning sex role.<BR/><BR/>Thanks again.Johnnyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04947292290232739954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-18973196490603791582009-02-03T02:07:00.000-05:002009-02-03T02:07:00.000-05:00it only takes on the function of one sex at any gi...<I>it only takes on the function of one sex at any given period;</I><BR/><BR/>I understand that, but from what I understood from this article, it sounds like, in any given group, there's only a single member taking on the functions of male, and a single member taking on the functions of female, while the others aren't taking on either function. If they're not producing sperm or ova, why would they be called male?<BR/><BR/><I>With the common clownfish, Amphiprion ocellaris, all fish are born male with the color patterns and body size associated with being the male sex, only later do they become female.</I><BR/><BR/>Okay, I think I understand it now. So, although they're not functionally either sex, they resemble the functional males rather than the functional females, and this is why they're assigned to the male sex? Or am I completely misunderstanding this?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-12781162866770356452009-02-02T07:33:00.000-05:002009-02-02T07:33:00.000-05:00Sorry that this has to be so short, but I’m in the...Sorry that this has to be so short, but I’m in the process of packing to go to the field… I’ll be back Friday morning and can provide a better explanation then, but;<BR/><BR/>Amphiprion ocellaris is a sequential hermaphrodite as opposed to a simultaneous hermaphrodite, it only takes on the function of one sex at any given period; If my memory serves me correctly it takes 7-14 days to change between sexes. If you get time take a look at “Sex with Flexible Friends #2” – it compares sequential to simultaneous and talks about functional roles.<BR/><BR/>With the common clownfish, Amphiprion ocellaris, all fish are born male with the color patterns and body size associated with being the male sex, only later do they become female.<BR/><BR/>Thanks for the posts – I can clarify more on Friday.Johnnyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04947292290232739954noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-79427098906203112782009-02-02T02:23:00.000-05:002009-02-02T02:23:00.000-05:00I'm confused about the clownfish. How can the you...I'm confused about the clownfish. How can the young be called "male" if they're sexually immature, and sex is not fixed? Wouldn't that make them neuter?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6571612235074696770.post-81936193172210295212009-02-01T22:56:00.000-05:002009-02-01T22:56:00.000-05:00The intricacies of it are mystifying. It's almost...The intricacies of it are mystifying. It's almost like the quantum physics of biology: it almost defies logic in one sense, but is also perfectly logical on the other.Florida Waterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11930863926720818854noreply@blogger.com