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Journal of Plankton Research 2009 31(9):1101-1117; doi:10.1093/plankt/fbp059
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Sex ratios, intersexuality and sex change in copepods

Luiz Felipe Mendes Gusmão1,2,* and A. David McKinnon1

1 Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No 3, Townsville MC, Queensland 4810, Australia 2 School of Tropical and Marine Biology, AIMS@JCU, and Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia

* CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: gusmao.lfm{at}gmail.com

Received on March 26, 2009; accepted on June 28, 2009


  Abstract

Female-biased adult sex ratios are common in copepod species, and have been observed both in wild populations and in cultures. Biased sex ratios are most commonly explained by sex- or stage-specific differences in longevity or mortality. However, neither differential longevity nor differential mortality fully explains skewed sex ratios in planktonic copepod populations. We propose that sex change is an important mechanism determining the adult sex ratio. Though sex change has been proposed for only a few copepod species, intersexuality is widespread. We review the occurrence and causation of intersexuality in planktonic copepods, which is a manifestation of late sex change during development. By way of example, we demonstrate that skewed sex ratios of Acrocalanus gracilis, a common tropical paracalanid copepod, could be explained by sex change alone. Our observations suggest that sex determination in copepods is under strong environmental control, and we argue that the food limitation is an important determinant of sex change.

Corresponding editor: Mark J. Gibbons


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