On the variability of alligator sex ratios
American Naturalist
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Abstract
Samples of alligators from wild and 'farm' populations exhibited disproportionate sex ratios. Males predominated among young alligators from wild populations, whereas females were much more abundant than males in the farm population, where resources were superabundant. These results and other considerations lead us to hypothesize that environmental factors influence sex determination in alligators. During favorable environmental conditions natural selection is expected to favor a preponderance of the sex whose individuals exhibit the greater environmentally associated variation in relative fitness. We hypothesize that environmentally associated variation in age at sexual maturity of females produces sufficient variation in relative fitness of females to result in selection for low sex ratios during periods of resource abundance.
Suggested Citation
Nichols, J.D., Chabreck, R.H., 1980, On the variability of alligator sex ratios: American Naturalist, v. 116, no. 1, p. 125-137, https://doi.org/10.1086/283615.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | On the variability of alligator sex ratios |
| Series title | American Naturalist |
| DOI | 10.1086/283615 |
| Volume | 116 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Year Published | 1980 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press |
| Contributing office(s) | Patuxent Wildlife Research Center |
| Description | 13 p. |
| First page | 125 |
| Last page | 137 |