Sex determination

Sex determination is a process of development by which the sex of an individual is settled. Sex is a method of reproduction which is widespread among living things. It requires two individuals of the same species.

Usually, the sexes are separate. Sex may be determined in one of two ways:

• Genetically, by genes and chromosomes the organism inherits from its parents.
• Environmentally, by some outside agent acting as a trigger to development.^[1]

Where both sexes occur on the same individual, that individual is an hermaphrodite. Hermaphrodite systems can be found in some animals, for example snails, and in most flowering plants.^[2]

1. ↑ King R.C. Stansfield W.D. & Mulligan P.K. 2006. A dictionary of genetics, 7th ed. Oxford.
2. ↑ Cite error: The named reference dellaporta_1993 was used but no text was provided for refs named (see the help page).