Multivariate models of animal sex: breaking binaries leads to a better understanding of ecology and evolution.
Abstract
'Sex' is often used to describe a suite of phenotypic and genotypic traits of an organism
related to reproduction. However, these traits - gamete type, chromosomal inheritance,
physiology, morphology, behavior, etc. - are not necessarily coupled, and the rhetorical
collapse of variation into a single term elides much of the complexity inherent in
sexual phenotypes. We argue that consideration of 'sex' as a constructed category
operating at multiple biological levels opens up new avenues for inquiry in our study
of biological variation. We apply this framework to three case studies that illustrate
the diversity of sex variation, from decoupling sexual phenotypes to the evolutionary
and ecological consequences of intrasexual polymorphisms. We argue that instead of
assuming binary sex in these systems, some may be better categorized as multivariate
and nonbinary. Finally, we conduct a meta-analysis of terms used to describe diversity
in sexual phenotypes in the scientific literature to highlight how a multivariate
model of sex can clarify, rather than cloud, studies of sexual diversity within and
across species. We argue that such an expanded framework of 'sex' better equips us
to understand evolutionary processes, and that as biologists it is incumbent upon
us to push back against misunderstandings of the biology of sexual phenotypes that
enact harm on marginalized communities.
Type
Journal articlePermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/28447Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1093/icb/icad027Publication Info
McLaughlin, JF; Brock, Kinsey M; Gates, Isabella; Pethkar, Anisha; Piattoni, Marcus;
Rossi, Alexis; & Lipshutz, Sara E (2023). Multivariate models of animal sex: breaking binaries leads to a better understanding
of ecology and evolution. Integrative and comparative biology. pp. icad027. 10.1093/icb/icad027. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/28447.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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Show full item recordScholars@Duke
Sara E Lipshutz
Assistant Professor of Biology
Our research focuses on the evolution of behavior across weird and wonderfully diverse
species of birds. This work bridges “muddy boots” experimental fieldwork
with a variety of molecular and computational approaches in genetics, genomics, neuroscience,
and endocrinology. We have several research foci:
1. Female perspectives in biology. Cultural biases shape our predictions for how and
why animals behave the way they do, and female an

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