A Simple Explanation for Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination

Njal Rollinson of the University of Toronto proposes the 'Mighty Males' hypothesis, a theoretical model explaining the evolution of temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD). The paper re-examines existing literature to support the hypothesis, which applies the Trivers-Willard model to TSD. It suggests incubation temperature affects individual condition, leading to the evolution of TSD so that males arise from higher-quality incubation environments.

Use Cases

• Testing the 'Mighty Males' hypothesis against empirical data on temperature-dependent sex determination.
• Analyzing the relationship between incubation temperature, individual condition, and fitness outcomes based on the described theoretical framework.
• Comparing the Trivers-Willard and Charnov-Bull models for explaining sex-by-environment fitness interactions.
• Investigating how environmental factors beyond temperature might affect sex in TSD species, as suggested by the hypothesis.

Strengths

• The paper is published under an Open Access (green) license, facilitating reuse.
• The author is affiliated with the University of Toronto, suggesting academic provenance.
• The description provides a clear, testable hypothesis ('Mighty Males') and connects it to established models (Trivers-Willard, Charnov-Bull).

Limitations

• The dataset is a single academic paper; it does not contain primary observational or experimental data.
• Column-level documentation is absent; the content is textual and theoretical.
• Row count and file formats are unknown, limiting suitability assessment for typical data analysis.

Provenance

Source

paperswithcode

Collection Method

Academic publication.