| 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. |
| Genre: | Article |
| ProdID: | 5221578 |
| Citation Author: | Nichols, J.D.; Chabreck, R.H. |
| Citation Contributing Office: | Patuxent Wildlife Research Center |
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| Citation End Page: | 137 |
| Citation Issue: | 1 |
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| Citation Language: | English |
| Citation Larger Work Title: | American Naturalist |
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| Citation Number Of Pages: | 13 |
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| Citation Phsyical Description: | 125-137 |
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| Citation Public Comments: | 2409_Nichols.pdf |
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| Citation Search Results Text: | On the variability of alligator sex ratios; 1980; Article; Journal; American Naturalist; Nichols, J.D.; Chabreck, R.H. |
| Citation Start Page: | 125 |
| Citation Volume: | 116 |
| Citation Year: | 1980 |
| Type: | citation/reference |
| Text: | On the variability of alligator sex ratios; 1980; Article; Journal; American Naturalist; Nichols, J.D.; Chabreck, R.H. |
| URL (THUMBNAIL): | http://pubs.er.usgs.gov/thumbnails/outside_thumb.jpg |
| URL (DOCUMENT): | http://www.jstor.org/stable/2460713 |
| Date Other: | Wed, 16 Jun 2010 12:19 -0500 |
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