Blue-headed sponges are fish that live in small schools on coral reefs in the Caribbean. The male of this species has a blue head, which indicates its social dominance over the harem of yellow striped small-sized females.
If a male is forced to leave such a group, something unusual happens: the largest female in the pack changes sex to become a male and continue the genus. Her behavior changes over the course of several days. Within ten days, her ovaries turn into sperm producing testes. Within 21 days, she undergoes a complete transformation.
But how are the bastards changing sex, and why did evolution choose such a strange way? Given that fish share genes that determine sex with mammals, can understanding this rethink how stress works in humans and other animals?
How is the transformation?
The trigger for sex reassignment in blue lips and some other fish species is social. When the male leaves, the largest female immediately feels his absence and on the same day takes full-fledged male behavior. How this social signal turns into a molecular action remains a mystery, but it is probably related to stress. High levels of the stress hormone cortisol are associated with sex determination by temperature in other fish and reptiles. Cortisol probably modifies reproductive function, affecting the level of sex hormones.
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Stress - gender change trigger
Stress can be a unifying mechanism that directs environmental information to gender reassignment. The study showed changes in the activity of all 20, 000 genes of blue lips during the transformation from woman to man. Unsurprisingly, scientists have discovered that the gene that produces the female hormone (estrogen) is quickly turned off, and the genes responsible for the production of male hormones (androgens) are turned on.
Hundreds of other genes needed to be a female (including genes that make the components of the calf) are also gradually turned off, while the genes needed for the male (including genes that make the components of sperm) are turned on.
