Evaluation of Nest Site Selection, Consequences of Temperature Induced Sex-Reversal on Offspring Phenotypes, and Maternal Investment in an Australian Lizard

Many vertebrates have genotypic sex determination (GSD) where sex is determined by sex chromosomes. Though for many reptiles, sex is determined by temperature experienced during development (temperature-dependent sex determination; TSD). However, some lizards have evolved labile sex determination meaning under normal incubation temperatures GSD occurs but under extreme temperatures the genetic coding is overridden producing a sex-reversed individual. In this type of sex-reversal, a transition from GSD to TSD occurs in a single generation. As global temperatures increase, labile determination species could have a greater chance of producing sex-reversed offspring shifting the evolution of population structures and sex determination.