Nature's sexual spectrum / Josh L. Davis.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Davis, Josh L., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Homosexuality in animals.

Sexual behavior in animals.

Environmental sex determination.

Courtship in animals.

Plants, Sex in.

Biodiversity.

Biology.

biology.

Physical Description:

128 pages : color illustrations ; 19 cm

Place of Publication:

Clayton VIC, Australia : CSIRO Publishing, [2024]

Summary:

Nature's Sexual Spectrum is a celebration of the astonishing diversity of sexual behaviour, biology and reproduction found in nature. From penguins to primates, same-sex behaviours and courtship are more widespread in the natural world than many people realise, while how nature organises sex is not always as straightforward as usually thought. Davis considers how, in many different organisms - both animals and plants - sexual reproduction and determination rely on a surprisingly complex interaction between genes, hormones, environment and chance. We meet turtles whose sex is determined by the incubation temperature of their eggs and butterflies that embody male and female biological tissue in the same organism. He also reveals animal and plant behaviours in nature that have previously either been covered up or explained away, and presents animal behaviours that challenge us to rethink our assumptions and prejudices.-Back cover.

Contents:

Adelie penguin: Homosexual couples

Mangrove killifish: Reproducing with itself

Duck-billed dinosaur: Bias in names

New Mexico whiptail lizard: Parthenogenesis

Morpho butterfly: Divided down the middle

Western lowland gorilla: Queer behaviour in apes

Domestic sheep: Can animals be gay?

Saharan cypress: Androgenesis

Bicolour parrotfish: Sex-fluid fishes

Swans: Males couples as parents

Green sea turtle: Temperature-dependent sex determination

Giraffe: Homosexuality in the mainstream

Common ash: Sexual spectrum

Common cockchafer: Historical homosexuality

European yew: Sex change

European eel: Environment-dependent sex determination

White-throated sparrow: Beyond the binary

Spotted hyena: Female-led societies

Western gull: Lesbian mothers

Common bottlenose dolphin: Explaining the gay away

Common pill woodlouse: Bacteria-dependent sex determination

Bluegill sunfish: Do animals have gender?

Common pheasant: Out-sized influence

Splitgill mushroom: Thousands of sexes

Chinese shell ginger: Temporal sex

Cane toad: Intersex animals

Moss mites: Ancient asexuals

Dungowan bush tomato: Changeable sex

Barklice: Sex-reversed genitals.

Notes:

"First published by the Natural History Museum ... under the title A Little Gay Natural History"--Title page verso.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781486318926

1486318924

OCLC:

1427657500

Publisher Number:

90102361758