Clipping Board » New Knowledge and the Unknown of Life ─ Life will always bring you surprises and wonders.
Update Date: 2009/05/15 18:35 (Central News Agency Reporter Lu Taicheng, Taitung County, May 15th)
The amusing-looking clownfish possesses the unique ability to change sex! When there are no female clownfish in the group, the males will transform into females to ensure the continuation of the species. Additionally, clownfish live in a matriarchal society, where the mother is responsible for protecting the territory.
Clownfish make anemones their home, so their life cycle is completed within the range of their host anemone. However, all clownfish are born without a defined sex—so how do they reproduce?
He Yuanxing, an associate researcher at the Eastern Marine Biology Research Center of the Fisheries Research Institute, has found the answer! He explained that clownfish are born without a sex. As they grow to a certain age, the larger individuals will exhibit aggressive behaviors such as chasing and biting to dominate the smaller ones. The smaller, weaker fish will become males or remain non-reproductive, while the stronger ones will develop into females.
Thus, in a group of clownfish, there is usually one larger individual and several smaller ones. The larger one is the female, who lays eggs that are then incubated by the male. The female is responsible for defending the territory, frequently engaging in battles, which makes her more prone to death.
When the female clownfish dies, the highest-ranking male will begin transitioning into a female within two weeks, becoming a reproductive female. However, once transformed into a female, it cannot revert to being a male.
He Yuanxing noted that this unique social structure and sex-changing mechanism of clownfish play a significant role in the survival of the species. Since clownfish live among anemones and rarely interact with other groups, the ability to change sex ensures that there is always a breeding pair within the group to produce offspring. There is also a clear hierarchy, with individuals ready to step up when needed. 980515
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 090515/ 5/ 1jkjj. html
Clownfish's Sex-Changing Superpower
The amusing-looking clownfish possesses the unique ability to change sex! When there are no female clownfish in the group, the males will transform into females to ensure the continuation of the species. Additionally, clownfish live in a matriarchal society, where the mother is responsible for protecting the territory.
Clownfish make anemones their home, so their life cycle is completed within the range of their host anemone. However, all clownfish are born without a defined sex—so how do they reproduce?
He Yuanxing, an associate researcher at the Eastern Marine Biology Research Center of the Fisheries Research Institute, has found the answer! He explained that clownfish are born without a sex. As they grow to a certain age, the larger individuals will exhibit aggressive behaviors such as chasing and biting to dominate the smaller ones. The smaller, weaker fish will become males or remain non-reproductive, while the stronger ones will develop into females.
Thus, in a group of clownfish, there is usually one larger individual and several smaller ones. The larger one is the female, who lays eggs that are then incubated by the male. The female is responsible for defending the territory, frequently engaging in battles, which makes her more prone to death.
When the female clownfish dies, the highest-ranking male will begin transitioning into a female within two weeks, becoming a reproductive female. However, once transformed into a female, it cannot revert to being a male.
He Yuanxing noted that this unique social structure and sex-changing mechanism of clownfish play a significant role in the survival of the species. Since clownfish live among anemones and rarely interact with other groups, the ability to change sex ensures that there is always a breeding pair within the group to produce offspring. There is also a clear hierarchy, with individuals ready to step up when needed. 980515
Source: http://tw. news. yahoo. com/ article/ url/ d/ a/ 090515/ 5/ 1jkjj. html