Brief analysis of sex determination

Abstract

Scope and Method of Study: In this report, the writer has attempted to compile some pertinent data concerning the factors that influence sex determination. The materials used were textbooks and periodicals on Genetics and Cytogenetics. Special emphasis has been given to T. H. Morgan's work on Drosophila melangaster in order to illustrate the relationship between sex chromosomes and sex linkage. It is hoped that the report will answer some of the basic questions involving sex determination that are normally asked by high school students.

Findings and Conclusions: The sources used in this report clearly indicate that many of the earlier concepts of sex determination are without scientific framework. The determination of sex is not controlled by any single factor. Instead, it is influenced by the chromosomal makeup of the gametes, by endocrine gland secretions and by the environment in which the organism develops. It should be remembered that even though an organism begins to develop as one particular sex, there are certain factors that may cause it to develop in the direction of the opposite sex. Many of the older superstitions concerning this phenomenon have been disproved and more knowledge is being acquired concerning this topic.