Episode 51: Gender Swapping Fish

Quirky Creepy and Freaky

In a bit of a pride month themed episode, we're introducing you to some fish that can change between male and female! You may be aware of the ability of clownfish to change from male to female, but did you know other fish can do this as well? This week we talk about damselfish, their surprisingly complicated social lives, and how they benefit from the ability to swap gender.
Sources:
Male-to-female sex change in widowed males of the protogynous damselfish Dascyllus aruanus:https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10164-015-0450-8

Sex change strategies and group structure of damselfishes: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327177449_Sex_change_strategies_and_group_structure_of_damselfishes

Behavior, socio-ecology and sexuality in damselfishes (Pomacentridae): https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/11250009809386853

Protogyny in a tropical damselfish: females queue for future benefit: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4933090/