Sex determination in dragons: Genetics, epigenetics and environment

该项目旨在发现爬行动物的主要性别决定基因，该基因如何在雄性和雌性以及温度下受到差异调节，并确定遗传和环境性别决定之间转变的进化驱动因素。在许多爬行动物中，比如哺乳动物，染色体决定性别。在另一些物种中，卵的孵化温度决定了它们的性别。这个项目将研究温度如何逆转龙蜥蜴的染色体性别决定。这可以显示极端气候如何影响对气候敏感的爬行动物的生物学，并了解它们对气候变化的脆弱性。

This project aims to discover the master sex-determining gene in a reptile, how that gene is differentially regulated in males and females and by temperature, and to identify evolutionary drivers of transitions between genetic and environmental sex determination. In many reptiles, like mammals, chromosomes determine sex. In others, the temperature at which their eggs are incubated determines sex. This project will study how temperature reverses chromosomal sex determination in dragon lizards. This could show how climatic extremes affect the biology of climate sensitive reptiles, and understand their vulnerability to climate change.