Opener

Of course you already know that most of the species of living things are divided into two based
on gender, namely male and female. Even so, there are also living things with multiple sexes
(hermaphrodites) and living things that only have one sex because they can reproduce
parthenogenetically. But, have you ever been curious, what causes living things to be male or female?
The sex of an organism is determined by several Squad factors, including genetic factors and
environmental factors. Genetic factors are factors that have a major role in determining the sex of an
organism. This is because genetic factors are determined by the genetic material present in the
chromosomes, especially the sex chromosomes (gonosomes). Meanwhile, environmental factors that
affect the sex differences of an organism can come from the internal environment of the cell and the
external environment of the cell, one example is the environmental temperature.
Although the sex of each organism can be determined, namely male or female, the type of sex
determination for each organism is different, S. Well, for further explanations, please refer to the
following explanation

Theory
Sex determination or sex determination is the process of determining sex in living things based on
sex chromosomes. There are several types of sex determination in organisms, including the following
1. XY type
Organisms that have sex chromosomes with type XY can be found in mammals including humans,
several types of insects, and several types of bipolar plants.
• Human
In humans, someone who is female will have a sex chromosome consisting of a pair of X
chromosomes.Meanwhile, a person who is male will have a sex chromosome consisting of one X
chromosome and one Y chromosome. in humans during the fertilization process by sperm.
• Insects
Examples of insects that have sex chromosomes with type XY are fruit flies (Drosophila
melanogaster). As in humans, female fruit flies will have a sex chromosome consisting of a pair of X
chromosomes, while male fruit flies will have a sex chromosome consisting of one X chromosome
and one Y chromosome
Well, now, let's consider an example of determining sex in fruit flies using the sex index formula,
Squad.
Example I: For example, there is a fruit fly with the chromosome formula 3AAXX.
IK = Number of X chromosomes / Number of autosomes = 2/2 = 1. So, the fruit fly is female.
 Example II: Suppose, there is a fruit fly with the chromosome formula 3AAXY.
IK = Number of X chromosomes / Number of autosomes = 1/2 = 0.5. So, the fruit fly is male
2. Type X0
Organisms that have this type of sex can be found in several types of insects such as grasshoppers
and cockroaches. This is because grasshoppers and cockroaches do not find a Y chromosome, so the
sex determination uses type X0. Female grasshoppers will have a sex chromosome consisting of a pair
of X chromosomes and male grasshoppers will have a sex chromosome consisting of one X
chromosome and no Y chromosome.
3. ZW type
Organisms with the ZW type can be found in fish, poultry, and certain types of reptiles. In
contrast to the XY type, female individuals will have sex chromosomes consisting of different
chromosome pairs and male individuals will have sex chromosomes consisting of the same
chromosome pairs. However, to avoid confusion with type XY, different pairs of chromosomes are
assigned the symbol ZW and the same chromosome pair is assigned the symbol ZZ.
4. The haploid-diploid type
Organisms with the haploid-diploid sex can be found in insects of the order Hymenoptera, such
as ants and bees. The following is an example of determining sex in honey bees.

SEX PAUTS
1. Sex links in humans
Humans have two types of sex chromosomes, namely XX in women and XY in men. Therefore, the
sex link in humans can occur on the X chromosome and the Y chromosome. Examples are genes for
hemophilia and hypertrichosis.
• Hemophilia
Hemophilia is a genetic disease that causes sufferers to experience bleeding disorders when injured
due to a lack of blood clotting factors. Hemophilia is determined by the h gene linked to the X
chromosome. Hemophilia can only be found in males because this gene is lethal to females.
However, for women, he will be a carrier (carrier) and will pass it on to his sons.
• Hypertrichosis
Hypertrichosis is a genetic disease that causes sufferers to experience abnormal hair growth in
certain areas of the body. Hypertrichosis is determined by the h gene linked to the Y chromosome,
so this disease only occurs in men.
2. Sex links in animals
Apart from humans, sexual relations can also occur in animals, including eye color in fruit flies
and coat color in cats.
• Eye color in fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster)
The sex-linked gene in fruit flies is the gene that determines eye color. Normal fruit flies
will have a red eye color which is influenced by the dominant W gene linked to the X
chromosome. Meanwhile, the allele, namely the w gene, affects white eye color and is recessive.
• Coat color in cats
The sex link in cats is in genes that determine the color of a cat's coat. This gene is linked
to the X chromosome and gives a black or brown color. Male cats can have black or brown fur
in combination with white. This is because male cats only have one X chromosome which
contains either the black or brown color gene. Meanwhile, female cats can have fur with a
combination of black, brown, and white. This is because female cats have two X chromosomes
with the possibility of each chromosome containing different genes, namely black and brown.