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Definition: An Androgyne is an organism with male and female genitalia.
In organisms that reproduce sexually, males have organs that produce male gametes, usually sperm.
Women have different sexual organs that produce female gametes, usually called eggs.
In sexually-dimorphic organisms, each organism only has types of reproductive organs, and the population is divided into genera.
Sometimes organisms are divided almost equally. In these cases, individuals must compete in pairs. Sometimes the genders are matched equally, one male by one female.
Other times, a man or a woman will reproduce with a large group of the other gender.
Androgynes tend to be solitary animals, although there are exceptions. Being Androgynous is believed to increase the chances of solitary organisms reproducing, as they can give and receive gametes.
This allows both of them to share their DNA, while at the same time they have the opportunity to develop their own offspring.
Young people who develop in two different places also decreased the chances of a random event ending with the two young people.
When you live as a solitary animal and mating opportunities are rare, this is an important advantage for the Androgynous organisms.
Causes
In sexually dimorphic organisms, an Androgyne may arise due to variations in the genetic code.
In humans, the Androgynes are caused by a variety of genetic conditions. In one form, an Androgynous or intersex person is created when two fertilized ovules fuse, giving the zygote two X chromosomes and one Y chromosome.
Other cases of Androgynes are caused by the sex-switching gene, which is responsible for testosterone and male genitalia, which is transferred to the X chromosome during meiosis, resulting in male and female genitalia.
Examples of Androgyne in nature
Clownfish
In clownfish society, the only two people that breed are the two largest people.
Although all clown fish are born with genitals that do not work, the larger clownfish undergoes a change when it becomes the largest fish, and the ovaries develop and begin to release eggs.
This female needs a male to reproduce, and the second largest fish develops testicles that produce sperm.
The couple continues to reproduce until one of them dies, in which case they are replaced by the next larger individuals. If the female dies, the male converts from female to male genitalia.
This is known as sequential androginism. When the organism begins as a male, they are called protoprogynous orrogynous “first males.” When they begin as women, they are known as protogynous androgynous orrogynous “first women”.
Earthworms
An Androgyne that can be found in your own backyard is the earthworm.
The worms spend their days in the depths of the ground, digging in random directions and aerating the soil. Two earthworms could be at a short distance, and never come into contact.
Due to this isolated lifestyle, it is important that the worms can reproduce successfully when they are found.
The worms are Androgynous and have male and female genitalia. When they copulate, both organisms give a gamete and receive a gamete.
When they separate, each worm wraps its eggs in a cocoon and deposits them in a safe place. This gives the worms two separate populations of offspring that have different chances of survival.
An additional benefit of being Androgynous is that if a worm never finds a mate, it can fertilize its own eggs and reproduce in that way.
Many Androgynos experience this benefit.
Flores
Some plants are Androgynous.
In its reproductive organs, flowers, there are male and female reproductive systems. The pollen or male gamete is released from a stamen.
The female part, the stigmata, is a long tube that leads to eggs that contain eggs.
The pollen must pass from the stamen to the stigma. Sometimes this happens on the same plant, and sometimes bees and other pollinating insects transport pollen from one plant to another.
Like the earthworm, plants benefit from being able to fertilize their own eggs and being able to reproduce sexually to increase their variety.
Even so, plants always need pollinators, or at least a strong wind, to move the pollen towards the stigma. Other plants are not Androgynous and produce only one type of flower. Everything depends on how the species of the plant evolved.
