Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Calhim S
PROVIDER: S-EPMC2677609 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Jun
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Calhim Sara S Birkhead Tim R TR
Proceedings. Biological sciences 20090318 1665
In many taxa, the left and right testes often differ in size. The compensation hypothesis states that one testis of the pair serves as a 'back-up' for any reduced function in the other and provides a mechanism to explain intraspecific variation in degree and direction of gonad asymmetry. Although testis asymmetry is common in birds, evidence for natural testis compensation is unknown. Using a novel quantitative approach that can be applied to any bilateral organ or structure, we show that testis ...[more]