Question

Explain the term protandry and protogyny with examples

Answer 1

The type of hermaphroditism in which an organism changes its sex at some point of its life is known as sequential hermaphroditism. In other words, male gametes, i.e sperms and female gametes, i.e eggs are produced at different stages. Sequential hermaphroditism is observed in plants, fishes and gastropods.

Complete answer: Protandry and protogyny are types of sequential hermaphroditism. In animals, the change of sex from male to female is termed as protandry and from female to male is termed as protogyny. In plants, the flower is protogynous if it was a female first and male later and protandrous if first, it was a male, a female later. Protandry is rare as compared to protogyny. An example of protandry is clownfish. In hermaphrodites, sperms are produced before eggs, for example, earthworms and crustaceans. It also promotes cross-fertilization and prevents self-pollination. Some examples are mint, salvia, legumes, ivy, etc. An example of protogyny is reef fishes such as Labridae. In this type, the breeding is controlled and dictated by males. In protogynous type, female flowers gain maturity and become receptive to male flowers. Examples include apple, fig, pears, etc.

Note: A series of events that change the sex of an organism is known as sequential hermaphroditism. The protandry and protogyny are types of sequential hermaphroditism. Historically, the term hermaphrodite has also been used to describe ambiguous genitalia and gonadal mosaicism in individuals of gonochoristic species, especially human beings.