Fish in Pacific Ocean Can Change Sex

A small fish in the Pacific Ocean has developed an extremely interesting adaptation.  When beneficial, bluebanded goby fish can change their sex. These fish grow from about 2 to 2.5 inches in length and are orange and luminescent blue in appearance.  They usually live around, and feed on, grayish-green algae.  The evolutionary advantage to their unique ability derives from the social structure of these fish.  Bluebanded gobies live in groups called harems consisting of a dominant male and 4-5 females.  If this male dies, one female physically changes into a male to lead the harem and reproduce with the remaining females. 

Recently, at a lab at Georgia State University, Matthew Grober has very closely studied the behavior of bluebanded gobies.  Along with physical indication of a fish’s sex, he observed behaviors, such as the tendency for males to move in rapid zig-zag movements referred to as “jerks” and for females to be less active and more submissive.  Grober stated that within minutes he is aware of sex-change, but that the process takes 1-2 weeks to be finished. 

Grober designed an experiment in which a group of males was in its own tank.  He discovered that in this type of environment, all but one of the gobies would change their sex to female to restore the social order and allow for the opportunity to reproduce.  This remaining male was the sole dominant fish in the group, while the rest of the group showed submissive behaviors.  This showed that the behavior of the fish was determined by the social hierarchy. 

I believe that these fish provide parallels to human society.  People are greatly shaped by the social hierarchy surrounding them, just as these fish are, which illustrates the importance of having a positive environment for as many children and adolescents as possible.

Just as in the United States, France has had a political dialogue regarding the rights of gay citizens in recent years.  During President Francois Hollande’s campaign, he made promises to entitle all of the same rights afforded to heterosexual couples to same-sex couples. Shortly after his election, a bill was drafted that if passed, would provide a huge push towards rights for the homosexual community.  Inter-LGBT, a gay, lesbian, and transgender rights organization in France declared that legislators had a “unique opportunity” to grant long overdue rights to homosexuals. 
            This campaign has been met with intense resistance, primarily from the French Catholic Church, but also from other religious groups and unassociated conservative citizens.  In an attempt to garner support against gay marriage, on January 13, hundreds of thousands of people marched through the streets of Paris.  A CNN iReporter Oluwasegun Olowu-Davies who attended the march (and shot video of it) stated "I do not personally agree with gay marriage as I am a Christian and believe what the Bible says about marriage being between one woman and one man for a life time."  He went on to say "If your lifestyle doesn't allow you to conceive, there is a reason.”
            The fact that President Obama mentioned gay’s rights in his inauguration address parallels this issue.  In my opinion, it is highly discriminatory to keep rights from homosexuals.  Also, to Oluwasegun Olowu-Davies’s point, I would argue that a barren heterosexual would not be able to conceive either, but obviously they should not be discriminated against.