Look here, how a marine life version of "Game of Thrones" is being staged?

The coral reef area of ​​the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean is the "King's Landing" of the ocean world. Here, a group of golden-backed thornfish wearing gilded armor and trailing azure cloaks are performing a survival script that is more cruel than "A Song of Ice and Fire". When the male ruler suddenly disappears, the strongest female will complete the transformation from "Sansa" to "Dragon Mother" within two weeks - the ovary degenerates into a testis, the body color changes from warm amber gold to cold metallic blue, and finally ascends the Iron Throne of the coral reef. The power struggle and betrayal behind this gender change hide the most subtle survival rules of life evolution. The gender change of golden-backed thornfish is a full-dimensional revolution from social status to genes, and its sophistication far exceeds that of human palace coups.

1. Ecology of political struggle in coral reefs: social status revolution

In this high-density society where 50 fish gather per square meter, the power struggle is bloodier and more efficient than that of a human court. There is a strict hierarchy in the female group of golden thornfish, and females are divided into three categories: primary females, secondary females, and last females. Their status is reflected by body color, feeding priority, and spawning order:

1. Grade identification system

First-level female (highest status): has a fluorescent blue edge on the tail fin, enjoys the best coral habitat, and has priority in obtaining 85% of mating opportunities.

Secondary female: has silver vertical stripes on the sides of the body, is responsible for vigilance, and can inherit the status of the primary female (when the latter dies).

The last female: has a dull body color and is responsible for 90% of the cleaning work, but is also the "reserve" for group transgeneration.

2. Covert resistance strategy

Secret spawning: The last female will lay eggs in the gaps of staghorn corals during the patrols of males, using coral mucus to cover up the smell of fertilization. Genetic testing shows that about 15% of young fish come from such "illegitimate children". Pheromone interference: Release estrogen-like substances through excrement to reduce males' interest in other females. This behavior may lead to the expulsion of the entire group (incidence 12%).

3. Moments of power transition

When a male dies unexpectedly, the harem will fall into chaos for 72 hours: all females stop eating and their body color turns to warning red; the first-level females start the sex change procedure (which takes 14 days); during this period, the group is temporarily led by the second-level females, who adopt a democratic decision-making model (e.g. the feeding location is determined by the majority swimming direction)

2. The genetic revolution of gender conversion

The biological sex change of the golden spinytail fish will go through the following steps: First, within 48 hours of the start of the conversion, the DNA methylation marks of ovarian-related genes are massively erased. The concentration of gonadotropin-releasing hormone released by the hypothalamus soars by 300%, and the testosterone level soars from 0.3ng/ml to 85ng/ml, which is enough to shock human males; then the body is reshaped: the bones are reorganized, the thickness of the skull increases by 15%, and the dorsal fin spines are extended by 30%, creating a combat-type head crown. The guanine crystal plates in the skin are rearranged, and the wavelength of reflected light is adjusted from 580nm (gold) to 470nm (blue), and the visual deterrence is increased by 200%; finally, the power authentication system, in terms of sound waves, the new male emits a 1700Hz pulse sound wave, like a "dragon roar" to declare sovereignty, and the frequency fluctuation range is controlled within ±2Hz (the old king usually tolerates ±5Hz). In this way, the biological sex change is completely completed.

3. Modern inspiration of survival wisdom

In this underwater version of "Game of Thrones" that has lasted for 2.5 million years, there lies a philosophy of survival that transcends biology.

1. Flexible organizational management model - decentralized power: Male leaders who can be replaced at any time increase the survival rate of the population in environmental upheavals by 60% (compared to fish with fixed gender). Talent reserve mechanism: every female is a potential male candidate, avoiding systemic collapse caused by a "mad king".

2. Gender cognition revolution - fluid gender spectrum: The golden spinytail fish proves that biological sex can be regarded as a programmable biological interface, which has implications for human medical practice. Painless conversion technology: Its gonadal remodeling process leaves no scars or rejections, providing an ideal model for transgender surgery.

In the coral reef kingdom of the golden thornfish, there is no eternal ruler, only an eternal will to survive. Their gender conversion mechanism is the ultimate wisdom condensed from hundreds of millions of years of evolution of bony fish: power should not be a fixed shackle, but a fluid survival strategy. While humans are still arguing about gender issues, these small fish, which are less than the length of a palm, have already given the answer - in the long river of life evolution, what is important is not to be male or female, but to be the fittest.

References:

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