this post was submitted on 22 Jul 2024
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It's a little unclear if you are asking for resources about the diversity of sex, sexual orientation, and sexual selection strategies in nature, OR about the ways in which they are misconstrued by society-- either by ignoring the diversity of nature to favor a heternormative and gender essentialist narrative, or by too closely feeling that what is natural is what should be considered good and just (the naturalistic fallacy).
I, myself, am authoring studies on the latter topic, but the field is so small that by sharing specific examples, I seriously risk doxxing myself (and others with whom I work closely on a politically fraught topic).
One also needs to understand the former before meaningfully engaging with the latter anyway, so I highly recommend the book Evolution's Rainbow by Stanford ecologist Joan Roughgarden. The book is written in plain language (intended for a wider audience than just biology researchers) and details the (at the time-- 2009, with an updated edition from 2016) present summary of known ecological examples of organisms behaving in ways that counter the human social norms surrounding sexual orientation and gender identity. She goes on to discuss the molecular basis of sex and gender in humans, including what is know about difference in brain structures and gene regulation, and then she contextualizes these examples in sociological terms. I think the book is a little dated at this point, and there was some conflict amongst biologists about aspects of the book that aren't related to what we're discussing (related to her modification of Darwin's theory of sexual selection), so it isn't perfect, but it's basically the first thing any junior scholar is asked to read regarding this discussion topic. I think it will provide you with what you are looking for, seeing as it cites hundreds of studies in tens of fields of biological sciences relating to sex, gender, and sexual orientation in humans and other organisms.
Some key facts (mostly covered in the book) that you or others might find interesting:
Do you have a link for this? Never heard about this before
Absolutely!
Two eggs:
Booth et al. (2014). "New insights on facultative parthenogensis in pythons". Biological Journal of Linnean Society, 112(3)461-468
Two sperm:
Tinti, F. and Scali, V. (1992). "Genome exclusion and gametic DAPI-DNA content in the hybridogenetic Bacillus rossius-- grandii benazzii complex (Insecta Phasmatodea)". Molecular reproduction and development, 33(3)235-242
One egg:
Ryder et al. (2021). "Facultative parthenogensis in California Condors". Journal of Heredity, 112(7)569-574
One sperm (surprised me too!):
Heesch et al. (2021). Evolution of life cycles and reproductive traits: insights from the brown algae." Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 34(7)992-1009
These examples are non-exhaustive (so many parthenogensis examples!) so if you want to know more, or if you're interested in learning about the increased reproductive fitness post-homosexual mating activities, no one primary publication will give you a complete picture. I recommended reading the book I mentioned-- Evolution's Rainbow by Joan Roughgarden-- because it details this in ways I can't summarize in a social media comment.