Sexual maturity

Sexual maturity

Sexual maturity is the age or stage when an organism can reproduce. It is sometimes considered synonymous with adulthood, though the two are distinct. In humans, the process of sexually maturing is termed puberty.

Most multicellular organisms are unable to sexually reproduce at birth (or germination), and depending on the species, it may be days, weeks, or years until their bodies are able to do so. Also, certain cues may cause the organism to become sexually mature. They may be external, such as drought, or internal, such as percentage of body fat (such internal cues are not to be confused with hormones which directly produce sexual maturity).

Sexual maturity is brought about by a maturing of the reproductive organs and the production of gametes. It may also be accompanied by a growth spurt or other physical changes which distinguish the immature organism from its adult form. These are termed secondary sex characteristics, and often represent an increase in sexual dimorphism. For example, before puberty, human children have flat chests, but adult females have breasts while adult males generally do not. However, there are exceptions such as obesity and hormone imbalances such as Gynecomastia.

After sexual maturity is achieved, it is possible for some organisms to become infertile, or even to change their sex. Some organisms are hermaphrodites and may or may not be able to produce viable offspring. Also, while in many organisms sexual maturity is strongly linked to age, many other factors are involved, and it is possible for some to display most or all of the characteristics of the adult form without being sexually mature. Conversely, it is also possible for the "immature" form to reproduce (see progenesis).

See also

  • Gonadosomatic index

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно решить контрольную?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • sexual maturity — sexual development …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Sexual reproduction — is the creation of a new organism by combining the genetic material of two organisms. The two main processes are: meiosis, involving the halving of the number of chromosomes; and fertilization, involving the fusion of two gametes and the… …   Wikipedia

  • Maturity — may refer to: Sexual maturity, the stage when an organism can reproduce, though it is distinct from adulthood Mature technology, a term indicating that a technology has been in use and development for long enough that most of its initial problems …   Wikipedia

  • length at sexual maturity — length at first maturity …   Dictionary of ichthyology

  • sexual — [[t]se̱kʃuəl[/t]] ♦♦ 1) ADJ: usu ADJ n Sexual feelings or activities are connected with the act of sex or with people s desire for sex. This was the first sexual relationship I had had... Men s sexual fantasies often have little to do with their… …   English dictionary

  • maturity — ma|tu|ri|ty [məˈtʃuərıti US ˈtʃur ] n [U] 1.) the quality of behaving in a sensible way like an adult ≠ ↑immaturity ▪ Beth shows a maturity way beyond her 16 years. ▪ One day you ll have the maturity to understand. 2.) the time or state when… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • maturity — noun 1 adult behaviour/behavior ADJECTIVE ▪ great, growing, increasing, new found ▪ I can see an increasing maturity in how she understands the world. ▪ artistic, emotional …   Collocations dictionary

  • sexual — adj. Sexual is used with these nouns: ↑abuse, ↑act, ↑activity, ↑advance, ↑adventure, ↑affair, ↑aggression, ↑ambiguity, ↑ambivalence, ↑appetite, ↑assault, ↑at …   Collocations dictionary

  • length at first maturity — length at which 50% of the individuals of a given sex are considered to be reproductively mature. Usually based on females and estimated by fitting a logistic curve to the relationships between proportion mature and length. Abbreviated as L50.… …   Dictionary of ichthyology

  • Islamic sexual jurisprudence — This is a sub article of Islamic marital jurisprudence and human sexuality.Sexuality in Islam is largely described by the Qur an, Islamic tradition, and religious leaders both past and present as being confined to marital relationships between… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”