Topic
Incubation
About: Incubation is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 5748 publications have been published within this topic receiving 126541 citations.
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TL;DR: The large yolks (>50% of egg contents) and high energy content of megapode eggs were essential adaptations in the evolution of a reproductive system in which embryonic development and hatchling behavior are energetically expensive.
Abstract: Mallee fowl (MF) and brush turkey (BT) lay large, energy-rich eggs (173 g at 10.2 kJ/g contents for MF and 180 g at 9.8 kJ/g contents for BT) that are incubated by burial in mounds of warm earth or decaying vegetation. Their incubation periods of 62 days (MF) and 49 days (BT) are unusually long, and their hatchlings are among the most precocial of any birds. Metabolic rates of embryos of both species just prior to hatching are about 61 cm³ O₂/h, 98% (MF) and 64% (BT) higher than predicted. Metabolism is supported solely by chorioallantoic respiration until hatching, and pulmonary respiration begins suddenly when the shell membranes are torn. Estimates of total energy expenditure during incubation prior to hatching ($E_{i}$) based on O₂ consumption closely approximate estimates based on energy content of fresh eggs and hatchlings. The $E_{i}$ are high (∼600 kJ for MF and ∼475 kJ for BT) because of the long incubation periods. Hatchlings must dig out of the incubation mounds, and costs of this may add 8% (M...
70 citations
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70 citations
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TL;DR: Spectrum quality was influenced by the amount of bacteria spotted on the target, the homogeneity of the smear and the experience of the examiner, which showed that experience in the preparation of the targets can be a significant variable.
70 citations
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TL;DR: The enormous change of the half-saturation tension in comparison with that of mammals can be attributed neither to a change in the pH difference between plasma and erythrocytes nor to changes of the base excess, thus supporting the view that other still unknown factors are responsible for the affinity change of hemoglobin during development.
70 citations
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TL;DR: Natator depressus eggs seem to be laid with sufficient water reserves for successful embryonic growth and development, which would make them independent of supplementary water from the environment.
Abstract: During the Australian summers of 1996/1997 and 1997/1998, the embryonic development of Natator depressus was investigated in the laboratory. Eggs were incubated under different thermal and hydric conditions on vermiculite substrates. The thermal environment between 26 and 32 C significantly influenced the water exchange of eggs, incubation duration, nutrient mobilization of embryos, and the size, tissue hydration, and energy reserves of hatchlings. Hatchlings produced at 26 C and 29 C were larger but had lower energy reserves than those produced at 32 C. The influence of the hydric environment depended greatly on the range of substrate water potentials used in experiments. Nutrient mobilization of embryos and the size and energy reserves of hatchlings were dependent on total egg water exchange over the range of 2% gain to 29% loss (at approximately −180 to −3500 kPa incubation substrates) of initial egg mass but independent within the narrower range of 6% gain to 19% loss (at approximately −200 t...
70 citations