Factors Influencing Incubation Egg-Mass Loss for Three Species of Waterfowl

Zicus, Michael C.; Rave, David P.; Riggs, Michael R.

doi:10.1650/7453

Cited by 9 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…However, the 2‐day loss of egg‐mass observed during incubation in previous studies (Zicus et al . , Arendt ), which corresponds to a 45‐h total dose of intermittent incubation in our experiment, was much lower (~0.1–0.8 g, depending on egg size) than the difference in mean body mass between I‐UNINCUB and I‐INCUB ducklings observed in this study (i.e. 2.35 g).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 56%

Effect of intermittent incubation and clutch covering on the probability of bacterial trans‐shell infection

Javůrková

Albrecht

Mrázek

et al. 2013

Ibis

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Microbial infection is considered a critical cause of hatching failure in birds. Although several behavioural mechanisms are believed to improve reproductive success in birds, their direct effect on the risk of bacterial trans‐shell infection (BTSI) remains to be tested. Here, we focus on the protective roles of intermittent incubation and covering of the clutch with nest lining during the laying period, when eggs are highly susceptible to BTSI. To our knowledge, this study is the first to use culture‐independent PCR‐based methods to measure quantitative and qualitative indices of BTSI. In our experiment, we exposed Mallard Anas platyrhynchos eggs that were either intermittently incubated (I‐INCUB) or un‐incubated (I‐UNINCUB), and covered (COV) or uncovered (UNCOV) with nest lining. Hatchability of I‐INCUB eggs was twice that for I‐UNINCUB eggs. The presence and degree of BTSI had no effect on hatching success of experimental eggs. The residual weights of ducklings hatched from infected and I‐INCUB eggs were lower than those from uninfected and I‐UNINCUB eggs. In addition, ducklings originating from COV eggs were heavier than those hatched from UNCOV eggs. Intermittent incubation and clutch covering had no effect on the probability or degree of BTSI. Although the effect of BTSI is considered less detrimental in temperate birds, we show that the presence of BTSI inside the egg may significantly affect hatchling phenotype. This represents a novel insight into the role of BTSI in the reproductive success of birds and implies that the use of molecular PCR‐based methods is required in future studies for a better understanding of such causality.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 56%

Effect of intermittent incubation and clutch covering on the probability of bacterial trans‐shell infection

Javůrková

Albrecht

Mrázek

et al. 2013

Ibis

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“…Where the term “freshly laid” is specified (5% of all papers) the eggs are not older than 3 or a couple of days, it is clear that “fresh” means recently laid. This classification is consistent with the physiological changes within eggs during incubation. − In addition to the many other physiological alterations, embryonic gas exchange is important for development, and the heart of the embryo is completely developed after approximately 20% of the incubation time is completed (4–5 days for many bird species). Overall, our knowledge of embryonic development indicates that a fresh egg has a maximum age of several days.…”

Section: Methodssupporting

confidence: 74%

Standardization of Egg Collection from Aquatic Birds for Biomonitoring - A Critical Review

Klein

Bartel-Steinbach

Koschorreck³

et al. 2012

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Collecting bird eggs is an established method of biomonitoring for specific pollution hazards. One of the most critical problems with this method is the extreme biological variability in bird eggs, but standardizing the collection and preservation of eggs can reduce these problems. Furthermore, standard practices are required so that the results can be compared among studies because mistakes cannot be corrected by laboratory analysis. Therefore, a standard procedure for collecting and preserving bird eggs may be necessary. The objective of this review is to investigate the current standard of quality assurance in the field by analyzing 86 peer-reviewed papers describing egg collection and use for aquatic birds. We show that little attention has been paid to standardizing how eggs are collected and stored in the field. Important information is often absent, including crucial aspects of sample collection and preservation, such as the freshness of the eggs, the position of the eggs in the laying sequence, the selection criteria, random sampling, and the duration and temperature of transport. Potential standards are suggested and discussed as a foundation for the development of quality assurance standards in the field.

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“…A carefully controlled gas exchange across the eggshell is essential for the development of the avian embryo (Ar et al ., ). Despite the fundamental differences in avian species' phylogenetic affinities and/or nesting environment, bird eggs as a rule across taxa typically lose 15–18% of their initial mass as water vapour during incubation (Drent, ; Ar & Rahn, ; Booth & Rahn, ; Zicus, Rave & Riggs, ; but see Ar et al ., ). This proportionally constant amount of water loss during incubation appears to be optimal, as eggs that lose more or less water than the optimal rate show reduced hatching success, both within and between species (Snyder & Birchard, ; Rahn, , Meir & Ar, ; Davis, Shen & Ackerman, ; Mortolo, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rapid development of brood‐parasitic cuckoo embryos cannot be explained by increased gas exchange through the eggshell

et al. 2014

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Obligate avian brood parasites lay their eggs in hosts' nests and play no role in the provisioning of the progeny. Many parasites, including Cuculus cuckoos, hatch before their hosts and the altricial chick evicts hosts eggs and nestlings. A hypothesized, but so far untested parasite adaptation is that the embryos of cuckoos develop more quickly than the hosts' because of a higher porosity of the parasite's eggshell, allowing greater gaseous exchange, potentially supporting more rapid development. We compared the water vapour conductance (G H2O) of common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) eggshells and those of several passerines, including various cuckoo host species, and non-passerine species. Contrary to the prediction, the cuckoo eggs had lower G H2O than eggs of their hosts, and lower GH2O than predicted for their egg size and phylogeny. A potential advantage for the cuckoo egg of having a lower G H2O may be that the yolk is depleted at a slower rate, allowing more reserves to remain at the end of incubation, assisting the embryo with the energetically demanding tasks of hatching from a thicker eggshell, and evicting host eggs and nestmates.

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Factors Influencing Incubation Egg-Mass Loss for Three Species of Waterfowl

Cited by 9 publications

References 42 publications

Effect of intermittent incubation and clutch covering on the probability of bacterial trans‐shell infection

Effect of intermittent incubation and clutch covering on the probability of bacterial trans‐shell infection

Standardization of Egg Collection from Aquatic Birds for Biomonitoring - A Critical Review

Rapid development of brood‐parasitic cuckoo embryos cannot be explained by increased gas exchange through the eggshell

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