Incubation Temperatures of Great Spotted Kiwi,

Incubation temperatures of the great spotted kiwi were studied by telemetry methods at the Otorohanga Zoological Society in October 1989. The male maintained the core temperature of the egg at about 28-31.8-degrees-C. When he emerged to feed at night, the female started to incubate. She did not have a brood patch, but could heat the egg to 28-28.5-degrees-C, sufficient for embryo growth. Some of the reasons why female great spotted kiwi might help with incubation are discussed. In cold, mountain environments, the energetic costs of incubation could be so high that males alone cannot meet them. The hypothesis predicts that there are also places in the North Island where female brown kiwi (Apteryx australis mantelli) should share in incubation.     

Incubation of eggs of tuatara, Sphenodon punctatus

Eggs of the tuatara, Sphenodon punctatus , were incubated either buried or half buried in vermiculite at constant temperatures of 15, 18, 20, 22 and 25 °C and constant water potentials between —90 and —400 kPa. Many clutches failed completely, possibly because they had been taken from females prior to proper shell development. Failed eggs were significantly smaller than successful eggs. Incubation is unsuccessful at 15 °C. Hatching success is high between 18 and 22 °C but low at 25 °C, but equally successful between 18 and 22°C. Incubation is strongly influenced by temperature, with mean incubation periods of 328 days at 18 °C, 259 days at 20 °C, 169 days at 22 °C and 150 days at 25 °C. Water potential generally has little influence on incubation time at a given temperature. Buried eggs hatch sooner than partially buried eggs at 20 °C but the large range makes significance dubious.
Eggs on the driest substrata at 18 and 20 °C lose water initially but then gain water through the rest of incubation. Eggs in all other conditions gain water throughout incubation, with the rate of i water absorption being maintained or increasing late in incubation. The suggestion that increasing rate of water absorption late in incubation facilitates explosive hatching is not supported. Egg mass at the time of hatching varies from 132 to 398% of initial values, depending on incubation conditions. Final egg mass is not affected significantly by incubation temperature. Hence, rates of absorption increase with temperature.
Water potential has no influence on hatchling size. However, hatchlings from buried eggs generally are significantly larger than those from partially buried eggs.     

The Effect of Male Incubation Feeding,Food and Temperature on the Incubation Behaviour of New Zealand Robins

Because of finite resources, organisms face conflict between their own self‐care and reproduction. This conflict is especially apparent in avian species with female‐only incubation, where females face a trade‐off between time allocated to their own self‐maintenance and the thermal requirements of developing embryos. We recorded incubation behaviour of the New Zealand robin (Petroica longipes), a species with female‐only incubation, male incubation feeding and high nest predation rates. We examined how male incubation feeding, ambient temperature and food availability (invertebrate biomass) affected the different components of females’ incubation behaviour and whether incubation behaviour explained variation in nest survival. Our results suggest that male incubation feeding rates of 2.8 per hour affect the female’s incubation rhythm by reducing both on‐ and off‐bout duration, resulting in no effect on female nest attentiveness, thus no support for the female‐nutritional hypothesis. The incubation behaviours that we measured did not explain nest survival, despite high nest predation rates. Increased ambient temperature caused an increase in off‐bout duration, whereas increased food availability increased on‐bout duration. While males play a vital role in influencing incubation behaviour, female robins attempt to resolve the trade‐off between their own foraging needs and the thermal requirements of their developing embryos via alternating their incubation rhythm in relation to both food and temperature.     

多疣壁虎的雌性繁殖及孵化温度对孵化期和孵化幼体特征的影响

多疣壁虎 (Ｇｅｋｋｏｊａｐｏｎｉｃｕｓ)是华东地区蜥蜴区系的重要成分 ,向西分布至四川东部 ,向北分布至甘肃和陕西南部 ,国外见于朝鲜南部和日本部分岛屿[7,3 2 ] 。有关该种的生态学研究已涉及 ,①雌雄两性异形和繁殖习性[4 ,16,2 4 ] ;②卵孵化和温度决定性别[3 ,17,2 6,2 7] ;③贮能部位及各部位的年变化和相对重要性评估[1,16] ;④温度对摄食量和食物同化的影响[2 ] ;⑤胚胎和成体的代谢率[6,13 ,3 0 ,3 1] 。浙江杭州产多疣壁虎年产 1～ 3窝卵 ,窝卵数通常恒定为 2枚 ,大个体产多窝卵 ,第 1窝卵和第 2窝卵的卵重无显著差异[4 ] 。…     

孵化温度对灰鼠蛇卵孵化期、孵化成功率和孵出幼体特征的影响

用4个恒定温（24－32℃）孵化灰鼠蛇卵,检测温度对孵化期,孵化成功率和孵出幼体特征的影响。在24－32℃范围内,孵化温度显影响孵化期及孵出幼体的体长和剩余卵黄大小,但不影响孵化成功率和孵出幼体的性别,体重,躯干重和脂肪体重。24,26,30和32℃孵化期分别为99．0,72．2,54．7和48．7d。24℃和26℃孵出幼体的体筮大于30℃和32℃孵出幼体;24℃和32℃孵同幼体内的卵黄较多。不同温度下发育的胚胎对卵内物质和能量的利用一定的差异,但差异不显。雌性幼体的体长,尾长和总长均大于雄性幼体,这些两性差异与孵化温度无关。孵出幼体和新生卵内容的灰分含量无显差异,孵化前后卵壳灰分含量也无显差异,表明灰鼠蛇的卵黄可提供胚胎发育所需的所有无机物。     

Incubation time in reptilian eggs

An allometric analysis of reptilian incubation time was performed. Incubation time increased with increasing egg mass (allometric exponent = 0.14, r²= 0.31). However, significant heterogeneity was found within the Reptilia for this character. If periods of developmental arrest are excluded the orders Crocodylia, Testudinata, and the suborder Serpentes have the shortest incubation times and the lizards the longest. Significant differences within lizard families were also observed (Iguanidae, Agamidae, Gekkonidae, and Lacertidae have shorter incubation times than the Varanidae and Teiidae). Preliminary analyses indicate the heterogeneity in incubation time observed within the Squamata is correlated with differences in brain mass; this is similar to findings for mammals. The variation in incubation time indicates the existence of differences in growth rates in reptilian groups and suggests a partial explanation for the observed distribution of viviparity within the Squamata.     

血雉卵的人工孵化

2008～2010年,北京动物园在陕西洋县长青自然保护区采集血雉卵进行人工孵化研究。卵的保存及运输期为5～7d,卵保存温度17.14～18.66℃,湿度73.5%～87.1%,卵使用防震运输箱经34h运输后入孵,运输过程温度在16.38～25.95℃之间。孵化前使用碘氟稀释液擦拭卵表面。35枚受精卵中,19枚使用3台孵化机孵化,孵化温度37.4～37.5℃,使用14%～33%、40%～45%和60%～70%3个湿度梯度孵化;16枚卵使用乌鸡代亲孵化,袖珍温度记录仪测量乌鸡孵化温度在34.81～39.18℃之间,孵化环境湿度为23.4%～72.4%。记录孵化过程中的卵重量变化和孵化期。结果表明:研究期间血雉卵平均孵化率为76.5%,其中机器孵化率为84.2%,代亲孵化率为68.8%;平均孵化期为27d11h;卵失重率11.23%～16.54%,平均为13.77%±1.51%。     

Simplified Method of Anaerobic Incubation

A method is described that obviates the need for vacuum and tanks of gas mixtures for anaerobiosis in the anaerobic incubator.     

Incubation water loss,shell conductance,and pore dimensions in Adelie Penguin eggs

Summary In order to understand water loss regulation of bird eggs in very dry climates eggs of the Adelie Penguin were studied at Cape Bird, Ross Island, Antarctica. During incubation 125 g Adelie Penguin eggs lose about 447 mg of water per day, resulting in an overall estimated loss, during 35 days of incubation, of 13% of their initial mass. The eggshell conductance of 13.1 mg H₂O·day^-1·torr^-1 occurs from 9100 pores with an effective radius and pore length of 11 m and 600 m, respectively. In this study the water vapor pressure of the egg was 44 torr, estimated from the egg temperature of 35.9°C. Ambient temperature was-4°C, with an absolute humidity of less than 3 torr, resulting in an overall vapor pressure difference between the egg and the environment of 41 torr. This difference was divided between the egg and nest conductance in a ratio of ca. 1:5.     

Personal Problem-Solving Using Dream Incubation: Dreaming, Relaxation, or Waking Cognition?

In Experiment 1, 96 frequent dreamers were randomly assigned to Control or Experimental conditions. All participants rated waking and dream moods over ten days and recorded their most vivid dream for each night. On the first and tenth day they rated the levels of distress and solvability of up to eight specific personal problems. After ten days they also rated degree of improvement and problem-solving effort for each nominated problem. All Experimental participants also cognitively reviewed one particular focal problem each day. Experimental participants were also randomly assigned to use either a dream incubation technique (Delaney, 1996) for this focal problem either just before sleep or just after morning wakening, or to use a simple relaxation technique either just before sleep or just after wakening. Night dream incubation participants were particularly likely to report reduced problem distress, greater problem solvability, and improvement in their focal problem. Daytime anxious and depressed moods of the night dream incubation participants decreased over ten days relative to Controls. In Experiment 2 participants predicted how they would have been affected by either night or morning incubation instructions used in Experiment 1. Results did not support an expectancy interpretation of Experiment 1.     

Incubation in uni-parental Arctic breeding waders

Bruinzeel, L., Tulp, I., Jukema, J. & Stepanova, O. 2000. Incubation in mi-parental arctic breeding waders. Ostrich 71 (1 & 2): 345.

Little Stints Calidris minuta are amongst the smallest breeding waders. This, in combination with the fact that they have a peculiar breeding system, in which each adult takes care of her/his own nest and young, puts high demands during incubation. Due to uni-parental feeding system, feeding time is limited. The accumulation of he1 stores prior to breeding may be crucial to get through the 21-day incubation period. Incubation rhythms, body mass dynamics and energy expenditure of Little Stints was studied at Medusa Bay, Western Taimyr in the summer of 1996. Repeated body mass measurements during incubation were taken by catching the birds on the nest. Concurrently, we measured nest attentiveness, using Tiny Talk dataloggers and temperature sensitive probes, which were placed in the nests. Arthropod availability was measured to estimate food availability. In comparison, body mass dynamics were also studied in Curlew Sandpiper, another uni-parental breeder, but three times bigger. The first (preliminary) results of this study were presented.     

Two-Step Cell-Death Kinetics In Vitro During Cis-Platinum, Hydroxyurea and Mitomycin Incubation

A human leukaemic cell line (REH) growing in suspension was incubated with cis-platinum, hydroxyurea and mitomycin C at various concentrations causing complete cell-cycle arrest. At different times the cell suspensions were harvested, diluted 1:1 with a buffer solution, stained without further treatment with a mixture of acridine orange (AO) and ethidium bromide (EB) and analysed with a biparametrical flow cytometer. Fluorescent plastic beads were introduced into the suspensions to provide an internal numerical reference for the control of cell loss. The fluorescence distributions showed three groups of cells: vital cells (V) which were only stained with AO; dead cells in which EB stained cytoplasmic components but not the nuclear DNA (D1), and dead cells which allowed EB to stain both cytoplasm and nuclear DNA (D2). the kinetics of cells entering D1 depended on drug concentration and showed equal characteristics for cis-platinum and mitomycin, but were different for hydroxyurea. the subsequent entry into D2 occurred about 15 hr later and showed no pronounced dependence on drug concentration. Parallel trypan-blue (TB) exclusion tests revealed that TB only stained D2 cells and therefore is not useful for investigating cell-death kinetics during exposure to cell-killing agents.     

甘肃莲花山暗绿柳莺的孵卵行为

2001年5～7月,在甘肃省莲花山自然保护区对暗绿柳莺Phylloscopus trochiloides的孵卵行为进行了初步研究.结果 表明,孵化期内雌鸟日活动期长度平均为(848.5±14.8) min (n=17),每天离巢(16.0±3.0)次(n=15),每次离巢时间为(12.3±5.0) min (n=251),每次在巢时间为(43.6±21.9) min (n=236),在巢率为(78.8±2.4)%.雌鸟在巢时卵温平均为(31.3±3.5)℃ (n=10646),离巢时卵温平均为(26.6±4.8)℃ (n=2876);夜晚的平均卵温为(30.6±3.5)℃ (n=9239).孵卵温度在孵卵期有逐渐上升的趋势.