Temperature effects on spawning and egg development in Eurasian perch

Spawning, egg strand development and embryo survival was studied during 1995–1996 in perch Perca fluviatilis exposed to heated effluent from two coastal nuclear power plants on the Baltic. Spawning was earlier and more prolonged in the heated areas. Although the fertilization rate was high, most egg strands sampled in the heated areas did not develop to hatching. The egg strands disintegrated within a few days of spawning, and egg mortality was very high. All samples collected from reference areas developed up to hatching. Exposure to high temperatures during the final maturation of the gonad influenced the follicular mechanism producing the jelly membrane which constitutes the matrix of the egg strand. Effects were observed in fish in open effluent areas as well as in an enclosed research basin. These results suggest that there is a conflict between optimal reproduction and temperature preference in temperate area fish. Fish are attracted to cooling water effluent, at the expense of reduced reproductive performance.     

保存介质和温度对西伯利亚鲟卵子短期保存的影响

研究了不同保存介质(体腔液CF、Hepes液、RMS液)、温度(4℃、16℃)和保存时间(4 h、8 h、16 h、24 h)对西伯利亚鲟卵子短期保存的影响.结果显示:保存介质、温度和时间对卵子受精率、孵化率和初孵仔鱼畸形率有显著性影响(P<0.05),受精率、孵化率均随保存时间的延长而下降,畸形率上升.16℃条件下保存卵子受精率、孵化率和畸形率均高于4℃,但4℃下卵子的保存时间较16℃下长.研究表明,采用根据西伯利亚鲟体腔液生化成分配制的Hepes液作为保存介质,于16℃下保存4 h为西伯利亚鲟卵子的最佳保存条件,此时受精率、孵化率和畸形率分别为86.36%、94.74%和0.     

Effects of storage at low-temperature of various heteropteran host eggs on the egg parasitoid, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trissolcus semistriatus</Emphasis>

Various heteropteran host eggs stored under two low-temperatures were tested in the laboratory for their usability in the production of sunn pest egg parasitoid, Trissolcus semistriatus. Parasitism, adult emergence rate and development time were assesed on stored and fresh eggs of Eurygaster integriceps, Dolycoris baccarum, Graphosoma lineatum and Eurydema ornatum. Masses of fresh host eggs in microcentrifuge tubes were maintained at +6 °C and −20 °C. Every 30 days, 50 eggs of host species were exposed to parasitism by T. semistriatus. The host eggs stored at 6 °C remained viable to parasitism by T. semistriatus up to 2 months, while those of stored at −20 °C were parasitized at high rates up to 4 months, alhough succesful parasitism rates decrease with time. However, it was indicated that both fresh or stored E. ornatum eggs were not preferred to parasitism by the parasitoid. A longer development time from egg to adult was observed in stored eggs under two tested storage techniques when compared with fresh eggs.     

Microbial infection affects egg viability and incubation behavior in a tropical passerine

Many avian species initiate incubation before clutch completion,which causes eggs to hatch asynchronously. This influences broodcompetitive dynamics and often results in nestling mortality.The prevailing hypotheses contend that parents incubate earlybecause asynchronous hatching provides fitness benefits to parentsor surviving offspring. An alternative idea is that early incubationis the best of a bad job because of the costs of delaying incubationto the viability of first-laid eggs. To explore this, we examinedthe potential for microbial infection, and the relative effectsof infection and suboptimal development temperatures on theviability of pearly-eyed thrasher (Margarops fuscatus) eggs.We exposed newly laid eggs for 5 days at either end of a tropicalaltitudinal gradient and cleaned shells of half the eggs toreduce microbial growth. Uncleaned eggs were infected more thanwere cleaned eggs, and infection was greater for eggs exposedat the cool, humid site than at the hot, less humid site. Parentallyincubated eggs, however, were not infected, suggesting thatincubation limits infection. The consequence of exposure toinfection and high ambient temperatures was a dramatic reductionin viability; cleaned eggs held at the cool site had the highesthatching success, which was significantly greater than for uncleanedeggs at this site and for cleaned eggs held at the hot site.This provides the first evidence that microbes can infect unincubatedeggs of a wild bird, and that infection and ambient temperatureact independently to reduce hatching success. These factorscould affect avian life-history strategies in diverse habitats.     

Desiccation and egg viability of the ragwort flea beetle,Longitarsus flavicornis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of desiccation on the survival of eggs of Longitarsus flavicornis. Eclosion of L. flavicornis eggs in laboratory trials decreased with increasing desiccation time between 0 days (93% hatching) and 42 days (no egg hatching) at 50±2% relative humidity and 23±2°C. Probit analysis indicated that 25, 50 and 99% mortality of L. flavicornis eggs occurred after 5.7, 9.3 and 50.4 days desiccation, respectively. Egg development varied between a minimum of 8 days at 7 days desiccation to a maximum of 15 days at 28 days desiccation. Hatching span did not differ between treatments with all eggs hatching within 12 days of each other. A relative humidity of 88–100% was measured under ragwort rosettes in non-drought field conditions. This would be expected to facilitate successful egg eclosion. However, the occurrence of summer drought could be detrimental to egg survival.     

Effect of egg storage duration and brooding temperatures on chick growth,intestine morphology and nutrient transporters

The effects of egg storage duration (ESD) and brooding temperature (BT) on BW, intestine development and nutrient transporters of broiler chicks were investigated. A total of 396 chicks obtained from eggs stored at 18°C for 3 days (ESD3-18°C) or at 14°C for 14 days (ESD14-14°C) before incubation were exposed to three BTs. Temperatures were initially set at 32°C, 34°C and 30°C for control (BT-Cont), high (BT-High) and low (BT-Low) BTs, respectively. Brooding temperatures were decreased by 2°C each at days 2, 7, 14 and 21. Body weight was measured at the day of hatch, 2, 7, 14, 21, 28 and 42. Cloacal temperatures of broilers were recorded from 1 to 14 days. Intestinal morphology and gene expression levels of H⁺-dependent peptide transporter (PepT1) and Na-dependent glucose (SGLT1) were evaluated on the day of hatch and 14. Cloacal temperatures of chicks were affected by BTs from days 1 to 8, being the lowest for BT-Low chicks. BT-High resulted in the heaviest BWs at 7 days, especially for ESD14-14°C chicks. This result was consistent with longer villus and larger villus area of ESD14-14°C chicks at BT-High conditions. From 14 days to slaughter age, BT had no effect on broiler weight. ESD3-18°C chicks were heavier than ESD14-14°C chicks up to 28 days. The PepT1 and SGLT1 expression levels were significantly higher in ESD3-18°C chicks than ESD14-14°C on the day of hatch. There was significant egg storage by BT interaction for PepT1 and SGLT1 transporters at day 14. ESD14-14°C chicks had significantly higher expression of PepT1 and SGLT1 at BT-Low than those at BT-Cont. ESD14-14°C chicks upregulated PepT1 gene expression 1.15 and 1.57-fold at BT-High and BT-Low, respectively, compared with BT-Cont, whereas PepT1 expression was downregulated 0.67 and 0.62-fold in ESD3-18°C chicks at BT-High and BT-Low. These results indicated that pre-incubation egg storage conditions and BTs affected intestine morphology and PepT1 and SGLT1 nutrient transporters expression in broiler chicks.     

低温20℃对意大利蜜蜂未受精卵发育的影响

【目的】蜜蜂是狭温性昆虫的代表,低温对意大利蜜蜂Apis mellifera ligustica未受精卵发育的影响尚不清楚。【方法】将0~66 h卵龄的意大利蜜蜂未受精卵放置在20℃下分别处理梯度时间。【结果】低温20℃导致意大利蜜蜂未受精卵的孵化率下降,发育历期延长。0、3、6、9 h卵龄的卵对低温极敏感,处理0.5 h孵化率下降,处理4.0 h,全部死亡;发育12、24 h的卵在低温中处理4.0 h不受影响(P>0.05),处理12.0 h,全部死亡;发育36 h以上的卵则较耐低温,处理12.0 h无影响(P>0.05),处理36.0 h,各卵龄没有全部死亡,其中最低的孵化率为25.4%。12~66 h的卵在低温20℃下的发育历期(y)与处理时间(x)呈现显著的线性回归关系,发育历期延长的时间约等于处理时间长。【结论】意大利蜜蜂未受精卵对低温20℃的敏感性与卵龄关系密切,低卵龄的意大利蜜蜂未受精卵比高卵龄更易受低温影响。这些结果为深入研究温度对蜜蜂胚胎发育影响的机制奠定基础,也为蜜蜂的科学饲养提供了理论依据。     

家蚕卵显微注射操作对蚕卵孵化及畸形蚕发生的影响

早期胚胎显微注射是目前获得转基因家蚕Bombyx mori的主要途径。显微注射操作对蚕卵的损伤导致注射后的蚕卵孵化率降低, 是家蚕转基因工作的主要障碍之一。本研究对不同卵龄的蚕卵进行了开孔或注射实验, 并对产后5 h的蚕卵上背侧、 腹侧、 前极、 后极和中央等5个不同的位置进行了开孔实验, 调查了卵孵化率和体形异常蚕的产生情况。结果表明： 较早卵龄期的注射或从蚕卵背侧的注射可以获得高的孵化率。腹侧注射产生大量的体形异常蚕而背侧注射的蚕完全正常。通过调整注射时期和注射位置避开上述影响可以减少死卵和畸形蚕, 提高孵化率。本研究为改进家蚕转基因操作技术提供了有效的参考。     

First report on egg deposition and egg morphology of the endangered endemic Romanian perch

The surface of the whitish translucent egg of Romanichthys valsanicola is sculptured in an irregular honeycomb–like pattern. The micropyle consists only of a type I micropylar channel.     

The effect of larval nutrition on egg production in Rhodnius prolixus

Rhodnius prolixus adults which had fed to repletion at each larval instar were frequently autogenous, while those allowed to take only partial blood meals at the 3rd, 4th and 5th larval instars were always anautogenous.Bugs fed to repletion at each larval instar had large abdominal fat bodies throughout adult life. In such bugs, the quantity of blood associated with the production of one egg was small and constant during the course of several blood meals.Bugs fed partial blood meals as larvae had small abdominal fat bodies following ecdysis to the adult; the quantity of blood associated with the production of one egg was large following the first adult feed because some of the blood meal was used to increase the size of the abdominal fat bodies.     

The effect of constant and changing temperatures on the development rates of the eggs and larvae of Ostertagia ostertagi

The duration of the egg stage at constant temperature showed a decrease with increasing constant temperature up to 30°; above this, there was a slight increase in the duration and a decrease in survival. Regularly changing temperature had a slight but significant retarding effect on egg duration in one experiment but in the second, there was no significant effect. In two experiments in which there were two sudden changes of temperature in the same direction, there was no significant effect. The duration of the larval stages from hatching up to the third stage showed a decline with increasing constant temperature up to 25°. Survival was poor at 30°. The larvae were fed on E. coli cultures. In the regularly changing experiments on the larvae one showed a slight retardation and the second an acceleration in development. Both were significant (P < .05). In the experiments in which temperature changed in two sudden jumps in the same direction, one showed a slight acceleration and the other showed no effect. It is concluded that the effects of changing temperature while significant are probably not large enought to be of significance in nature. Newly hatched and third stage larvae grown at constant temperatures showed a tendency to be longer at higher temperatures.     

不同贮藏温度下大别山五针松花粉活力的变化

大别山五针松( Pinus dabeshanensis C. Y. Cheng et Y. W. Law)为松科( Pinaceae)松属( Pinus Linn.)植物,自然种群数量极少,目前仅发现在安徽省岳西县大王沟海拔900~1300 m阴坡和半阴坡有相对集中的分布,种群规模计200余株,且多为成年个体,林下幼苗极少,自然更新困难,为中国特有珍稀树种之一[1]。大别山五针松常在每年3月份至4月份形成花芽,5月中下旬花粉成熟并散发,花粉具气囊,此时雌球花张开接受传粉,球果翌年9月成熟[2]。据作者近年的调查,大别山五针松种子败育率较高,且种子质量较低,这也是该种类濒危的重要原因之一。     

A comparison of in vitro and in vivo estimates of the viability of Taenia pisiformis eggs aged under controlled conditions, and their ability to immunise against a challenge infection

Storing the eggs of T. pisiformis for periods of 0 to 9 days at a temperature of 36–38°C and relative humidity of 87–93 % revealed at least 4 stages in the ageing process. Firstly, a stage in which eggs hatched and activated in vitro and were also fully infective for rabbits. Secondly, a stage in which eggs hatched and activated in vitro but underwent only partial development in rabbits. Thirdly, a stage in which eggs hatched and activated in vitro, and presumably therefore in vivo, but no evidence of infection could be found when they were fed to rabbits. Fourthly, a stage in which eggs either did not hatch, or if they did hatch, the oncosphere was rapidly digested. In vitro techniques for assessing viability of T. pisiformis eggs were not a reliable guide to their infectivity for rabbits. ‘Senescent’ eggs, that is eggs which produced evidence of early infection in rabbits but did not complete their development to cysticerci, failed to produce immunity to challenge infection with T. pisiformis eggs.     

人工扩繁代异色瓢虫卵和成虫最适冷藏条件的探讨

探讨了人工扩繁异色瓢虫时卵和成虫的最适冷藏条件。卵的最适保存温度是 1 0℃ ,冷藏 1 5d内孵化率平均在 60 %以上。成虫的最适保存温度是 1 0℃ ,如将刚羽化的成虫直接在该温度下冷藏 ,冷藏 40d时存活率能保持在 5 0 %左右 ;如将刚羽化成虫先在 1 5℃、0L∶2 4D条件下处理 1 6d,然后置于 1 0℃下冷藏 ,经冷藏 70d后存活率接近 1 0 0 % ,冷藏 90d后存活率仍高于 70 %。表明经一定条件下预处理后再冷藏成虫能保持较高的存活率和较长的存活期 ,可满足人工扩繁时对成虫的冷藏要求。     

The behaviour of laying workers and the morphology and viability of their eggs in Melipona bicolor bicolor

Abstract. As in many other stingless bees, Melipona bicolor bicolor Lepeletier (Apidae: Meliponinae) workers lay two morphologically distinct types of eggs: slender ones that have a typical patterned chorion, and larger ones that lack this pattern. In this paper we report on the relation between egg morphology and the behaviour of the workers that lay such eggs. In most cases, the laying of each of these egg types is accompanied by a unique sequence of behaviours. After a worker has laid the unpatterned type of egg, she generally leaves the cell, giving the queen the possibility of eating this egg. In the case of the patterned egg type, the worker usually closes the cell immediately after her egg laying. When worker egg laying occurs right after a series of regurgitations, it stops the queen from ovipositing. When, instead, a worker lays an egg after queen oviposition, the cell contains two eggs. This study also revealed cases in which workers laid slender, patterned eggs without closing the cell, and other cases where workers laid large, spherical, unpatterned eggs and instantly closed the cell. Experiments in which worker eggs, destined to be eaten by the queen, were protected by covering the cell artificially with a piece of wax showed that some of these eggs developed into larvae, although they were occasionally relatively small. The occurrence of a range of combinations of egg-laying behaviours and egg morphologies in M. b. bicolor workers is discussed from the perspective of worker egg laying in other stingless bees.     

The influence of housefly Musca domestica embryo age on viability in water and at low temperatures

The sensitivity of housefly Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae) embryos to storage at low temperatures (5 and 10 °C on moist sponges in Petri dishes) and in water at 26 °C was investigated to develop suitable protocols for the storage and transport of housefly eggs. The youngest embryos (aged 0–3 h) were the most sensitive to storage at 5 °C, with 45% survival after storage for 24 h. Storage of embryos aged 3–12 h at 5 °C for 24 h had no negative effect; longer storage resulted in significantly decreased larval survival (30–34% after 48–72 h, compared with 61% in the control group) and reduced hatching rates (83% after 72 h storage). No negative effects were observed when embryos aged 0–9 h were stored at 10 °C for 24 h, but this temperature did not completely inhibit development and eggs began to hatch if stored for longer than 24 h. All age groups of embryos showed high mortality after storage in water at 26 °C for 24 h, with the youngest embryos being least resistant to submersion.     

Effect of temperature on the morphometric development of eggs in the prawn Macrobrachium americanum (Caridea: Palaemonidae) and larval success under experimental conditions

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of temperature on morphometric features of the egg during the embryonic development of the prawn Macrobrachium americanum and the relationship with hatching and the survival of the larvae. Berried females were grouped (n = 3) and reared at three different temperatures, 26, 29, and 33 °C, for which seven developmental stages were recognized. At each stage, the apical and sagittal diameters of the eggs were measured, the volume was calculated, and the weights were recorded. Additionally, the duration of embryonic development, hatching percentage, and larval survival were determined. At 29 and 33 °C, the eggs’ volume increased by 50%, but at 26 °C, the increase was 25%. Larvae from eggs incubated at 33 °C died one day after hatching. At 29 °C, larvae survived until Zoea VII. Larvae from eggs incubated at 26 °C died at the end of Zoea I. The number of days of embryonic development was 20.5 ± 1.5 (26 °C), 15 ± 1 (29 °C), and 12 ± 1 (33 °C). A temperature of 29 °C was the most favorable for embryonic development in M. americanum.     

Maternal influence on the size and viability of Iceland cod Gadus morhua eggs and larvae

Size, condition, and age of female-Icelandic cod Gadus morhua were correlated to the size of their eggs and newly hatched larvae. A positive relationship was detected between egg size and some larval viability parameters, including the age at first feeding, successful development of a swimbladder, and specific growth rates during the first 15 days after hatching. These results reveal that the viability of cod larvae is related to attributes of the spawning females and that this information is important to our understanding of stock-recruitment relationships.     

Forecasting the viability of sea turtle eggs in a warming world

Animals living in tropical regions may be at increased risk from climate change because current temperatures at these locations already approach critical physiological thresholds. Relatively small temperature increases could cause animals to exceed these thresholds more often, resulting in substantial fitness costs or even death. Oviparous species could be especially vulnerable because the maximum thermal tolerances of incubating embryos is often lower than adult counterparts, and in many species mothers abandon the eggs after oviposition, rendering them immobile and thus unable to avoid extreme temperatures. As a consequence, the effects of climate change might become evident earlier and be more devastating for hatchling production in the tropics. Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) have the widest nesting range of any living reptile, spanning temperate to tropical latitudes in both hemispheres. Currently, loggerhead sea turtle populations in the tropics produce nearly 30% fewer hatchlings per nest than temperate populations. Strong correlations between empirical hatching success and habitat quality allowed global predictions of the spatiotemporal impacts of climate change on this fitness trait. Under climate change, many sea turtle populations nesting in tropical environments are predicted to experience severe reductions in hatchling production, whereas hatching success in many temperate populations could remain unchanged or even increase with rising temperatures. Some populations could show very complex responses to climate change, with higher relative hatchling production as temperatures begin to increase, followed by declines as critical physiological thresholds are exceeded more frequently. Predicting when, where, and how climate change could impact the reproductive output of local populations is crucial for anticipating how a warming world will influence population size, growth, and stability.