Climate variability and parent nesting strategies influence gas exchange across avian eggshells.

ABSTRACT: Embryo survival in birds depends on a controlled transfer of water vapour and respiratory gases through the eggshell, and this exchange is critically sensitive to the surrounding physical environment. As birds breed in most terrestrial habitats worldwide, we proposed that variation in eggshell conductance has evolved to optimize embryonic development under different breeding conditions. This is the first study to take a broad-scale macro-ecological view of avian eggshell conductance, encompassing all key avian taxonomic groups, to assess how life history and climate influence the evolution of this trait. Using whole eggs spanning a wide phylogenetic diversity of birds, we determine that body mass, temperature seasonality and whether both parents attend the nest are the main determinants of

SUBMITTER: Attard MRG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8206688 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature