The process of hatching has been well studied in some model species of teleosts: the medaka Oryzias latipes, the mummichog Fundulus heteroclitus, and the zebrafish Danio rerio. These models are compared to the California Grunion, Leuresthes tenuis that has some unique features of reproduction related to tidal synchrony of spawning and environmentally cued hatching (ECH). During oviposition at s...

Incubation temperature plays a prominent role in shaping the phenotypes and fitness of embryos, including affecting developmental rates. In many taxa, including turtles, eggs are deposited in layers such that thermal gradients alter developmental rates within a nest. Despite this thermal effect, a nascent body of experimental work on environmentally cued hatching in turtles has revealed unexpec...

The hatching of Heterodera glycines eggs in soybean root exudates collected after postemergence application of three herbicides, and the hatching potential of H. glycines eggs from females feeding on herbicide-treated plants, were measured in vitro. Hatching in all root exudate solutions (RES) was greater than in deionized water but less than in 0.003 M ZnSO solution. Filtering RES with a 0.22-...

Telomeres are nucleotide sequences located at the ends of chromosomes that promote genome stability. Changes in telomere length (dynamics) are related to fitness or life expectancy, and telomere dynamics during the development phase are likely to be affected by growth and stress factors. Here, we examined telomere dynamics of black-tailed gull chicks (Larus crassirostris) in nests with and with...

Extra-pair copulations (EPC) are the rule rather than an exception in socially monogamous birds, but despite widespread occurrences, the benefits of female infidelity remain elusive. Most attention has been paid to the possibility that females gain genetic benefits from EPC, and fitness comparisons between maternal half-siblings are considered to be a defining test of this hypothesis. Recently,...

The ability of mothers to transfer antibodies (Abs) to their young and the temporal persistence of maternal Abs in offspring constitute important life-history traits that can impact the evolution of host-parasite interactions. Here, we examined the effects of food availability and parental immunization on the transfer and persistence of maternal antibodies in nestling pigeons (Columba livia). T...

Phenotypic plasticity has recently been proposed to increase population viability 15 when rapid anthropogenic environmental changes cannot be tracked by means of evolution. 16 This assumes that environmental changes do not constrain phenotypic plasticity itself, which 17 has rarely been examined in natural populations. In areas of climate warming, many long-18 distance migratory birds breed inc...

Genetic selection has significantly improved the muscle development of fast-growing broiler chickens in the last 50 yr. However, improvement in muscle growth has coincided with relatively poor development of visceral systems, resulting in impaired ability to cope with high environmental temperatures. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effects of thermal manipulation (TM) during differen...

Reductions in hematological parameters among laying birds are well reported, but the cause of this anemia is not known. We tested specific predictions generated from several, non-mutually exclusive hypotheses for mechanisms underlying reproductive anemia associated with egg production (hemodilution, transient suppression of erythropoiesis, resource dependence) in relation to (1) the time-course...