Embryo movement is more frequent in avian brood parasites than birds with parental reproductive strategies.
Authors
Reynolds, Miranda
Cordall, Molly
McClean, Luke A
Hamama, Silky
Lund, Jess
Honza, Marcel
Publication Date
2021-10-27Journal Title
Proc Biol Sci
ISSN
0962-8452
Publisher
The Royal Society
Volume
288
Issue
1961
Language
en
Type
Article
This Version
AO
VoR
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
McClelland, S. C., Reynolds, M., Cordall, M., Hauber, M. E., Goymann, W., McClean, L. A., Hamama, S., et al. (2021). Embryo movement is more frequent in avian brood parasites than birds with parental reproductive strategies.. Proc Biol Sci, 288 (1961) https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.1137
Description
Funder: National Science Foundation; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100000001
Funder: Tanzanian Commission for Science and Technology (COSTECH)
Funder: NERC
Funder: Max-Planck-Gesellschaft; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100004189
Funder: Ministry of Education; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002701
Funder: Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI)
Funder: University of Cape Town; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100007112
Funder: German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)
Abstract
Movement of the embryo is essential for musculoskeletal development in vertebrates, yet little is known about whether, and why, species vary. Avian brood parasites exhibit feats of strength in early life as adaptations to exploit the hosts that rear them. We hypothesized that an increase in embryonic movement could allow brood parasites to develop the required musculature for these demands. We measured embryo movement across incubation for multiple brood-parasitic and non-parasitic bird species. Using a phylogenetically controlled analysis, we found that brood parasites exhibited significantly increased muscular movement during incubation compared to non-parasites. This suggests that increased embryo movement may facilitate the development of the stronger musculoskeletal system required for the demanding tasks undertaken by young brood parasites.
Keywords
Evolution, Research articles, avian brood parasites, co-evolutionary arms race, embryonic development, muscle development
Sponsorship
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BB/J014109/1)
Identifiers
rspb20211137
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.1137
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/329985
Rights
Licence:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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