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opencc-zeroJun 2020View details →

The post-embryonic ontogeny of the early Cambrian trilobite Estaingia bilobata from South Australia: trunk development and phylogenetic implications

Trilobites are one of the most diverse and abundant fossil groups from the early Palaeozoic, and as such are useful for answering important questions about early animal evolution, including developmental processes. Ontogenetic information for a large number of trilobite species has been published, but cases where multiple articulated specimens are known across the full range of developmental stages are rare. The early Cambrian (Series 2, Stage 4) Emu Bay Shale biota from Kangaroo Island (South Australia) is numerically dominated by trilobites, particularly articulated specimens of the ellipsocephaloid Estaingia bilobata, which are present in densities of >600 individuals per square metre on certain bedding planes. Here we describe the essentially complete post-embryonic ontogenetic series of E. bilobata from the Emu Bay Shale, and investigate patterns of growth relating to articulation and segmentation in this early Cambrian arthropod. Estaingia bilobata exhibits the hypoprotomeric mode of growth, with the epimorphic phase (the cessation of trunk segment generation) reached prior to the onset of the holaspid period. The meraspid pygidium had an extended equilibrium period where anterior segment release into the thorax was matched by sub-terminal segment generation. Previously undocumented morphological features of E. bilobata, including the hypostome and bispinose pleural tips in holaspides, are also described. The growth characteristics and morphological features of E. bilobata documented herein strengthen close phylogenetic relationships between the Estaingiidae, Ellipsocephalidae and Xystriduridae.

opencc-zeroDec 2018View details →

Data from: Young but not defenseless: antifungal activity during embryonic development of a social insect

Termites live in environments heavily colonized by diverse microbial communities, including pathogens. Eggs laid within the nest likely experience similar pathogenic pressures as their older nestmates. Consequently, they may have also been under selective pressures to be immune-competent. Through in vitro experiments, we tested the ontogeny, location and strength of embryos' antifungal activity against the fungus Metarhizium brunneum. Extraembryonic washes and intraembryonic components were incubated with fungal conidia, which was then scored for viability. Fungistatic activity was location- and stage-dependent. Extraembryonic washes had relatively weak antifungal activity. Conversely, intraembryonic contents were highly antifungal, exhibiting increased potency through development. Boiling both embryonic washes and intraembryonic contents rescued conidia viability, indicating the antifungal agent(s) is (are) likely proteinaceous. Embryonic protein profiles shifted from putative vitellogenins in young embryos to multiple proteins in subsequent stages, suggesting that the increase in fungistatic activity may be due to the expression of endogenous proteins during embryogenesis. This study is the first to address embryonic antifungal activity in a hemimetabolous eusocial taxon. Our results support the hypothesis that microbes have been significant agents of selection, fostering the evolution of antifungal properties even in the most immature and supposed, most vulnerable stage of development.

opencc-zeroJul 2020View details →

Post-embryonic development of Fritzolenellus suggests the ancestral morphology of the early developmental stages in Trilobita

Trilobite development has been intensively explored during past decades, but information about ancestral character combinations in the early developmental stages of trilobites remains virtually unknown. Trilobites of the superfamily Olenelloidea are one of the earliest diverging groups. Study of their development coupled with the development of other early diverging trilobite groups can provide crucial information about the ancestral morphology of trilobite early stages. Herein we describe numerous well-preserved specimens of the olenelloid trilobite Fritzolenellus lapworthi. The earliest stages have circular cephala bearing intergenal spines and lacking genal spines. During subsequent development, morphological changes comprise the modification of the cephalic shape from circular to semi-circular, expansion of LA, gradual shortening of intergenal spines and origin and prolongation of genal spines. Trunk development of Fritzolenellus suggest that the development of macropleurae and macrospines are two independent processes and that origin of the opistotrunk is linked with the onset of phase 5 of cephalic development. The morphology of the early developmental stages of Fritzolenellus and some related taxa differs in many aspects from the morphology of equivalent stages of some other members of Olenelloidea. Consequently, two basic morphotypes are recognized during the early development of Olenelloidea – the Fritzolenellus and the Olenellus morphotypes. Comparison with Fallotaspidoidea and Redlichiina reveals that early developmental stages of these taxa share character combinations that are typical for Fritzolenellus morphotype. Such a comparison suggests that characters defining Fritzolenellus morphotype are ancestral for Trilobita. The Olenellus morphotype is likely a derived condition within Olenelloidea and might be related to predator deterrence.

opencc-zeroNov 2020View details →

Roundup causes embryonic development failure, alters metabolic pathways and gut microbiota functionality in non-target species

Background: Research around the weedkiller Roundup is among the most contentious of the 21st century. Scientists have provided inconclusive evidence that the weedkiller causes cancer and other life-threatening diseases, while industry-paid research reports that the weedkiller has no adverse effect on humans or animals. Much of the controversial evidence on Roundup is rooted in the approach used to determine safe use of chemicals, defined by outdated toxicity tests.We apply a system biology approach to the biomedical and ecological model species Daphnia to quantify the impact of Glyphosate and of its commercial formula, Roundup, on fitness, genome-wide transcription and gut microbiota, taking full advantage of clonal reproduction in Daphnia. We then apply machine learning-based statistical analysis to identify and prioritize correlations between genome-wide transcriptional and microbiota changes. Results: We demonstrate that chronic exposure to ecologically relevant concentrations of Glyphosate and Roundup at the approved regulatory threshold for drinking water in the US induce embryonic developmental failure, significant DNA damage (genotoxicity), and interfere with signaling. Furthermore, chronic exposure to the weedkiller alters the gut microbiota functionality and composition interfering with carbon and fat metabolism, as well as homeostasis. Using the 'Reactome', we identify conserved pathways across the Tree of Life, which are potential targets for Roundup in other species, including liver metabolism, inflammation pathways and collagen degradation, responsible for the repair of wounds and tissue remodeling. Conclusions: Our results show that chronic exposure to concentrations of Roundup and Glyphosate at the approved regulatory threshold for drinking water causes embryonic development failure, and alteration of key metabolic functions via direct effect on the host molecular processes and indirect effect on the gut microbiota. The ecological model species Daphnia occupies a central position in the food web of aquatic ecosystems, being the preferred food of small vertebrates and invertebrates as well as a grazer of algae and bacteria. The impact of the weedkiller on this keystone species has cascading effects on aquatic food webs, affecting their ability to deliver critical ecosystem services.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →

Data from: Adult mortality probability and nest predation rates explain parental effort in warming eggs with consequences for embryonic development time

Parental behavior and effort vary extensively among species. Life history theory suggests that age-specific mortality could cause this interspecific variation, but past tests have focused on fecundity as the measure of parental effort. Fecundity can cause costs of reproduction that confuse whether mortality is the cause or consequence of parental effort. We focus on a trait, parental time and effort in warming embryos, which varies widely among species of diverse taxa and is not tied to fecundity. We conducted studies on songbirds of four continents and show that time spent warming eggs varies widely among species and latitudes, and is not correlated with clutch size. Adult and offspring (nest) mortality explained most of the interspecific variation in time and effort that parents spend warming eggs measured by average egg temperatures. Parental effort in warming eggs is important because embryonic temperature can influence embryonic development period and, hence, exposure time to predation risk. We show through correlative evidence and experimental swapping of embryos between species that parentally induced egg temperatures cause interspecific variation in embryonic development period. The strong association of age-specific mortality with parental effort in warming eggs and the subsequent effects on embryonic development time are unique results that can advance understanding of broad geographic patterns of life history variation.

opencc-zeroDec 2011View details →

Data from: Early evolutionary trends in ammonoid embryonic development

During the Devonian Nekton Revolution, ammonoids show a progressive coiling of their shell just like many other pelagic mollusk groups. These now extinct, externally shelled cephalopods derived from bactritoid cephalopods with a straight shell in the Early Devonian. During the Devonian, evolutionary trends toward tighter coiling and a size reduction occurred in ammonoid embryonic shells. In at least three lineages, descendants with a closed umbilicus evolved convergently from forms with an opening in the first whorl (umbilical window). Other lineages having representatives with open umbilici became extinct around important Devonian events while only those with more tightly coiled embryonic shells survived. This change was accompanied by an evolutionary trend in shape of the initial chamber, but no clear trend in its size. The fact that several ammonoid lineages independently reduced and closed the umbilical window more or less synchronously indicates that common driving factors were involved. A trend in size decrease of the embryos as well as the concurrent increase in adult size in some lineages likely reflects a fundamental change in reproductive strategies toward a higher fecundity early in the evolutionary history of ammonoids. This must have played an important role in their subsequent success as well as in their demise.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →

Data from: Measuring embryonic heart rate of wild birds: an opportunity to take the pulse on early development

Embryonic heart rate has the potential to provide great insight into physiological variation and ontogenic status in early development. The availability of a relatively inexpensive and portable piece of equipment – the Buddy egg monitor (Vetronic Services, UK), provides the opportunity to measure embryonic heart rate non-invasively in the field. Here we demonstrate the application of this equipment in the climatically harsh Australian outback. We characterize variation in embryonic heart rate in the zebra finch with respect to a range of abiotic and biotic variables. Heart rate increased throughout embryonic development and was positively correlated with ambient temperature. There was a strong effect of the nest of origin but no clear effect of laying order, or egg size, on embryonic heart rate. Our results demonstrate the sensitivity of embryonic heart rate to environmental conditions, and/or natal origin. We review studies that have used the digital egg monitor, and in discussing our own results identify areas of avian biology that could benefit from embryonic heart rate measurements in the future.

opencc-zeroDec 2016View details →

Data from: Altered embryonic development in northern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) induced by pre-incubation oscillatory thermal stresses mimicking global warming predictions

Global warming is likely to alter reproductive success of ground-nesting birds that lay eggs normally left unattended for days or even weeks before actual parental incubation, especially in already warm climates. The native North American bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) is such a species, and pre-incubation quail eggs may experience temperatures >45°C. Yet, almost nothing is known about embryonic survival after such high pre-incubation temperatures. Freshly laid bobwhite quail eggs were exposed during a 12 day pre-incubation period to one of five thermal regimes: low oscillating temperatures (25-40°C, mean=28.9°C), high oscillating temperatures (30-45°C, mean=33.9°C), low constant temperatures (28.85°C), high constant temperatures (mean=33.9°C), or commercially employed pre-incubation temperatures (20°C). After treatment, eggs were then incubated at a standard 37.5°C to determine subsequent effects on embryonic development rate, survival, water loss, hatching, and embryonic oxygen consumption. Both quantity of heating degree hours during pre-incubation and specific thermal regime (oscillating vs. non-oscillating) profoundly affected important aspects of embryo survival and indices of development and growth Pre-incubation quail eggs showed a remarkable tolerance to constant high temperatures (up to 45°C), surviving for 4.5±0.3 days of subsequent incubation, but high oscillating pre-incubation temperature increased embryo survival (mean survival 12.2±1.8 days) and led to more rapid development than high constant temperature (maximum 38.5ºC), even though both groups experienced the same total heating degree-hours. Oxygen consumption was ~200-300 μl O2.egg.min-1 at hatching in all groups, and was not affected by pre-incubation conditions. Oscillating temperatures, which are the norm for pre-incubation quail eggs in their natural habitat, thus enhanced survival at higher temperatures. However, a 5°C increase in pre-incubation temperature, which equates to the predicted long-term increases of 5°C or more, nonetheless reduced hatching rate by approximately 50%. Thus, while pre-incubation bobwhite eggs may be resiliant to moderate oscillating temperature increases, global warming will likely severely impact wild bobwhite quail populations, especially in their strongholds in southern latitudes.

opencc-zeroDec 2018View details →

Data from: Bacterial community dynamics during embryonic and larval development of three confamilial echinoids

Development of some animals is influenced by and, in some cases, dependent on the associated microbiota. The timing of when associated bacterial communities are established during the development of marine invertebrates and their subsequent dynamics across stages are known for only a few species. Here, we compared the bacterial communities of 3 confamilial echinoids from egg to juvenile using sequence-based approaches. Bacterial communities are established on unfertilized eggs and change gradually during embryonic and larval development. Despite the differences amongst these pre-metamorphic stages, approximately 30% of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) identified in association with unfertilized eggs were present in the juveniles. During embryonic development, host-associated communities diverged from the environmental microbiota but later converged following the onset of larval feeding. Taken together, the data presented here support the hypothesis that bacterial communities are established prior to fertilization and community composition shifts gradually thereafter, all the while remaining distinct from the environment. Future work will need to determine the relative influence of the host and bacteria–bacteria interactions in shaping the associated bacterial community to more broadly determine the potential functional importance of bacteria during the development of larval sea urchins and benthic marine invertebrates.

opencc-zeroMar 2024View details →

Supplementary material 2 from: Srygley RB, Senior LB (2024) Illustrated review of Mormon cricket Anabrus simplex (Tettigoniidae, Tettigoniinae) embryonic development. Journal of Orthoptera Research 33(1): 87-93. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.33.98763

Supplementary material 2 from: Srygley RB, Senior LB (2024) Illustrated review of Mormon cricket Anabrus simplex (Tettigoniidae, Tettigoniinae) embryonic development. Journal of Orthoptera Research 33(1): 87-93. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.33.98763

opencc-zeroMar 2024View details →

Supplementary material 1 from: Srygley RB, Senior LB (2024) Illustrated review of Mormon cricket Anabrus simplex (Tettigoniidae, Tettigoniinae) embryonic development. Journal of Orthoptera Research 33(1): 87-93. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.33.98763

Supplementary material 1 from: Srygley RB, Senior LB (2024) Illustrated review of Mormon cricket Anabrus simplex (Tettigoniidae, Tettigoniinae) embryonic development. Journal of Orthoptera Research 33(1): 87-93. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.33.98763

opencc-by-4.0Sep 2019View details →

Accurate genome-wide predictions of spatio-temporal gene expression during embryonic development

This upload contains the expression prediction dataset discussed in the manuscript "Accurate genome-wide predictions of spatio-temporal gene expression during embryonic development" and used by the webserver https://find.princeton.edu. Abstract: Comprehensive information on the timing and location of gene expression is fundamental to our understanding of embryonic development and tissue formation.  While high-throughput in situ hybridization projects provide invaluable information about developmental gene expression patterns for model organisms like Drosophila, the output of these experiments is primarily qualitative, and a high proportion of protein coding genes and most non-coding genes lack any annotation.  Accurate data-centric predictions of spatio-temporal gene expression will therefore complement current in situ hybridization efforts.  Here, we applied a machine learning approach by training models on all public gene expression and chromatin data, even from whole-organism experiments, to provide genome-wide, quantitative spatio-temporal predictions for all genes.  We developed structured in silico nano-dissection, a computational approach that predicts gene expression in >200 tissue-developmental stages. The algorithm integrates expression signals from a compendium of 6,378 genome-wide expression and chromatin profiling experiments in a cell lineage-aware fashion.  We systematically evaluated our performance via cross-validation and experimentally confirmed 22 new predictions for four different embryonic tissues.  The model also predicts complex, multi-tissue expression and developmental regulation with high accuracy.  We further show the potential of applying these genome-wide predictions to extract tissue specificity signals from non-tissue-dissected experiments, and to prioritize tissues and stages for disease modeling.  This resource, together with the exploratory tools are freely available at our webserver <a href="http://find.princeton.edu/">http://find.princeton.edu</a>,  which provides a valuable tool for a range of applications, from predicting spatio-temporal expression patterns to recognizing tissue signatures from differential gene expression profiles.

opencc-zeroOct 2019View details →

Supplementary material 2 from: Tanaka S, Kotaki T, Nishide Y, Ben-Hamouda A, Abdellaoui K, Ebbe MAB, Ely SO (2019) Effects of water extracts of feces from three locust species and various plants on oviposition and embryonic development in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. Journal of Orthoptera Research 28(2): 195-204. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.28.34665

: Explanation note: Fig. S2. Effects of water extracts of leaves of various plants on the numbers of egg pods laid when presented to adult female desert locusts mixed with sand.

opencc-zeroOct 2019View details →

Supplementary material 1 from: Tanaka S, Kotaki T, Nishide Y, Ben-Hamouda A, Abdellaoui K, Ebbe MAB, Ely SO (2019) Effects of water extracts of feces from three locust species and various plants on oviposition and embryonic development in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. Journal of Orthoptera Research 28(2): 195-204. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.28.34665

: Explanation note: Fig. S1. Effects of water extracts of desert locust frass after feeding on various plants on the numbers of egg pods laid when adult female desert locusts were presented with extracts mixed with sand.

opencc-zeroOct 2019View details →

Supplementary material 3 from: Tanaka S, Kotaki T, Nishide Y, Ben-Hamouda A, Abdellaoui K, Ebbe MAB, Ely SO (2019) Effects of water extracts of feces from three locust species and various plants on oviposition and embryonic development in the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. Journal of Orthoptera Research 28(2): 195-204. https://doi.org/10.3897/jor.28.34665

: Explanation note: Fig. S3. Effects of water extracts of rescue grass-fed desert locust frass on antennal lengths of embryos (A, mean ± SD; n = 6–10).

Figure 11 in Breaking through the eggshell: embryonic development of the premaxillary dentition in Lacerta agilis (Squamata: Unidentata) with special emphasis on the egg tooth

Figure 11. The egg tooth of Lacerta agilis at developmental stage 36. A, labiolingual histological section through the egg tooth and higher magnification of the area from the smaller box (inset), stained with H&E. B, labiolingual histological section through the egg tooth and dentin under higher magnification (inset) from the egg tooth tip, stained with AZAN trichrome. C, higher magnification of the area from the larger box in A showing a reversal line (arrows). D, transverse histological section through the anterior snout showing the cellular attachment tissue connecting the egg tooth to pleura, stained with H&E. E, sagittal cutaway of the snout (left), microtomographic sagittal (middle) and labiolingual (right) sections of the egg tooth. F, 3D reconstruction of the premaxilla and premaxillary teeth with exclusion of the egg tooth, ventral view. G, 3D reconstruction of the premaxilla and all premaxillary teeth, ventral view. H, 3D reconstruction of the premaxilla and the egg tooth (semi-transparent), right posterolateral view. Asterisks in E and F show the forming successor of the egg tooth. Scale bars: 100 μm.

Figure 4 in Breaking through the eggshell: embryonic development of the premaxillary dentition in Lacerta agilis (Squamata: Unidentata) with special emphasis on the egg tooth

Figure 4. The egg tooth of Lacerta agilis at developmental stage 31. A, transverse histological section through the snout at the level of the egg tooth and forming premaxilla (asterisks), stained with H&E. B, 3D reconstruction of the palate. C, transverse histological section posterior to A, stained with H&E. D, transverse histological section posterior to C, stained with H&E. E, 3D reconstruction of the snout showing the egg tooth and forming premaxilla (asterisks), anterior semi-transparent view. F, microtomographic frontal section through the anterior snout. G, microtomographic frontal section through the anterior snout, ventral to F. Scale bars: 50 μm for histological sections; 500 μm for microtomographic sections.

Figure 7 in Breaking through the eggshell: embryonic development of the premaxillary dentition in Lacerta agilis (Squamata: Unidentata) with special emphasis on the egg tooth

Figure 7. The premaxillary teeth of Lacerta agilis at developmental stage 34. A, labiolingual histological section through the egg tooth, stained with H&E. B, labiolingual histological section through the egg tooth, stained with AZAN trichrome. C, 3D reconstruction of the anterior snout, right lateral semi-transparent view. D, sagittal cutaway of the anterior snout. E, labiolingual histological section through the regular premaxillary tooth, stained with AZAN trichrome. F, labiolingual histological section through the regular premaxillary tooth, stained with H&E. Scale bars: 50 μm for histological sections; 200 μm for 3D reconstructions.

Figure 3 in Breaking through the eggshell: embryonic development of the premaxillary dentition in Lacerta agilis (Squamata: Unidentata) with special emphasis on the egg tooth

Figure 3. The egg tooth of Lacerta agilis at developmental stage 29. A, transverse histological section through the snout at the level of the epithelial thickening of the forming egg tooth, stained with H&E. B, 3D reconstruction of the snout, lateroventral view. C, transverse histological section through the snout posterior to A, showing epithelial thickening of the forming regular premaxillary tooth (arrow). D, sagittal cutaway of the snout, stage 29, but slightly older than in A–C. E, 3D reconstruction of the snout, lateroventral semi-transparent view, stage 29, but slightly older than in A–C. F, transverse histological section through the snout at the level of the egg tooth bud (dotted line) stained with AZAN trichrome, stage 29, but slightly older than in D and E. G, transverse histological section through the snout at the level of the premaxillary dental lamina, stained with AZAN trichrome, posterior to F. Scale bars: 50 μm for histological sections; 500 μm for 3D reconstructions.

Figure 10 in Breaking through the eggshell: embryonic development of the premaxillary dentition in Lacerta agilis (Squamata: Unidentata) with special emphasis on the egg tooth

Figure 10. The egg tooth of Lacerta agilis at developmental stage 36. A, stereomicroscope photomicrograph of the anterior snout, left ventrolateral view (mirrored). B, stereomicroscope photomicrograph of the anterior palate. C, 3D reconstruction of the snout, anterior view. D, scanning electron micrograph of the egg tooth showing a disruption of the enamel organ (arrow), ventral view. E, scanning electron micrograph of the lateral border of the egg tooth showing small bulges (arrowhead). F, scanning electron micrograph of the periderm cells covering the egg tooth. G, scanning electron micrograph of the microridges on the egg tooth periderm cells. Scale bars: 200 μm in A–D; 1 μm in E–G.