First published online June 29, 2007
Journal of Experimental Biology 210, 2430-2435 (2007)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2007
doi: 10.1242/jeb.003541
Intermittent hypoxia in eggs of Ambystoma maculatum: embryonic development and egg capsule conductance
J. Hunter Valls and
Nathan E. Mills*
Department of Biology, Harding University, Searcy, AR 72149,
USA

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Fig. 1. Diurnal PO2 fluctuation profiles for each
treatment immediately before and after the experimental period. Curves are
based on hourly measurements taken during periods of
PO2 fluctuation 3 days prior to and immediately
following the experiment. Values are means ± s.d. (N=6).
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Fig. 2. Daily developmental differences among treatments. Lines terminate on the
day the first embryo hatched in each treatment. Values are means ±
s.e.m.; N=50. Reference lines at stages 32 and 38 facilitate
recognition of the divergence of developmental trajectories among treatments.
At stage 32, embryos in the 18.8 kPa treatment were approximately 1 day in
development ahead of embryos in the 1.8 kPa treatment, whereas at stage 38
this difference had increased to 4 days.
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Fig. 3. Effect of minimum PO2 on days to stage 39
(A), days to hatching (B), and stage at hatching (C). Values are means
± s.e.m., N=50. Lower nightly
PO2 caused slowed development (A), delayed
hatching (B), and developmentally premature hatching (C).
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Fig. 4. Effect of minimum PO2 on increase in egg
capsule inner radius (ri). Filled circles, mean
proportional increase from the beginning of the experiment to day 8; open
circles, mean increase from the beginning of the experiment to stage 39.
Values are means ± s.e.m.; N=50. The degree of increase in
ri was not significantly different among
PO2 treatments.
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© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2007