Avian embryonic development does not change the stable isotope composition of the calcite eggshell
G. Maurer A C , S. J. Portugal A , I. Boomer B and P. Cassey A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Centre for Ornithology, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT, UK.
B School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT, UK.
C Corresponding author. Email: golo.maurer@gmx.net
Reproduction, Fertility and Development 23(2) 339-345 https://doi.org/10.1071/RD10138
Submitted: 11 June 2010 Accepted: 4 August 2010 Published: 4 January 2011
Abstract
The avian embryo resorbs most of the calcium for bone formation from the calcite eggshell but the exact mechanisms of the resorption are unknown. The present study tested whether this process results in variable fractionation of the oxygen and carbon isotopes in shell calcium carbonate, which could provide a detailed insight into the temporal and spatial use of the eggshell by the developing embryo. Despite the uncertainty regarding changes in stable isotope composition of the eggshell across developmental stages or regions of the shell, eggshells are a popular resource for the analysis of historic and extant trophic relationships. To clarify how the stable isotope composition varies with embryonic development, the δ13C and δ18O content of the carbonate fraction in shells of black-headed gull (Larus ridibundus) eggs were sampled at four different stages of embryonic development and at five eggshell regions. No consistent relationship between the stable isotope composition of the eggshell and embryonic development, shell region or maculation was observed, although shell thickness decreased with development in all shell regions. By contrast, individual eggs differed significantly in isotope composition. These results establish that eggshells can be used to investigate a species’ carbon and oxygen sources, regardless of the egg’s developmental stage.
Additional keywords: black-headed gull, calcium resorption, carbon isotopes, maculation, oxygen isotopes, shell thickness.
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