The avian egg exhibits general allometric invariances in mechanical design

Abstract The avian egg exhibits extraordinary diversity in size, shape and color, and has a key role in avian adaptive radiations. Despite extensive work, our understanding of the underlying principles that guide the “design” of the egg as a load-bearing structure remains incomplete, especially over...

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Autores principales:	Jia-Yang Juang, Pin-Yi Chen, Da-Chang Yang, Shang-Ping Wu, An Yen, Hsin-I. Hsieh
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Nature Portfolio 2017
Materias:	Medicine R Science Q
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/9725c2112e7c478abad9bd1542bb5b7f
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:9725c2112e7c478abad9bd1542bb5b7f2021-12-02T11:40:22ZThe avian egg exhibits general allometric invariances in mechanical design10.1038/s41598-017-14552-02045-2322https://doaj.org/article/9725c2112e7c478abad9bd1542bb5b7f2017-10-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-14552-0https://doaj.org/toc/2045-2322Abstract The avian egg exhibits extraordinary diversity in size, shape and color, and has a key role in avian adaptive radiations. Despite extensive work, our understanding of the underlying principles that guide the “design” of the egg as a load-bearing structure remains incomplete, especially over broad taxonomic scales. Here we define a dimensionless number C, a function of egg weight, stiffness and dimensions, to quantify how stiff an egg is with respect to its weight after removing geometry-induced rigidity. We analyze eggs of 463 bird species in 36 orders across five orders of magnitude in body mass, and find that C number is nearly invariant for most species, including tiny hummingbirds and giant elephant birds. This invariance or “design guideline” dictates that evolutionary changes in shell thickness and Young’s modulus, both contributing to shell stiffness, are constrained by changes in egg weight. Our analysis illuminates unique reproductive strategies of brood parasites, kiwis, and megapodes, and quantifies the loss of safety margin for contact incubation due to artificial selection and environmental toxins. Our approach provides a mechanistic framework for a better understanding of the mechanical design of the avian egg, and may provide clues to the evolutionary origin of contact incubation of amniote eggs.Jia-Yang JuangPin-Yi ChenDa-Chang YangShang-Ping WuAn YenHsin-I. HsiehNature PortfolioarticleMedicineRScienceQENScientific Reports, Vol 7, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2017)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Medicine R Science Q
spellingShingle	Medicine R Science Q Jia-Yang Juang Pin-Yi Chen Da-Chang Yang Shang-Ping Wu An Yen Hsin-I. Hsieh The avian egg exhibits general allometric invariances in mechanical design
description	Abstract The avian egg exhibits extraordinary diversity in size, shape and color, and has a key role in avian adaptive radiations. Despite extensive work, our understanding of the underlying principles that guide the “design” of the egg as a load-bearing structure remains incomplete, especially over broad taxonomic scales. Here we define a dimensionless number C, a function of egg weight, stiffness and dimensions, to quantify how stiff an egg is with respect to its weight after removing geometry-induced rigidity. We analyze eggs of 463 bird species in 36 orders across five orders of magnitude in body mass, and find that C number is nearly invariant for most species, including tiny hummingbirds and giant elephant birds. This invariance or “design guideline” dictates that evolutionary changes in shell thickness and Young’s modulus, both contributing to shell stiffness, are constrained by changes in egg weight. Our analysis illuminates unique reproductive strategies of brood parasites, kiwis, and megapodes, and quantifies the loss of safety margin for contact incubation due to artificial selection and environmental toxins. Our approach provides a mechanistic framework for a better understanding of the mechanical design of the avian egg, and may provide clues to the evolutionary origin of contact incubation of amniote eggs.
format	article
author	Jia-Yang Juang Pin-Yi Chen Da-Chang Yang Shang-Ping Wu An Yen Hsin-I. Hsieh
author_facet	Jia-Yang Juang Pin-Yi Chen Da-Chang Yang Shang-Ping Wu An Yen Hsin-I. Hsieh
author_sort	Jia-Yang Juang
title	The avian egg exhibits general allometric invariances in mechanical design
title_short	The avian egg exhibits general allometric invariances in mechanical design
title_full	The avian egg exhibits general allometric invariances in mechanical design
title_fullStr	The avian egg exhibits general allometric invariances in mechanical design
title_full_unstemmed	The avian egg exhibits general allometric invariances in mechanical design
title_sort	avian egg exhibits general allometric invariances in mechanical design
publisher	Nature Portfolio
publishDate	2017
url	https://doaj.org/article/9725c2112e7c478abad9bd1542bb5b7f
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The avian egg exhibits general allometric invariances in mechanical design

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