Calcium separation to cover an egg
- Thread starter arauca
- Start date
Interesting. Can you explain more? Do you mean, how is the shell secreted, or how does calcium precipitate out of the blood, or all of the above. Just avians, or also their ancestors who seemed to have found a good solution to laying eggs on dry land?
Well you asked more then I gad in mind m and that is great .
I have noticed my turkey lay eggs some time with out a calcium shell ,
So the question is there must be some compartment the spray the calcium(XX) compound and there must be some compartment were hydrogen carbonate is secreted to precipitate calcium carbonate .
But you bring the proposal as calcium is released from blood, I suppose tha might have some thing to do the color if the shell. ?
Oh you were asking about the color. I suppose the shell still has as much calcium regardless of its color. So there is some mechanism to color the egg. This is seen in fertilized eggs and eggs of different species.
I would hazard to guess that it is an evolved trait to protect the eggs. For example, in a clutch of eggs being attacked by a nocturnal predator, the lighter eggs (unfertilized) would stand out in the dark, get eaten, but no loss, they weren't going to produce a hatchling anyway.
Similarly, different species may gain an advantage by coloring their eggs for camouflage or some other reason.
Certain compounds lend color, like the azure of copper sulfate, so you may find that the animal is secreting a substance like this, or a compound similar to dye. I don't know, I am just guessing. Maybe a biologist will come along and give you an answer. Have you tried to look it up?
Good luck.
I would hazard to guess that it is an evolved trait to protect the eggs. For example, in a clutch of eggs being attacked by a nocturnal predator, the lighter eggs (unfertilized) would stand out in the dark, get eaten, but no loss, they weren't going to produce a hatchling anyway.
Similarly, different species may gain an advantage by coloring their eggs for camouflage or some other reason.
Certain compounds lend color, like the azure of copper sulfate, so you may find that the animal is secreting a substance like this, or a compound similar to dye. I don't know, I am just guessing. Maybe a biologist will come along and give you an answer. Have you tried to look it up?
Good luck.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10901204
Abstract
The matrix proteins that participate in crystalization fulfill important functions during the formation of the calcified tissues and contribute to the biomechanical properties of the mature product. We suggest that osteopontin (OPN) is part of an array of macromolecules synthesized and secreted by the cells adjacent to the mineralization front that self-assemble outside the cell and direct crystal formation. The OPN meets the theoretical requirements for involvement in the mineralization process. The phosphorylated residues of acidic phosphoprotein have been shown to exist in the protein as reactive monoesters that are available for interaction with other ions, among them crystal constituents such as calcium ions. In addition, sulfation of OPN was also found to be associated with mineralization of other tissues. In contrast to the calbindin gene, whose expression is dependent on the calcium flux, the regulation of OPN synthesis is at least in part dependent on the mechanical strain imposed by the resident egg. These results demonstrate the complexity of the regulation of the matrix genes governing eggshell formation.
I used to work with a guy that raised chickens, and he was curious about why there was different colors of chicken eggs. So he separated his chickens into 4 groups and put them on different diets and that did make the difference in egg color. After he determined how to get the color he wanted that's how he fed his chickens.
He said he had a big problem with flies (farms in general have this problem). Anyway he bought several bug zappers and modified them for flies. He figured out how to put a glass tube filled with rotting fish guts up into the zapping elements. The flies would get their wings burned off and fall to the ground and he never had to feed his chickens again.
