The Ultrastructure of <i>Chrysemys picta</i> Eggshell and Shell Membrane

Jessica Gibbons; Suresh Nimmagadda; Poongodi Geetha-Loganathan

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajz.20200301.13

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The Ultrastructure of Chrysemys picta Eggshell and Shell Membrane

Jessica Gibbons, Suresh Nimmagadda, Poongodi Geetha-Loganathan

Published in American Journal of Zoology (Volume 3, Issue 1)

Received: 8 January 2020 Accepted: 20 January 2020 Published: 11 February 2020

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Abstract

The structure of eggshells plays a multifunctional role in successful embryogenesis. The avian eggshells have been extensively studied while there are few studies on reptilian eggshells. Painted turtle eggs exhibit pliable shells and have received attention by researchers because of its availability but general morphological characteristics of their eggshells have not been previously reported. The objective of the study is to describe the ultrastructure of the eggshell and shell membranes of preincubated and post incubated eggs of painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Painted turtles lay oval-shaped, pliable-shelled eggs, eggshell is composed of outer calcareous layer and inner shell membrane. Outer mineral layer composed of loosely arranged shell units separated with pores traversing through the calciferous layer to the membrane. The size of shell units and pores increase with incubation suggests that the developing embryo derives calcium and water from the eggshell. The outer mineral layer is connected to the multilayered shell membrane at the basal knob. The outer shell membrane is composed of randomly arranged fibers organized into rough, filamentous meshwork and the inner membrane is in contact with the albumin consist of smooth, parallel arranged, featureless f ibers. In conclusion, eggs of painted turtle showed some similarities in morphology to other species of turtles that lay pliable-shelled eggs, the description on structural characteristics of an eggshell is essential to understand the chemical composition of the eggshell and its development.

Published in	American Journal of Zoology (Volume 3, Issue 1)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajz.20200301.13
Page(s)	10-16
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Painted Turtle, Eggshell, Shell Membrane, Scanning Electron Microscope, Shell Units, Shell Membrane

References

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APA Style

Jessica Gibbons, Suresh Nimmagadda, Poongodi Geetha-Loganathan. (2020). The Ultrastructure of Chrysemys picta Eggshell and Shell Membrane. American Journal of Zoology, 3(1), 10-16. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajz.20200301.13

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ACS Style

Jessica Gibbons; Suresh Nimmagadda; Poongodi Geetha-Loganathan. The Ultrastructure of Chrysemys picta Eggshell and Shell Membrane. Am. J. Zool. 2020, 3(1), 10-16. doi: 10.11648/j.ajz.20200301.13

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AMA Style

Jessica Gibbons, Suresh Nimmagadda, Poongodi Geetha-Loganathan. The Ultrastructure of Chrysemys picta Eggshell and Shell Membrane. Am J Zool. 2020;3(1):10-16. doi: 10.11648/j.ajz.20200301.13

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@article{10.11648/j.ajz.20200301.13,
  author = {Jessica Gibbons and Suresh Nimmagadda and Poongodi Geetha-Loganathan},
  title = {The Ultrastructure of Chrysemys picta Eggshell and Shell Membrane},
  journal = {American Journal of Zoology},
  volume = {3},
  number = {1},
  pages = {10-16},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajz.20200301.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajz.20200301.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajz.20200301.13},
  abstract = {The structure of eggshells plays a multifunctional role in successful embryogenesis. The avian eggshells have been extensively studied while there are few studies on reptilian eggshells. Painted turtle eggs exhibit pliable shells and have received attention by researchers because of its availability but general morphological characteristics of their eggshells have not been previously reported. The objective of the study is to describe the ultrastructure of the eggshell and shell membranes of preincubated and post incubated eggs of painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Painted turtles lay oval-shaped, pliable-shelled eggs, eggshell is composed of outer calcareous layer and inner shell membrane. Outer mineral layer composed of loosely arranged shell units separated with pores traversing through the calciferous layer to the membrane. The size of shell units and pores increase with incubation suggests that the developing embryo derives calcium and water from the eggshell. The outer mineral layer is connected to the multilayered shell membrane at the basal knob. The outer shell membrane is composed of randomly arranged fibers organized into rough, filamentous meshwork and the inner membrane is in contact with the albumin consist of smooth, parallel arranged, featureless f ibers. In conclusion, eggs of painted turtle showed some similarities in morphology to other species of turtles that lay pliable-shelled eggs, the description on structural characteristics of an eggshell is essential to understand the chemical composition of the eggshell and its development.},
 year = {2020}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Ultrastructure of Chrysemys picta Eggshell and Shell Membrane
AU  - Jessica Gibbons
AU  - Suresh Nimmagadda
AU  - Poongodi Geetha-Loganathan
Y1  - 2020/02/11
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajz.20200301.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajz.20200301.13
T2  - American Journal of Zoology
JF  - American Journal of Zoology
JO  - American Journal of Zoology
SP  - 10
EP  - 16
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2994-7413
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajz.20200301.13
AB  - The structure of eggshells plays a multifunctional role in successful embryogenesis. The avian eggshells have been extensively studied while there are few studies on reptilian eggshells. Painted turtle eggs exhibit pliable shells and have received attention by researchers because of its availability but general morphological characteristics of their eggshells have not been previously reported. The objective of the study is to describe the ultrastructure of the eggshell and shell membranes of preincubated and post incubated eggs of painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Painted turtles lay oval-shaped, pliable-shelled eggs, eggshell is composed of outer calcareous layer and inner shell membrane. Outer mineral layer composed of loosely arranged shell units separated with pores traversing through the calciferous layer to the membrane. The size of shell units and pores increase with incubation suggests that the developing embryo derives calcium and water from the eggshell. The outer mineral layer is connected to the multilayered shell membrane at the basal knob. The outer shell membrane is composed of randomly arranged fibers organized into rough, filamentous meshwork and the inner membrane is in contact with the albumin consist of smooth, parallel arranged, featureless f ibers. In conclusion, eggs of painted turtle showed some similarities in morphology to other species of turtles that lay pliable-shelled eggs, the description on structural characteristics of an eggshell is essential to understand the chemical composition of the eggshell and its development.
VL  - 3
IS  - 1
ER  -

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Author Information

Jessica Gibbons

The Department of Biological Sciences, State University New York Oswego, Oswego, USA
Suresh Nimmagadda

The Department of Biological Sciences, State University New York Oswego, Oswego, USA
Poongodi Geetha-Loganathan

The Department of Biological Sciences, State University New York Oswego, Oswego, USA

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APA Style

Jessica Gibbons, Suresh Nimmagadda, Poongodi Geetha-Loganathan. (2020). The Ultrastructure of Chrysemys picta Eggshell and Shell Membrane. American Journal of Zoology, 3(1), 10-16. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajz.20200301.13

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ACS Style

Jessica Gibbons; Suresh Nimmagadda; Poongodi Geetha-Loganathan. The Ultrastructure of Chrysemys picta Eggshell and Shell Membrane. Am. J. Zool. 2020, 3(1), 10-16. doi: 10.11648/j.ajz.20200301.13

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AMA Style

Jessica Gibbons, Suresh Nimmagadda, Poongodi Geetha-Loganathan. The Ultrastructure of Chrysemys picta Eggshell and Shell Membrane. Am J Zool. 2020;3(1):10-16. doi: 10.11648/j.ajz.20200301.13

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@article{10.11648/j.ajz.20200301.13,
  author = {Jessica Gibbons and Suresh Nimmagadda and Poongodi Geetha-Loganathan},
  title = {The Ultrastructure of Chrysemys picta Eggshell and Shell Membrane},
  journal = {American Journal of Zoology},
  volume = {3},
  number = {1},
  pages = {10-16},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajz.20200301.13},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajz.20200301.13},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajz.20200301.13},
  abstract = {The structure of eggshells plays a multifunctional role in successful embryogenesis. The avian eggshells have been extensively studied while there are few studies on reptilian eggshells. Painted turtle eggs exhibit pliable shells and have received attention by researchers because of its availability but general morphological characteristics of their eggshells have not been previously reported. The objective of the study is to describe the ultrastructure of the eggshell and shell membranes of preincubated and post incubated eggs of painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Painted turtles lay oval-shaped, pliable-shelled eggs, eggshell is composed of outer calcareous layer and inner shell membrane. Outer mineral layer composed of loosely arranged shell units separated with pores traversing through the calciferous layer to the membrane. The size of shell units and pores increase with incubation suggests that the developing embryo derives calcium and water from the eggshell. The outer mineral layer is connected to the multilayered shell membrane at the basal knob. The outer shell membrane is composed of randomly arranged fibers organized into rough, filamentous meshwork and the inner membrane is in contact with the albumin consist of smooth, parallel arranged, featureless f ibers. In conclusion, eggs of painted turtle showed some similarities in morphology to other species of turtles that lay pliable-shelled eggs, the description on structural characteristics of an eggshell is essential to understand the chemical composition of the eggshell and its development.},
 year = {2020}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Ultrastructure of Chrysemys picta Eggshell and Shell Membrane
AU  - Jessica Gibbons
AU  - Suresh Nimmagadda
AU  - Poongodi Geetha-Loganathan
Y1  - 2020/02/11
PY  - 2020
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajz.20200301.13
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajz.20200301.13
T2  - American Journal of Zoology
JF  - American Journal of Zoology
JO  - American Journal of Zoology
SP  - 10
EP  - 16
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2994-7413
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajz.20200301.13
AB  - The structure of eggshells plays a multifunctional role in successful embryogenesis. The avian eggshells have been extensively studied while there are few studies on reptilian eggshells. Painted turtle eggs exhibit pliable shells and have received attention by researchers because of its availability but general morphological characteristics of their eggshells have not been previously reported. The objective of the study is to describe the ultrastructure of the eggshell and shell membranes of preincubated and post incubated eggs of painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) using a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Painted turtles lay oval-shaped, pliable-shelled eggs, eggshell is composed of outer calcareous layer and inner shell membrane. Outer mineral layer composed of loosely arranged shell units separated with pores traversing through the calciferous layer to the membrane. The size of shell units and pores increase with incubation suggests that the developing embryo derives calcium and water from the eggshell. The outer mineral layer is connected to the multilayered shell membrane at the basal knob. The outer shell membrane is composed of randomly arranged fibers organized into rough, filamentous meshwork and the inner membrane is in contact with the albumin consist of smooth, parallel arranged, featureless f ibers. In conclusion, eggs of painted turtle showed some similarities in morphology to other species of turtles that lay pliable-shelled eggs, the description on structural characteristics of an eggshell is essential to understand the chemical composition of the eggshell and its development.
VL  - 3
IS  - 1
ER  -

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