Comparative kinetics of embryo development.

A model of embryo energetics was fitted to data from the literature for species as different as snails and mammals. The model is based on assumptions about energy uptake, storage and utilization. It describes the animal by two state variables: volume and energy storage. Embryo weight is taken to be proportional to volume, yolk weight to energy storage, and respiration rate to storage utilization rate. The fits were good, with minor deviations occurring only in the early phases of development. For altricial birds, good model fits were obtained, but the parameter values markedly differed from those of other species. We hypothesized that, due to an increase in energy utilization towards hatching, the temperature of the embryo increases. As a result, metabolic processes are accelerated. When this was taken into account, parameter values were obtained that correspond better with those of other animals.