Extraembryonic membranes

Introduction:
Group of animals in which extra embryonic membranes are found are called as amniota. In
reptiles, birds, and mammals are amniotes. Reptiles evolved a mechanism for laying eggs on
dry land, thus freeing them to explore niches that were not close to water. To accomplish
this, the embryo produces four sets of extraembryonic membranes to mediate between it and
the environment.
1. Amnion
2. Chorion
3. Yolk sac
4. Allantois

These membranous folds are formed by the extension of ectodermal and endodermal
epithelium underlain with lateral plate mesoderm. The combination of ectoderm and
mesoderm, often referred to as the somatopleure, forms the amnion and chorion; the
combination of endoderm and mesoderm the splanchnopleure forms the yolk sac and
allantois. The endodermal or ectodermal tissue supplies functioning epithelial cells, and the
mesoderm generates the essential blood supply to and from this epithelium.

AMNION: An extra embryonic membrane forms an inner, fluid filled sac that surrounds the
embry in reptiles, birds, and mammals. It is composed of somatic mesoderm and ectoderm.
The cells of this membrane secrete amnionic fluid which provides a kind of private
equarium to the developing embryo.

Function of amnion:

It protects the embryo from dessication

The amniotic fluid serve as a shock absorber
The amniotic fluid allows freedom of motion to the ambryo.

CHORION:
An extraembryonic membrane formed by of somatic mesoderm and ectoderm or
somatopleure is known as chorion. It is the outermost extraembryonic membrane.

Function of chorion:

In birds and reptiles, this membrane adheres to the shell, allowing the exchange of gases
between the egg and the environment.
In mammals, as we have seen, the chorion has developed into the placenta, which has
evolved endocrine, immune, and nutritive functions in addition to those of respiration.
In some amniote species, such as chickens, the mesodermal layer of the allantoic membrane
reaches and fuses with the mesodermal layer of the chorion to create the chorioallantoic
 membrane. This extremely vascular envelope is crucial for chick development and is
responsible for transporting calcium from the eggshell into the embryo for bone production

ALLANTOIS:

The third problem for a land-dwelling egg is waste disposal. This layer is formed by
splanchnopleure. The allantois stores urinary wastes and also helps mediate gas exchange

FUNCTION OF YOLK SAC:

 . In reptiles and birds, the allantois becomes a large sac, as there is no other way to keep
the toxic by-products of metabolism away from the developing embryo.
 In some amniote species, such as chickens, the mesodermal layer of the allantoic
membrane reaches and fuses with the mesodermal layer of the chorion to create the
chorioallantoic membrane. This extremely vascular envelope is crucial for chick
development and is responsible for transporting calcium from the eggshell into the
embryo for bone production

YOLK SAC:

The yolk sac is the first extra embryonic membrane to be formed, as it mediates nutrition in
developing birds and reptiles. It is derived from splanchnopleural cells that grow over the
yolk to enclose it. The yolk sac is connected to the midgut by an open tube, the yolk duct, so
that the walls of the yolk sac and the walls of the gut are continuous. The blood vessels
within the mesoderm of the splanchnopleure transport nutrients from the yolk into the body,
for yolk is not taken directly into the body through the yolk duct. Rather, endodermal cells
digest the protein into soluble amino acids that can then be passed on to the blood vessels
within the yolk sac. Other nutrients, including vitamins, ions, and fatty acids, are stored in the
yolk sac and transported by the yolk sac blood vessels into the embryonic circulation. In
these ways, the four extraembryonic membranes enable the amniote embryo to develop on
land.

FUNCTION OF YOLK SAC:

 Nourishment to the embryo