Study of different

types of eggs- silk

moth, frog, chick
Developmental biology

• Development is the series of changes that

take place in the zygote.
• Development is divided into two phases.
1) Pre natal – Development which takes
place within the egg. Study of changes
taking place during this period is also
called embryology
2) Post natal – This is the period of
development from the birth of the organism
up to death of the organism
Embryology

Embryology (from Greek word :embryon - the

unborn and logia) is the branch of biology that
studies the prenatal
development of gametes (sex
cells), fertilization, and development
of embryos and fetuses
Embryology -Types of eggs

Animals produce different types of eggs, some eggs

are laid in water as fertilization is external and some
are deposited in safe places on land as fertilization is
internal.
In Eutherian mammals the ova are fertilized internally
and this is followed by development inside the womb
of the mother and birth of the young ones.
Egg laying mammals are oviparous and lay cleidoic
eggs.
Eggs vary in the amount of yolk and its distribution
Embryology -Types of eggs

The eggs classified based on the amount of yolk are :

• Alecithal
• Oligolecithal or Microlecithal
• Mesolecithal
• Macrolecithal or Megalecithal or Polylecithal
• Eggs that do not contain yolk are termed alecithal. Example,
the egg of human beings.
• Eggs that contain a little amount of yolk are called
microlecithal or oligolecithal. Example, the eggs of sea urchin
and Amphioxus.
• Eggs that contain moderate amount of yolk are called
mesolecithal. Example, the eggs of frog.
• Eggs that contain large amount of yolk are called
macrolecithal. Example, the eggs of birds and reptiles.
Embryology-Types of eggs

Based on the distribution of yolk the eggs are classified

as:
• Isolecithal
• Centrolecithal
• Telolecithal
• When the yolk is uniformly distributed in the cytoplasm
the egg, it is called isolecithal. Example, the egg of
Amphioxus.
• When the yolk is concentrated in the centre of the egg
and the cytoplasm forms a thin coat around it. In the
centre of the yolk is a thin island of cytoplasm that
contains the nucleus. This type of egg is said to be
centrolecithal. Example the egg of insects.
 Embryology-Types of eggs

• When the yolk is distributed towards one end, which

is recognized as the vegetal pole region it is called
telolecithal egg. The animal pole does not contain
yolk. Example, the egg of frogs. The amount of the
yolk in the egg of the frog is not as much as that
seen in the egg of the birds. The frog’s egg is called
mesolecithal and is moderately telolecithal.
• The egg of the bird contains a large amount of yolk,
as it is macrolecithal or polylecithal. The amount of
cytoplasm is reduced to a small area at the animal
pole called the germinal disc. The egg is said to be
heavily telolecithal.
Embryology-Types of eggs

Egg of the silk moth-

• A silk moth’s egg is a typical insect egg. It has a little amount of yolk and
therefore is micro lecithal
• The female lays about 300-500 eggs in a cluster on the mulberry leaves. The
eggs are covered by a gelatinous secretion that attaches it to the leaves.
• The egg is smooth, small and spherical. It is yellowish white in color when it
is laid, but becomes darker after some time.
• It is covered by the vitelline membrane and above it is the chorion.
• The egg has a polarity, an animal pole and a vegetal pole.
• The egg has cytoplasm and yolk which is at the center. The egg is
centrolecithal.
• There is a thin layer of cytoplasm below the vitelline membrane called the
periplasm.
• At the animal pole is the micropyle which is the point at which the sperm
enters into the egg.
• Behind the micropyle region the protoplasm is thick and contains the
haploid nucleus. This region is called the anterior polar plasm.
Silk moth eggs
Embryology-Types of eggs
Insect egg
Embryology-Types of eggs

The egg of frog-

• The ovum of the frog is about 0.75 mm in diameter. The egg has
moderate amount of yolk and is termed mesolecithal
• The yolk is deposited towards the vegetal pole. It is a telolecithal
egg.
• As the yolk is not as much as that seen in the birds or reptiles ,it is
called moderately telolecithal.
• The nucleus surrounded by clear cytoplasm lies towards the animal
pole. The animal pole region has dark brown pigment granules.
• The ovum exhibits a polarity and is radially symmetrical. The
unfertilized ovum has an animal pole region that is dark in colour
extending beyond the equator region and a vegetal pole region filled
with yolk.
 Egg of frog

• The egg looks half black and half cream in colour. A plasma
membrane and a thin vitelline membrane cover the ovum.
• There are layers of jelly coat external to the vitelline
membrane. The layers of jelly swell up when the eggs are laid
in a mass in water. The mass of ova held together form the
spawn.
• The jelly coats have several functions, such as, protection of
the eggs, it serves as an insulator to maintain regular
temperature and prevents dehydration, it is distasteful and no
animal eats the spawn. It allows exchange of gases and helps
in attaching the eggs to the substratum.
Egg of frog
Egg of frog
Embryology-Types of eggs

• THE HEN’S EGG

• The egg of the hen is a typical cleidoic egg. It has a
complicated structure. The ovum is very well protected to be
laid on land with a number of egg membranes.
• Hen’s egg is the largest cell visible to the naked eye. The actual
haploid ovum can be seen if the shell is broken and the content
of the egg is carefully poured into a glass bowl. The ‘yellow’ of
the egg is the ovum proper, surrounded by the ‘white’ part. The
yellow part of the egg is the ovum, which is almost completely
filled with yolk.
• The egg is macrolecithal or megalecithal.
• The yolk pushes the cytoplasm with the haploid nucleus
towards the animal pole. The cytoplasm is reduced to a small
area that is visible on the yellow of the egg as a white spot, this
forms the germinal disc or blastodisc. This is the area in which
the embryo begins to develop if the eggs are fertilized.
Hen’s egg

The Yolk
• The yellow or the yolk occupies almost the entire area in
the ovum. The yolk constitutes about 90% of the weight of
the egg. The yolk provides nourishment for the complete
development of the embryo. Yolk is made up of proteins,
phospholipids, and neutral fats.
• The yolk in the hen’s egg is deposited in layers. There is a
central layer of white yolk around which is deposited
alternate concentric layers of yellow and white yolk.
• A pillar of white yolk called latebra arises from the central
white yolk and extends towards the animal pole ending just
below the blastodisc or germinal disc. The extension forms
the neck of the latebra. The expanded region of the white
yolk below the blastodisc is called the nucleus of pander.
Hen’s egg
Additional protective membranes or egg membranes that surround the ovum are:
• The first additional membrane is the vitelline membrane. It is a very thin
membrane that covers the ovum or the yellow part of the egg. This membrane
is composed of an inner layer and an outer layer. The inner layer is composed
of very rough fibres and is formed by the ovary. The outer layer is a very fine
fibrous layer formed when the ovum enters into the fallopian tube.
• The second egg membrane is the ‘white’ of the egg. The white portion of the
egg is composed of 85% of water. The rest is made up of a mixture of proteins
mainly albumin. Albumin forms 94% of the dry weight of the egg white. The
dense part of the egg white forms coiled strands called chalazae that help to
hold the ovum in position in the centre of the egg white. The egg white is
formed by the first part of the fallopian tube or oviduct.
• The next two coverings are the shell membranes. The membranes surround the
egg white and are made up of a protein called kertain. The keratin fibres are
matted together to form the two layers. The two membranes are in close
contact with each other except at the broad end of the shell where they
separate to enclose an air space. At the part where they are separated, the
outer membrane sticks to the shell and the inner membrane sticks to the egg
white.
Hen’s egg

The last protective covering is the shell. The shell of

the egg is calcareous or made up of calcium
carbonate.
The total content of the calcium carbonate is about 5
gms. The shell is porous and there are numerous pores
in it. The pores are visible when seen through a
magnifying lens. The diameter of the pores is about
0.04 to 0.05 mm.
The shell allows exchange of gases, provides
protection for the developing embryo against
mechanical injuries and helps to preserve the moisture
content.
Hen’s egg