Quantifying the functional disparity in pigment spot-background egg colour ICP-OES-based eggshell ionome at two extremes of avian embryonic development.

Eggshell thickness and overall elemental composition of the pigment spot and background colour regions Our measurements of non-embryonated and post-hatched eggshells of cryptic, Black Grouse and Capercaillie eggs revealed highly significant differences in the thickness of the shells between their background colour and pigment spot regions (Fig. 1 ; Table S1 ): the former were respectively 2.6% and 2.8% thinner (Black Grouse) and 4.5% and 5.3% thinner (Capercaillie) than the latter in both non-embryonated and post-hatched eggshells (Fig. 1 ; Table S1 ).

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