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Many reptiles start communicating with their siblings before they even hatch. New research into this behavior reveals that the practice can also affect behavior after hatching: viperine snake eggs incubated in isolation produced snakes that wanted nothing to do with their siblings. Lead author Fabien Aubret tells us more:
ResearchGate: What is embryo communication, and what information is communicated?
Fabien Aubret: Embryo-to-embryo communication can be described as an exchange of information between two or more developing embryos within a nest. It has been described in reptile eggs including birds—yes, birds are reptiles—snakes, lizards, and crocodiles. There is every possibility that such communication may also occur in other egg-laying species such as fish, crustaceans, and insects.
Embryo communication was first invoked as mechanism enabling hatching synchrony in turtles. In this case, the information conveyed relates to how fast the developing embryo is growing and when it is likely to hatch. This ensures they can hatch simultaneously. We know that synchronous hatching is important for small and fragile animals such as lizards, turtles, or snake hatchlings as it reduces their chances of being eaten by a predator—safety in numbers.
RG: How do embryos signal to each other from within the egg?
Aubret: Cues such as sound production, egg vibration, odors, or carbon dioxide levels within the nest have been proposed as potential communication avenues amongst embryos. In turtles and snakes we now know that embryos listen to each other’s heart rates, a very strong indicator of development rates and therefore a trustworthy clue about hatching date.
RG: What was this particular study designed to determine?
Aubret: In this study, we experimentally manipulated clutches of French water snakes (Natrix maura) to allow or prevent communication between embryos. To achieve this, we split clutches—groups of eggs laid at the same time—into two groups and placed them in incubators. One group was incubated as clusters where eggs were in physical contact with each other, the other with single eggs placed in individual goblets where eggs had no physical contact. By preventing physical contact and thus communication between eggs, we could observe the effects of rupturing the alleged bond between sibling eggs on the development rates of embryos, their size at birth, and also their post-natal social behavior.
Read more here. (Research Gate)
ResearchGate: What is embryo communication, and what information is communicated?
Fabien Aubret: Embryo-to-embryo communication can be described as an exchange of information between two or more developing embryos within a nest. It has been described in reptile eggs including birds—yes, birds are reptiles—snakes, lizards, and crocodiles. There is every possibility that such communication may also occur in other egg-laying species such as fish, crustaceans, and insects.
Embryo communication was first invoked as mechanism enabling hatching synchrony in turtles. In this case, the information conveyed relates to how fast the developing embryo is growing and when it is likely to hatch. This ensures they can hatch simultaneously. We know that synchronous hatching is important for small and fragile animals such as lizards, turtles, or snake hatchlings as it reduces their chances of being eaten by a predator—safety in numbers.
RG: How do embryos signal to each other from within the egg?
Aubret: Cues such as sound production, egg vibration, odors, or carbon dioxide levels within the nest have been proposed as potential communication avenues amongst embryos. In turtles and snakes we now know that embryos listen to each other’s heart rates, a very strong indicator of development rates and therefore a trustworthy clue about hatching date.
RG: What was this particular study designed to determine?
Aubret: In this study, we experimentally manipulated clutches of French water snakes (Natrix maura) to allow or prevent communication between embryos. To achieve this, we split clutches—groups of eggs laid at the same time—into two groups and placed them in incubators. One group was incubated as clusters where eggs were in physical contact with each other, the other with single eggs placed in individual goblets where eggs had no physical contact. By preventing physical contact and thus communication between eggs, we could observe the effects of rupturing the alleged bond between sibling eggs on the development rates of embryos, their size at birth, and also their post-natal social behavior.
Read more here. (Research Gate)
