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86
Embrvomc Determinatrts of Adult Ph€lot}?e
'Iae importance of urderstatrdirgearly developmed in relation to captive breeding 'nd
-osenatioo -aaage-"ot progra:ns caLiot beunderstated. The embryo experiedces a host of ph'sical
and biol%ical stimuli iddep€ndent ofmatemal controlwlich car afTectheir develoPment For
examole.
-volk is a sirpficant repository of circulathg bormones ald as sucb rellects ihe bormoDal
p.ofile oithe.othei at the tini ofyolk depositiod (Berq 1990). This meatrs that-the hormonr levels
in the lainc fesale wil be iaposed on tleir offspri4, Steroid hormoDes have lradilionaly been
-to
tfought Lve orgallizational effects during enbryouic develoPdrot, but they c,n affect the animal
after birth a[d even ilto adulthood. Thus, it is imporlad to keep in m|.[d ior caPuve 0r€€{lrrg
programs that factors which car adversely affect a females' hormonal Folile could also have long_term
consequences oD tte resulti[g young]
It is becoming evident that careful regulation and nanipulation of tle embryoDrc enviroDment
will aid in our efforts to naintain present speci€s diversity and conservation efforts. Ia tl|rs section we
consid€r how events and faclors experienc€d by the embryo inJluence the growth, Ph)siologt' aDd
behavior of the adult.
In oviparous reptiles, embryonic development is exquisitely sensitir€ to tbe lemperatue(s)
experieace