Does Light Exposure during Embryonic Development Affect Cognitive Behavior in a Lizard?  

作　　者：Xinghan LI Chenxu WANG Guoshuai TANG Shuran LI Liang MA Baojun SUN Yongpu ZHANG 

机构地区：[1]Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservational Biology,Institute of Zoolog),Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100101,China [2]University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beiing 100049,China [3]College of Life and Environmental Science,Wenzhou Universiy,Wenzhou 325035 Zhejiang,China

出　　处：《Asian Herpetological Research》2020年第1期56-62,共7页亚洲两栖爬行动物研究（英文版）

基　　金：We thank Tingting WANG,Yige CHEN and Peng CAO for assistance.AIll procedures were performed under the approval(IOZ14001);from the Animal Ethics Comittee at the Institute of Zoology,Chinese Academy of Sciences Funding was provided by National Natural Science Foundation of China(31500324 for Baojun SUN and 31801977 for Shuran LI).

摘　　要：Light is essential for embryonic development in many ovipa rous animals including fish,amphibians,and birds.However,light may be harmful for reptile embryos developing underground where they are in complete darkness and beneath thin eggshells.Nonetheless,how embryonic light conditions affect reptile development and offspring remains largely unknown.Here we incubated eggs in dark and light conditions to determine the effects of light exposure on embryonic development and offspring visual ability,spa tial cognitive ability and growth in a lacertid lizard,Eremias argus.Our experiments demonstrated that light stimulation shortened incubation duration of eggs,but did not affect hatching success,offspring size,visual ability or survival More interestingly,light exposure during incuba tion decreased spa tial cognitive ability and post-hatching growth of offspring On the basis of nega tive effects on offspring growth rates,our study indicates that in squamate reptiles with thin eggshells,light exposure in early development has negative effects on offspring cognitive ability.Light is essential for embryonic development in many oviparous animals including fish, amphibians,and birds. However, light may be harmful for reptile embryos developing underground where they are in complete darkness and beneath thin eggshells.Nonetheless, how embryonic light conditions affect reptile development and offspring remains largely unknown. Here we incubated eggs in dark and light conditions to determine the effects of light exposure on embryonic development and offspring visual ability,spatial cognitive ability and growth in a lacertid lizard,Eremias argus. Our experiments demonstrated that light stimulation shortened incubation duration of eggs,but did not affect hatching success, offspring size, visual ability or survival. More interestingly, light exposure during incubation decreased spatial cognitive ability and post-hatching growth of offspring. On the basis of negative effects on offspring growth rates, our study indicates that in squamate reptiles with thin eggshells,light exposure in early development has negative effects on offspring cognitive ability.

关 键 词：EMBRYONIC development light vision COGNITIVE ability EREMIAS ARGUS 

分 类 号：Q418[生物学—生理学]