Chick Embryo Lab

Daniel Hedge
BIO 223, Winter 2013

Introduction

The examination of the embryos of an organism at time intervals throughout

its development can lend great insight into the development of that particular organism, and furthermore at the earliest stages can lend insight into
the development of the organisms ancestral species and its shared descendants. Through the examination of chicken embryos a basic understanding
of bird embryological development can be observed and to a lesser extent
certain relationships in bird development to that of other animals can be be
potentially discovered at the very earliest stages of development.

Materials and Methods

To make an examination of the topic of chicken embryological development

chicken embryos were examined at a variety of stages using several methods.

Hedge

Chicken embryos at roughly 33, 48, 56, 72, and 92 hours after fertilization
were examined both as dyed tissue sections on slides with an optical microscope and as whole mounts on slides with dissection microscopes. The
observed embryos were then drawn using pen and colored pencil in order to
gain a further appreciation of what was being observed.
In order to better understand more developed chicken embryonic development further observations of living embryos were undergone using five day
and seven day old living embryos extracted live from the egg and observed
under a dissection microscope, observations were again drawn.

Results
Please see the sheet of paper attached at the end of this report for
illustrations discussed.

There are a number of distinct observations that can be made from each
of the embryo samples observed. From the earliest observed embryo at 33
hours after fertilization most of the structures that will be later observed
have already begun to form. This being the earliest is also the most general
in structure as there is nothing to discern what this embryo will become later.
The early embryo is distinctly straight and linear with everything nicely lined
up.

Hedge

As the embryos further developed greater differentiation was observed by

the 48th and 56th hour the embryo has begun to lose its linearity beginning
to curve around the head and structures are becoming more distinct and
discernible with a more distinct heart and eye and a curvature developing in
the head around the hind and mid brain. There is even some indication in
the 56 hour tissue section of the formation of internal organs and a bulging
around the neural tube that will later become limbs.
This development continues to three days after fertilization with continued development of the eye and now an easily observed olfactory. most
interesting is that there is not a second curvature forming at the tail end of
the organism. This curvature continues in the 92 hour after fertilization now
with the bulges of the legs and wings beginning to develop.
After five days of development after fertilization the embryo now has protruding nubs where the limbs are forming and an elongated head. After 7 days
those nubs have developed to the point here the digits become discernible
and the head is taking on a bird like skull structure with its characteristic
bulges at the back of the skull and a beak like shape.

Hedge

Discussion

The progression of development of the chicken embryo likely closely mirrors

that of most vertebrates and so can be used as a model of general vertebrate
development. It is likely that the curving along the ends of the neural tube
and the consequent bud formation are a good general model of what happens
with any vertebrate with four limbs and probably developed initially in the
fish ancestor that evolved into the first amphibians. It would be interesting to
observe in vertebrate fish whether they have the same curvature or whether
that is distinct to all organisms with four limbs. Further examination of the
embryos of lobe-finned fish would help answer that question as well as an
examination of limb budding and whether this dual curvature at both ends
of he neural cord appears even fish with more than four limbs.