Meeting Abstract
The development of regulatory mechanisms that prevent water loss is critical to survival in terrestrial organisms. In birds, over half of half water loss occurs through the skin as cutaneous water loss (CWL). As birds develop from hatchlings to adults, their ability to regulate CWL may be affected by ontogenetic, evolutionary, or environmental factors. The primary barrier to CWL is the SC, the outermost layer of the epidermis, composed of corneocytes surrounded by a matrix of lipids. The ability of these lipids to pack together and interact with water molecules may influence the rate of CWL. In this study, we hatched Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica) and measured CWL every 2 days for 14 days. After isolating the SC, we used infrared spectroscopy to investigate lipid packing structure and hydrogen bonding in SC samples. Our results indicate that CWL is constant during development in Japanese Quail, results that differ from similar developmental studies in House Sparrows (Passer domesticus). This difference may reflect the environmental and ontogenetic differences associated with precocial development compared with altricial development. Additionally, we find that properties of hydrogen bonding and lipid packing throughout the developmental trajectory of quail underlie patterns of CWL.
