EARLY DEVELOPMENT

Microlecithal/ Oligolecithal (little yolk) echinoderms, coelenterates, amphioxus, mammals

(except monotremes)
Medialecithal/Mesolecithal (moderate amt of annelid, mollusks, lampreys, lungfishes, amphibians
yolk)
Megalecithal/ Macrolecithal (large amt of yolk) arthropods, hagfishes, bony fishes, reptiles, birds,
monotremes
Isolecithal even distribution of yolk (microlecithal)
Telolecithal most of the yolk concentrated in vegetal pole
amphibians moderately telolecithal
birds highly telolecithal
Centrolecithal -yolk concentrated in the interior of the egg
-cytoplasm distributed as a thin coat on the external
surface
-arthropods

CLEAVAGE
Microlecithal Egg (Starfish) Medialecithal Egg (Frog)
Unfertilized Egg egg divided into:
o exhibits prominent prematuration animal hemisphere
nucleus and germinal vesicle w/ o dark pigmented
distinct nucleolus o pigment granules abundant
o vitelline membrane reside in the cortical
Fertilized Egg cytoplasm
o elevated vitelline membrane vegetal hemisphere
(fertilization membrane) o lightly or unpigmented
o perivitelline space formed o where yolk is more concentrated
o germinal vesicle broken down resistance to cleavage in
o sperm head within the egg cortex vegetal
Cleavage division stage *amount of yolk is still sufficiently small for
o starfish egg = holoblastic radial complete cleavage
cleavage Fertilization membrane loose, filmy
structure surrounding the zygote

BLASTULA
Microlecithal Egg Medialecithal Egg
Blastocoel Animal pole - has numerous SMALLER cells
o CENTRALLY located cavity Vegetal pole - has fewer but BIGGER cells
o walls : epithelial layer of cells Blastocoel ECCENTRICALLY located
o prominent organization of Micromeres - @ animal pole
blastomeres at the external surface Macromeres- @ vegetal pole
Blastoderm Blastoderm
o layer of blastomeres enclosing the Fertilization Membrane
blastocoel o thin membrane surrounding blastula
Fertilization membrane (secondary membrane)
o thin membrane surrounding the o NOT secreted by egg
blastula as a secondary membrane o secreted by follicle cells in ovary
o NOT secreted by the egg o chorion + vitelline membrane
o one of the fetal membranes of
amniotes
 GASTRULA
-occurs after invagination at vegetal pole
3 kinds of movement: epiboly, involution and invagination
Microlecithal Egg Medialecithal Egg Megalecithal
flattened at the vegetal pole begins w/ invagination of advancing starts w/ thickening of cells
(initial migration and germ ring cells in the posterior region of
differentiation of cells) involution the in-turning/inward the area pellucida
gastrocoel/ archenteron movement of the outer layer of cells cells in blastodisc split and
o new cavity created by invagination creates beginning of proliferate into the
invagination the archenteron blatocoels
o future primitive gut/ blastopore mouth of the in- hypoblasts - cells that are
digestive tract pocketing spitted off
vesicles/ coelomic sacs as in pocketing deepens: crescent => epiblasts remaining cells
o diverticula/ lateral pouches horseshoe => circle on top
found at the apical region of epiboly continues as the germ ring Area opaca
gastrocoel advances over the exposed yolk cells o darker, outer, peripheral
o become separated from involution first occurred at the dorsal area
gastrocoel lip o presence of yolk
o give rise to mesodermal cells of the roof of the archenteron beneath it
structures => endoderm and chordamesoderm Area pellucida
enterocoel Gastrula: 2 layered embryo from o clearer, central area
o cavity formed from ectodermal movements o separated from yolk by
outpocketings of gastrocoel Gastrocoel/Archenteron/Blastopore SEGMENTATION CAVITY
blastopore Lip of the blastopore portion of the Primitive streak
o opening of gastrocoel to the ectoderm where involution took o thickened part of the
outside (at vegetal pole) place blastoderm
o posterior end of embryo o Dorsal lip: more defined margin, o long streak in the center
o future anus involution is more prominent (convergence of its
mesenchyme o Ventral lip: less defined lower surface layer toward the
o large stellate cells margin, deep cleft midline in the posterior
o mesodermal in origin yolk plug half of the area
o scattered bet. ectoderm and o portion of vegetal pole that pellucida)
gastrocoel protrudes & obstructs the o primitive groove -
o arise by budding off from the blastoporal opening central furrow
outer walls of the gastrocoel o endodermal in origin o primitive ridges
Bipinnaria larva (starfish larva) blastocoel o primitive plate
o formed at the end of gastrula fertilization membrane thickening at caudal end
o cilia o thin membrane o primitive pit at cranial
covering the entire o envelopes the gastrula end, light area flanked
ectodermal surface by darkly-stained small
of the embryo streaks
principal o Hensens node/
locomotors organs primitive knot
of the larva elevation anterior to
primitive pit
where presumptive
notochordal cells
migrate