Divergent selection for shape of the growth curve in Japanese quail. 8. Effect of long-term selection on embryonic development and growth.

1. Changes in embryonic development and growth were analysed in relation to direct changes in postnatal growth and correlated responses in egg parameters using Japanese quail lines selected for more than 30 generations for high (HG) and low (LG) relative gain of body weight (BW) between 11 and 28 d of age, and constant BW at 49 d of age. 2. During the first 42 h as well as at the end of incubation, LG embryos were developmentally accelerated in comparison with their HG counterparts. An expected increase of line divergence across generations was observed only in traits analysed at the end of incubation. 3. In contrast to early generations, LG embryos continuously exhibited a higher BW than HG embryos and this difference temporarily disappeared only around incubation d 8. Analogous to early generations, the HG compared with LG embryos showed two periods of transient growth retardation compensated subsequently by a higher growth rate (incubation d 3-8 and 8-16). 4. More pronounced growth retardation of HG versus LG embryos in late versus early generations corresponded to more distinct decrease of HG versus LG growth rate during the first post-hatch days. Likewise, a disappearance of line BW differences on incubation d 8 characterising the late generations corresponded to the elimination of line differences in adult BW. 5. Alterations of growth pattern were associated with changes of egg size. While HG quail maintained a relatively constant adult BW and egg size across generations, the gradually increasing incidence of large eggs in the LG line allowed selection of birds with higher growth potential, which in turn amplified the line differences in the embryonic BW and eliminated the line differences in adult BW. Line differences in egg composition (larger albumen with lower density in LG compared with HG eggs) apparently contributed to the strengthening of line developmental divergence during incubation. 6. Transient lack of nutrient supply to HG embryos due to their developmental delay is probably responsible for a higher HG versus LG embryo mortality.