Adaptations of post‐hatching animals have attracted far more study than have embryonic
responses to environmental challenges, but recent research suggests that we have …

The seahorses, pipefishes and seadragons (Syngnathidae) are among the few vertebrates
in which pregnant males incubate developing embryos. Syngnathids are popular in studies …

The ecological and life history drivers of the diversification of reproductive modes in early
vertebrates are not fully understood. Sharks, rays and chimaeras (group Chondrichthyes) …

Introduction Embryonic growth and development require efficient respiratory gas exchange.
Internal incubation of developing young thus presents a significant physiological challenge …

The repeated evolution of the same traits in distantly related groups (convergent evolution)
raises a key question in evolutionary biology: do the same genes underpin convergent …

Reproductive modes of vertebrates are classified into two major embryonic nutritional types:
yolk deposits (ie, lecithotrophy) and maternal investment (ie, matrotrophy). Vitellogenin …

The reproductive diversity of extant cartilaginous fishes (class Chondrichthyes) is
extraordinarily broad, reflecting more than 400 million years of evolutionary history. Among …

Sharks and rays make up 96% of the class Chondrichthyes. They are among the most
endangered of any taxa, threatened through habitat loss, overfishing and hunting for shark …

Vertebrates that incubate embryos on or within the body cavity exhibit diverse strategies to
provide nutrients to developing embryos, ranging from lecithotrophy (solely yolk-provided …

Background The hammerhead sharks (family Sphyrnidae) are an immediately recognizable
group of sharks due to their unique head shape. Though there has long been an interest in …