Avian eggs contain substantial amounts of maternal hormones and so provide an excellent
model to study hormone-mediated maternal effects. We review this new and rapidly evolving …

Over the past decade, birds have proven to be excellent models to study hormone-mediated
maternal effects in an evolutionary framework. Almost all these studies focus on the function …

Research into the lives of animals in their natural environments has revealed a rich tapestry
of complex social relationships and previously unsuspected social and mating systems. The …

Many environmental perturbations may elevate plasma corticosterone in laying birds,
including disease, poor body condition, high predator density, anthropogenic disturbance …

Phenotypic plasticity is the extent to which an organism can change its physiology,
behaviour, morphology and/or development in response to environmental cues …

Organisms frequently encounter stressful ecological conditions. In vertebrates, a major
mechanism of physiological response to stress is mediated by the hypothalamic–pituitary …

In species where offspring fitness is sex-specifically influenced by maternal reproductive
condition, sex allocation theory predicts that poor-quality mothers should invest in the …

In many species, embryos can perceive and learn external sounds. Yet, the possibility that
parents may use these embryonic capacities to alter their offspring's developmental …

Eggs of vertebrates contain steroid hormones of maternal origin that may influence offspring
performance. Recently, it has been shown that glucocorticoids, which are the main …

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the physiology, ecology, and behavior of
hormones in avian eggs. The main source of hormones found in avian eggs is the maturing …