Nest Microclimate, Water-Vapor Conductance, and Water Loss in Heron and Tern Eggs

Abstract

Abstract Rates of water loss (ṀH2O) were measured in eggs of seven species of tree-nesting Ciconiiformes and three species of ground-nesting Charadriiformes during natural incubation. Measurements of egg temperature, conductance of the egg shell to water vapor, and nest and ambient humidity allow one to calculate the difference in water-vapor pressure (ΔP) between egg and nest and between nest and ambient air. ΔP between egg and nest was significantly lower in ground-nesting species (23 torr) than in tree-nesting species (31 torr). We suggest that low ΔP in ground-nesting species was due to relatively high humidity (ca. 27 torr) in nests built on the ground compared to the humidity in loose stick nests of tree-nesting species (ca. 14 torr). Water-vapor conductance of eggs from more humid nests is relatively higher than that of eggs from less humid nests (107% and 78% of predicted values, respectively), resulting in similar fractional losses in mass for the whole incubation period in both groups of birds. (ṀH2O) was not always constant throughout incubation. We suggest that changes in (ṀH2O) may be due to changes in ambient humidity and/or egg temperature.