Water and fat contents of embryos have been shown
to exhibit inverse functional relationships between 15 and
21 d of incubation (Peebles et al., 1999). However, decreased
water loss from eggs at the highest RH (63%)
may decrease the need for yolk-derived water and may
subsequently decrease associated YL uptake and its deposition
in embryonic tissues. Lipid oxidation and the production
of metabolic water, likewise, may be impeded.
Nevertheless, relative wet embryo body weight was
higher at 63% RH compared with 43% RH (Peebles et al.,
2001), indicating that a slower uptake of YL at the highest
RH did not retard overall growth of the embryo.