Transformations in embryonic motility in chick: kinematic correlates of type I and II motility at E9 and E12

Soon after hatching, chicks exhibit an array of adaptive, coordinated behaviors. Chick embryos also acquire nearly 18 days of movement experience, referred to as embryonic motility, before hatching. The chick expresses three forms of motility, types I, II, and III, and each emerges at a different stage of embryonic development. Although much is known about the mechanisms associated with motility at early embryonic stages and at the onset of hatching, the transformations in behavior and underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Thus the purpose of this study was to determine how motility is modified during the first expected transformation, from type I to type II. It was hypothesized that kinematic features for motility at embryonic day 12 (E12) would differ significantly from features at E9 because type II motility emerges during E11. Embryos were video taped for extended intervals in ovo at E9 or E12 and entire sequences of motility were computer digitized for kinematic analyses. Results reported here indicate that several of the kinematic features characteristic of motility at E9 are also reliable features at E12. On the basis of these findings, a kinematic definition of type I motility is posed for use in subsequent behavioral studies. Several parameters distinguished motility at E12 from E9. The most notable difference between ages was the less regular timing of repetitive limb movements at E12, a finding consistent with recent reports suggesting early motility is an emergent product of a transient neural network rather than a specialized pattern generator. As predicted from established definitions for type II motility, startle-like movements were common at E12; however, they also were present in many kinematic plots at E9, suggesting the discreet age-dependent boundaries in the established definition for type II motility may require modification. Some age-related differences, such as increased intralimb coordination and excursion velocity, may be prerequisites for adaptive behavior after hatching.