A mother’s gift: Provisioning of plastid-derived structures into eggs promotes invertebrate development and dispersal

Key Points

• This research aims to investigate how plastid-derived structures in eggs influence the development and dispersal of invertebrates.
• Assessment of the impact of carotenoid crystals in sea urchin eggs.
• Evaluation of larval survival and dispersal potential.
• Experimental release of eggs in controlled environments.
• Eggs with carotenoid crystals showed significantly improved larval survival.
• Enhanced dispersal capabilities across oceanic distances were observed.
• Findings indicate a direct link between egg structure and developmental success.