Question

Which of the following would be most affected if the chorion were absent from an amniotic egg?

protection of the embryo

protection from desiccation

protection from the physical environment

availability of food

Answer 1

Protection from desiccation.

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The amniotic egg is surrounded by a tough outer shell that protects the egg from predators, pathogens , damage, and drying.

Oxygen passes through tiny pores in the shell, so the embryo doesn't suffocate.

Inside the shell are four sacs.

The first sac inside the shell is the choroin, which carries oxygen from the shell to the embryo and waste carbon dioxide from the embryo to the shell.

Within the chorion is the amnion, the membrane for which the amniotic egg is named. The amnion keeps the embryo from drying out, so it's critical to living on land.

A third sac, the allantois, stores wastes from the embryo and also fuses with the chorion to form the chorioallantoic membrane, which carries oxygen and carbon dioxide to and from the embryo, just like a lung.

A fourth membrane, the yolk sac, holds and digests nutritious yolk for the developing embryo.