Containing little or no yolk; relating to an egg or embryo with minimal nutritional reserves.
From Greek a- (without) + lekithos (yolk) + -al (adjective suffix). A biological term describing egg characteristics.
Alecithal eggs are nature's minimalists—animals like humans have these yolk-poor eggs because mothers provide all nutrition through the placenta instead, a strategy that took millions of years to evolve!
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