= Daniel G. Blackburn
{c}
<Daniel G. Blackburn> studied the <evolution> of <viviparity> and maternal provisioning in reptiles. A 1984 paper described the skink <Mabuya heathi>, whose very small eggs and specialized <placenta> indicated extensive nutrient transfer during pregnancy. Most embryonic growth occurred late in pregnancy, when placental specialization was pronounced.<Eutherian-like reproductive specializations in a viviparous reptile by Daniel G. Blackburn and others>[Abstract and observations of egg size, embryonic growth and placental morphology]{ref}
The comparison is useful because live birth and the source of embryonic nutrition are different traits. An embryo can be retained in its mother while relying mainly on yolk; this reptile instead exhibited substantial maternal provisioning. Similar physiological problems can therefore favor comparable reproductive specializations in separate evolutionary lineages.
\Image[https://internet3.trincoll.edu/facProfiles/Photos/1000597.jpg]
{title=Portrait of <Daniel G. Blackburn>}
{description=Identified Trinity College faculty portrait, linked from the biography describing reproductive morphology research.}
{source=https://internet3.trincoll.edu/facProfiles/Default.aspx?fid=1000597}
{width=260}
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