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Ghazali M, Davydenko S, Telizhenko V, Otriazhyi P, Vishnyakova K, Bukhsianidze M, Solis-Añorve A, Dzeverin I, Gol'din P. Humerus shape evolved in cetaceans under relaxed selection and random drift. Commun Biol 2025; 8:518. [PMID: 40158047 PMCID: PMC11954944 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-025-07952-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2025] [Indexed: 04/01/2025] Open
Abstract
Mammalian humerus shape is mostly predicted by loading. This constraint is lifted for cetaceans and, therefore, can reflect other, specific evolutionary trends. To test this hypothesis, the three-dimensional shape of the humerus for 36 taxa of extinct and extant cetaceans was analyzed. The shape variance concurs with the evolution of diverging baleen and toothed whales and is independent of allometry. It shows traits associated with aquatic locomotion: humeral head twist, diaphysis shortening and straightening, and epiphyses enlargement. Also, changes in the anatomy of the humeral head and greater tubercle, modularity and integration patterns are associated with phylogeny. We suggest relaxed negative selection and random drift as the likely main evolutionary patterns for the evolution of the humerus shape. The evolution of genes regulating the humerus shape corresponds to the anatomical transformations and shows relaxed selection, site-level positive selection and nonsense mutations in cetaceans. Overall, the observed pattern well illustrates a "fly in a tube model" and shows its importance as a framework of emerging evolutionary innovations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Ghazali
- Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine.
| | - Svitozar Davydenko
- Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine.
| | - Valeriia Telizhenko
- Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine.
| | - Pavlo Otriazhyi
- Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | | | | | | | - Igor Dzeverin
- Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - Pavel Gol'din
- Schmalhausen Institute of Zoology, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, Ukraine.
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2
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Irvine LM, Lagerquist BA, Schorr GS, Falcone EA, Mate BR, Palacios DM. Ecological drivers of movement for two sympatric marine predators in the California current large marine ecosystem. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2025; 13:19. [PMID: 40102967 PMCID: PMC11917063 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-025-00542-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/19/2025] [Indexed: 03/20/2025]
Abstract
BACKGROUND An animal's movement reflects behavioral decisions made to address ecological needs; specifically, that movement will become less directional in regions with high prey availability, indicating foraging behavior. In the marine realm, animal behavior occurs below the sea surface and is difficult to observe. We used an extensive satellite tagging dataset to explore how physical and biological habitat characteristics influence blue (Balaenoptera musculus) and fin (B. physalus) whale movement and foraging behavior in the California Current Ecosystem across four known bioregions. METHODS We fitted movement models to 14 years of blue whale satellite tracking data and 13 years of fin whale data to characterize their movement persistence, with higher move persistence values representing more directional movement and lower move persistence values representing less directional movement. Models were evaluated against a range of physical and biological environmental predictors to identify significant correlates of low move persistence (i.e., presumed intensified foraging behavior). We then used data from a subset of sensor-equipped tags that monitored vertical behavior (e.g., dive and feeding), in addition to movement, to test the relationship between vertical behavior and movement persistence. RESULTS Low move persistence was strongly correlated with shallower water depth and sea surface height for both species, with additional effects of chlorophyll-a concentration, vorticity and marine nekton biomass for blue whales. Data from sensor-equipped tags additionally showed that low move persistence occurred when whales made more numerous feeding dives. Temporal patterns of bioregion occupancy coincided with seasonal peaks in productivity. Most blue whale low-move-persistence movements occurred in the northern, nearshore bioregion with a late-season peak in productivity and were evenly distributed across all bioregions for fin whales. CONCLUSIONS We demonstrated that low move persistence is indicative of increased feeding behavior for both blue and fin whales. The environmental drivers of low move persistence were similar to those previously identified for survey-based species distribution models, linking environmental metrics to subsurface behavior. Occupancy and movement behavior patterns across bioregions indicate both species moved to exploit seasonal and spatial variability in productivity, with blue whales especially focusing on the bioregion of highest productivity during late summer and fall.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ladd M Irvine
- Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, USA.
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, USA.
| | - Barbara A Lagerquist
- Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, USA
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, USA
| | | | | | - Bruce R Mate
- Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, USA
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, USA
| | - Daniel M Palacios
- Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, USA
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, USA
- Center for Coastal Studies, Provincetown, MA, USA
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3
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Glarou M, Rasmussen MH, Poldner A, Ruppert SNS, Sotiropoulou D, Sadozai Z, Jarzynowska M, Iversen MR, Sigurðsson GM, Halldórsson SD, Chosson V, Clapham PJ, Ivashchenko Y, Tormosov D, Christiansen F. Size-specific strategies of sympatric cetaceans to reduce heat loss. J Exp Biol 2025; 228:jeb249356. [PMID: 39916604 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.249356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2025] [Indexed: 03/27/2025]
Abstract
Maintaining a stable core body temperature is essential for endotherms. Cetaceans live in a highly thermally conductive medium, requiring special adaptations to reduce heat loss and maintain homeothermy. We employed a combination of aerial photogrammetry and existing data sources to estimate heat loss rates in five sympatric cetaceans of varying sizes, inhabiting the sub-arctic waters (∼3.7°C) of NE-Iceland: harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena, 1.0-1.6 m, n=50), white-beaked dolphins (Lagenorhynchus albirostris, 1.1-2.9 m, n=294), minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata, 4.4-8.6 m, n=30), humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae, 6.0-14.2 m, n=282) and blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus, 13.2-24.2 m, n=29). Further, we investigated the effect of body size (length), body shape (surface-area-to-volume ratio, SVR), body temperature and blubber thermal conductivity and thickness on heat loss for all species. Smaller species had higher volume-specific heat loss compared with larger species due to their higher SVRs, a fundamental consequence of scaling. Apart from body size, blubber thickness had the largest effect on heat loss, followed by thermal conductivity. Smaller cetaceans seem to rely primarily on physiological and morphological adaptations to reduce heat loss, such as increased blubber thickness and lower thermal conductivity, whereas larger species offset heat loss by having larger bodies and lower SVRs. Our findings provide valuable insights into the thermal biology of these species and its implications for habitat use and prey requirements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Glarou
- Húsavík Research Centre, University of Iceland, 640 Húsavík, Iceland
| | | | - Alyssa Poldner
- Department of Wildlife Management, Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences, 8934 CJ Leeuwarden, The Netherlands
| | - Silva Naomi Sophie Ruppert
- Institute for Biology and Environmental Sciences, Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Dido Sotiropoulou
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Section for Ecology and Evolution, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Zaynab Sadozai
- Department of Biology, University of Cologne, 50674 Cologne, Germany
| | | | | | - Guðjón Már Sigurðsson
- Pelagic Division, Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, 220 Hafnarfjordur, Iceland
| | | | - Valerie Chosson
- Pelagic Division, Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, 220 Hafnarfjordur, Iceland
| | | | | | - Dmitry Tormosov
- Seastar Scientific Russia, Kaliningrad, Karl Marx St 76, 236022Russia
| | - Fredrik Christiansen
- Marine Mammal Research, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
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4
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Jauhal AA, Constantine R, Newcomb RD. A Comparative Genomics Approach to Understanding the Evolution of Olfaction in Cetaceans. J Mol Evol 2024; 92:912-929. [PMID: 39581917 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-024-10217-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2024] [Accepted: 11/02/2024] [Indexed: 11/26/2024]
Abstract
Major evolutionary transitions, such as the shift of cetaceans from terrestrial to marine life, can put pressure on sensory systems to adapt to a new set of relevant stimuli. Relatively little is known about the role of smell in the evolution of mysticetes (baleen whales). While their toothed cousins, the odontocetes, lack the anatomical features to smell, it is less clear whether baleen whales have retained this sense, and if so, when the pressure on olfaction diverged in the cetacean evolutionary lineage. We examined eight genes encoding olfactory signal transduction pathway components and key chaperones for signs of inactivating mutations and selective pressures. All of the genes we examined were intact in all eight mysticete genomes examined, despite inactivating mutations in odontocete homologs in multiple genes. We also tested several models representing various hypotheses regarding the evolutionary history of olfaction in cetaceans. Our results support a model where olfactory ability is specifically reduced in the odontocete lineage following their split from stem cetaceans and serve to clarify the evolutionary history of olfaction in cetaceans.
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Affiliation(s)
- April A Jauhal
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand.
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research, Private Bag 92169, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand.
| | - Rochelle Constantine
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand
| | - Richard D Newcomb
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research, Private Bag 92169, Auckland, 1142, New Zealand
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5
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Ekdale EG, El Adli JJ, McGowen MR, Deméré TA, Lanzetti A, Berta A, Springer MS, Boessenecker RW, Gatesy J. Lateral palatal foramina are not widespread in Artiodactyla and imply baleen in extinct mysticetes. Sci Rep 2024; 14:10174. [PMID: 38702346 PMCID: PMC11068900 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60673-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Eric G Ekdale
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA.
- Department of Paleontology, San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado, San Diego, CA, 92101, USA.
| | - Joseph J El Adli
- Department of Paleontology, San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado, San Diego, CA, 92101, USA
- Paleontology Department, Bargas Environmental Consulting, 3111 Camino del Rio N, Suite 400, San Diego, CA, 92108, USA
| | - Michael R McGowen
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, MRC 108, PO Box 37012, Washington, DC, 20013-7012, USA
| | - Thomas A Deméré
- Department of Paleontology, San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado, San Diego, CA, 92101, USA
| | - Agnese Lanzetti
- Imaging and Analysis Center, The Natural History Museum, London, SW7 5BD, UK
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Science, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Annalisa Berta
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego, CA, 92182, USA
| | - Mark S Springer
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California-Riverside, Riverside, CA, 92521, USA
| | - Robert W Boessenecker
- University of California Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - John Gatesy
- Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street, New York, NY, 10024, USA
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6
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Lambert O. Whale evolution: Ancient toothed relative of baleen whales breaches northward. Curr Biol 2024; 34:R328-R330. [PMID: 38653203 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
The mysticetes - baleen whales and their toothed ancestors - have a long evolutionary history that, despite many recent paleontological discoveries, remains highly debated. The description of a new mysticete from the latest Eocene of North America opens promising new research directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Lambert
- D.O. Terre et Histoire de la Vie, Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de Belgique, 29 rue Vautier, 1000 Brussels, Belgium.
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7
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Tsai CH, Goedert JL, Boessenecker RW. The oldest mysticete in the Northern Hemisphere. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1794-1800.e3. [PMID: 38552627 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2024] [Revised: 02/27/2024] [Accepted: 03/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
Extant baleen whales (Mysticeti) uniquely use keratinous baleen for filter-feeding and lack dentition, but the fossil record clearly shows that "toothed" baleen whales first appeared in the Late Eocene.1 Globally, only two Eocene mysticetes have been found, and both are from the Southern Hemisphere: Mystacodon selenensis from Peru, 36.4 mega-annum (Ma) ago1,2 and Llanocetus denticrenatus from Antarctica, 34.2 Ma ago.3,4 Based on a partial skull from the lower part of the Lincoln Creek Formation in Washington State, USA, we describe the Northern Hemisphere's geochronologically earliest mysticete, Fucaia humilis sp. nov. Geology, biostratigraphy, and magnetostratigraphy places Fucaia humilis sp. nov. in the latest Eocene (ca. 34.5 Ma ago, near the Eocene/Oligocene transition at 33.9 Ma ago), approximately coeval with the oldest record of fossil kelps, also in the northeastern Pacific.5 This observation leads to our hypothesis that the origin and development of a relatively stable, nutrient-rich kelp ecosystem5,6 in the latest Eocene may have fostered the radiation of small-sized toothed mysticetes (Family Aetiocetidae) in the North Pacific basin, a stark contrast to the larger Llanocetidae (whether Mystacodon belongs to llanocetids or another independent clade remains unresolved) with the latest Eocene onset of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current in the Southern Hemisphere.7,8,9 Our discovery suggests that disparate mechanisms and ecological scenarios may have nurtured contrasting early mysticete evolutionary histories in the Northern and Southern hemispheres.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Hsiu Tsai
- Department of Life Science and Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan; Department of Geology, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba 305-0005, Japan.
| | - James L Goedert
- Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA.
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8
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Marx FG, Coste A, Richards MD, Palin JM, Fordyce RE. Strontium isotopes reveal a globally unique assemblage of Early Miocene baleen whales. J R Soc N Z 2024; 54:711-721. [PMID: 39440287 PMCID: PMC11459727 DOI: 10.1080/03036758.2023.2278732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2024]
Abstract
The earliest Miocene (Aquitanian, 23-20 Ma) remains a critically under-sampled 'dark age' in cetacean evolution. This is especially true of baleen whales (mysticetes), Aquitanian specimens of which remain almost entirely unknown. Across the globe, the nature of the cetacean fossil record radically shifts at the Oligocene-Miocene boundary, with mysticetes and some archaic odontocete lineages suddenly disappearing despite the availability of cetacean-bearing rock units. New Zealand is the only place worldwide where this change is not readily apparent, with baleen whales apparently persisting into the earliest Miocene. Whether this is a genuine pattern has so far remained obscured by a lack of biostratigraphic resolution associated with the Oligo-Miocene boundary. Here, we report 23 new strontium (87Sr/86Sr) dates from Lentipecten shells associated with 16 mysticete and seven odontocete specimens, respectively. Of these, eight fall within the Early Miocene and seven - including five mysticetes - specifically within the Aquitanian. Our findings confirm the unique nature and global importance of the cetacean fossil record from New Zealand, and provide a foundation for investigations into the causes and effects of the Early Miocene cetacean 'dark age'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix G. Marx
- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, New Zealand
- Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Ambre Coste
- Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | | | - J. Michael Palin
- Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - R. Ewan Fordyce
- Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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9
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Boessenecker RW, Richards MD. A review of New Zealand Eomysticetidae (Mammalia, Cetacea) and implications for the evolution of baleen whales: new specimens, functional anatomy, and phylogeny. J R Soc N Z 2024; 54:696-710. [PMID: 39440290 PMCID: PMC11459791 DOI: 10.1080/03036758.2023.2277739] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 10/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/25/2024]
Abstract
Eomysticetidae are a clade of early diverging functionally toothless, longirostrine and likely baleen-bearing stem mysticete whales. Eomysticetid fossils are rare but known worldwide from Oligocene strata. The richest assemblage of eomysticetids has been uncovered in New Zealand from the Kokoamu Greensand and Otekaike Limestone (North Otago and South Canterbury regions, South Island). This includes some of the largest known eomysticetids, Tokarahia kauaeroa and Tokarahia lophocephalus, some older and more archaic forms such as Matapanui waihao, the fragmentary Tohoraata raekohao and Tohoraata waitakiensis, and the well-known Waharoa ruwhenua represented by several well-preserved skulls and mandibles of adults and juveniles. Studies of these New Zealand fossils strongly indicates monophyly of Eomysticetidae and suggest possible skim feeding behaviour, possession of non-functional teeth and baleen, extreme rostral lengthening during growth and peramorphic evolution, rostral kinesis, use of Zealandia as a calving ground, and probable extinction at or near the Oligo-Miocene boundary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert W. Boessenecker
- Charleston Center for Paleontology, Wando, SC, USA
- University of California Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
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10
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Rule JP, Duncan RJ, Marx FG, Pollock TI, Evans AR, Fitzgerald EM. Giant baleen whales emerged from a cold southern cradle. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20232177. [PMID: 38113937 PMCID: PMC10730287 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Accepted: 11/22/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Baleen whales (mysticetes) include the largest animals on the Earth. How they achieved such gigantic sizes remains debated, with previous research focusing primarily on when mysticetes became large, rather than where. Here, we describe an edentulous baleen whale fossil (21.12-16.39 mega annum (Ma)) from South Australia. With an estimated body length of 9 m, it is the largest mysticete from the Early Miocene. Analysing body size through time shows that ancient baleen whales from the Southern Hemisphere were larger than their northern counterparts. This pattern seemingly persists for much of the Cenozoic, even though southern specimens contribute only 19% to the global mysticete fossil record. Our findings contrast with previous ideas of a single abrupt shift towards larger size during the Plio-Pleistocene, which we here interpret as a glacially driven Northern Hemisphere phenomenon. Our results highlight the importance of incorporating Southern Hemisphere fossils into macroevolutionary patterns, especially in light of the high productivity of Southern Ocean environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- James P. Rule
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia
- Sciences, Museums Victoria Research Institute, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Ruairidh J. Duncan
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia
- Sciences, Museums Victoria Research Institute, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
| | - Felix G. Marx
- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington 6011, New Zealand
- Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin 9016, New Zealand
| | - Tahlia I. Pollock
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia
- Department of Anatomy and Developmental Biology, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
| | - Alistair R. Evans
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia
- Sciences, Museums Victoria Research Institute, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
| | - Erich M.G. Fitzgerald
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3800, Australia
- Sciences, Museums Victoria Research Institute, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria 3001, Australia
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
- National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA
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11
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Werth AJ, Crompton AW. Cetacean tongue mobility and function: A comparative review. J Anat 2023; 243:343-373. [PMID: 37042479 PMCID: PMC10439401 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13876] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2022] [Revised: 03/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 04/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Cetaceans are atypical mammals whose tongues often depart from the typical (basal) mammalian condition in structure, mobility, and function. Their tongues are dynamic, innovative multipurpose tools that include the world's largest muscular structures. These changes reflect the evolutionary history of cetaceans' secondary adaptation to a fully aquatic environment. Cetacean tongues play no role in mastication and apparently a greatly reduced role in nursing (mainly channeling milk ingestion), two hallmarks of Mammalia. Cetacean tongues are not involved in drinking, breathing, vocalizing, and other non-feeding activities; they evidently play no or little role in taste reception. Although cetaceans do not masticate or otherwise process food, their tongues retain key roles in food ingestion, transport, securing/positioning, and swallowing, though by different means than most mammals. This is due to cetaceans' aquatic habitat, which in turn altered their anatomy (e.g., the intranarial larynx and consequent soft palate alteration). Odontocetes ingest prey via raptorial biting or tongue-generated suction. Odontocete tongues expel water and possibly uncover benthic prey via hydraulic jetting. Mysticete tongues play crucial roles driving ram, suction, or lunge ingestion for filter feeding. The uniquely flaccid rorqual tongue, not a constant volume hydrostat (as in all other mammalian tongues), invaginates into a balloon-like pouch to temporarily hold engulfed water. Mysticete tongues also create hydrodynamic flow regimes and hydraulic forces for baleen filtration, and possibly for cleaning baleen. Cetacean tongues lost or modified much of the mobility and function of generic mammal tongues, but took on noteworthy morphological changes by evolving to accomplish new tasks.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - A. W. Crompton
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary BiologyHarvard UniversityCambridgeMassachusettsUSA
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12
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Abstract
Recent research on mysticete fossils from the Late Eocene and Oligocene has revolutionised our understanding of the diversity and evolutionary scenarios for early baleen whales. For example, aetiocetids are a possible, though controversial, lineage that bridges the gap between the toothed and baleen-bearing mysticetes, and eomysticetids show a further transitional step towards the baleen-bearing status, with the presence of non-functional dentition in adults. However, information about the origin of crown mysticetes, including the most recent common ancestor of all extant lineages and its descendants, is critical to further understanding the evolution of baleen whales. The phylogenetic positions of the Oligocene Toipahautea, Whakakai, Horopeta, and Mauicetus from New Zealand remain unresolved and problematic, but all four genera show a close relationship with crown mysticetes. The original and subsequent cladistic analyses have consistently revealed a sister relationship between the Toipahautea-to-Mauicetus grade and crown mysticetes, and Horopeta has been placed close to the cetotheriids within the crown group. This review aims to stimulate more research on this topic by elucidating the origin of crown mysticetes, which likely experienced a poorly known radiation event during the Oligocene that established the modern lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheng-Hsiu Tsai
- Department of Life Science, Institute of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and Museum of Zoology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
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13
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Liao Y, Wang J, Lyu J, Jiang W, Wu Z, Wu J. High stability in filtration apparatus of African shrimp. iScience 2023; 26:107444. [PMID: 37599830 PMCID: PMC10432203 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2023] [Revised: 06/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/22/2023] Open
Abstract
The African shrimp (Atya gabonensis) uses elongated setae to filter feed, adapting to high flow velocities. The setae's stability stems from carefully designed geometric and structural parameters, notably a specialized wall and distribution principle. This study highlights the robust filtration mechanism in the shrimp and potential for developing stable structures in underwater environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yifeng Liao
- School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 528464, China
| | - Ji Wang
- School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 528464, China
| | - Jun Lyu
- School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 528464, China
| | - Wei Jiang
- School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 528464, China
| | - Zhigang Wu
- School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 528464, China
| | - Jianing Wu
- School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 528464, China
- School of Advanced Manufacturing, Sun Yat-Sen University, Shenzhen 528464, China
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14
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Fang ZC, Li JL, Yan CB, Zou YR, Tian L, Zhao B, Benton MJ, Cheng L, Lai XL. First filter feeding in the Early Triassic: cranial morphological convergence between Hupehsuchus and baleen whales. BMC Ecol Evol 2023; 23:36. [PMID: 37550649 PMCID: PMC10408079 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-023-02143-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Modern baleen whales are unique as large-sized filter feeders, but their roles were replicated much earlier by diverse marine reptiles of the Mesozoic. Here, we investigate convergence in skull morphology between modern baleen whales and one of the earliest marine reptiles, the basal ichthyosauromorph Hupehsuchus nanchangensis, from the Early Triassic, a time of rapid recovery of life following profound mass extinction. Two new specimens reveal the skull morphology especially in dorsal view. The snout of Hupehsuchus is highly convergent with modern baleen whales, as shown in a morphometric analysis including 130 modern aquatic amniotes. Convergences in the snout include the unfused upper jaw, specialized intermediate space in the divided premaxilla and grooves around the labial margin. Hupehsuchus had enlarged its buccal cavity to enable efficient filter feeding and probably used soft tissues like baleen to expel the water from the oral cavity. Coordinated with the rigid trunk and pachyostotic ribs suggests low speeds of aquatic locomotion, Hupehsuchus probably employed continuous ram filter feeding as in extant bowhead and right whales. The Early Triassic palaeoenvironment of a restrictive lagoon with low productivity drove Hupehsuchus to feed on zooplankton, which facilitated ecosystem recovery in the Nanzhang-Yuan'an Fauna at the beginning of the Mesozoic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi-Chen Fang
- School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, P. R. China
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Paleontology and Geological Environment Evolution, Wuhan Center of China Geological Survey, Wuhan, 430205, P. R. China
| | - Jiang-Li Li
- Hubei Institute of Geosciences, Hubei Geological Bureau, Wuhan, 430034, P. R. China
| | - Chun-Bo Yan
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Paleontology and Geological Environment Evolution, Wuhan Center of China Geological Survey, Wuhan, 430205, P. R. China
| | - Ya-Rui Zou
- Hubei Institute of Geosciences, Hubei Geological Bureau, Wuhan, 430034, P. R. China
| | - Li Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430078, P. R. China
| | - Bi Zhao
- Hubei Institute of Geosciences, Hubei Geological Bureau, Wuhan, 430034, P. R. China
| | - Michael J Benton
- School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Long Cheng
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Paleontology and Geological Environment Evolution, Wuhan Center of China Geological Survey, Wuhan, 430205, P. R. China.
| | - Xu-Long Lai
- School of Earth Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, P. R. China
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15
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Lanzetti A, Portela-Miguez R, Fernandez V, Goswami A. Testing heterochrony: Connecting skull shape ontogeny and evolution of feeding adaptations in baleen whales. Evol Dev 2023; 25:257-273. [PMID: 37259250 DOI: 10.1111/ede.12447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Ontogeny plays a key role in the evolution of organisms, as changes during the complex processes of development can allow for new traits to arise. Identifying changes in ontogenetic allometry-the relationship between skull shape and size during growth-can reveal the processes underlying major evolutionary transformations. Baleen whales (Mysticeti, Cetacea) underwent major morphological changes in transitioning from their ancestral raptorial feeding mode to the three specialized filter-feeding modes observed in extant taxa. Heterochronic processes have been implicated in the evolution of these feeding modes, and their associated specialized cranial morphologies, but their role has never been tested with quantitative data. Here, we quantified skull shapes ontogeny and reconstructed ancestral allometric trajectories using 3D geometric morphometrics and phylogenetic comparative methods on sample representing modern mysticetes diversity. Our results demonstrate that Mysticeti, while having a common developmental trajectory, present distinct cranial shapes from early in their ontogeny corresponding to their different feeding ecologies. Size is the main driver of shape disparity across mysticetes. Disparate heterochronic processes are evident in the evolution of the group: skim feeders present accelerated growth relative to the ancestral nodes, while Balaenopteridae have overall slower growth, or pedomorphosis. Gray whales are the only taxon with a relatively faster rate of growth in this group, which might be connected to its unique benthic feeding strategy. Reconstructed ancestral allometries and related skull shapes indicate that extinct taxa used less specialized filter-feeding modes, a finding broadly in line with the available fossil evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnese Lanzetti
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | | | | | - Anjali Goswami
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
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16
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Foley NM, Mason VC, Harris AJ, Bredemeyer KR, Damas J, Lewin HA, Eizirik E, Gatesy J, Karlsson EK, Lindblad-Toh K, Springer MS, Murphy WJ, Andrews G, Armstrong JC, Bianchi M, Birren BW, Bredemeyer KR, Breit AM, Christmas MJ, Clawson H, Damas J, Di Palma F, Diekhans M, Dong MX, Eizirik E, Fan K, Fanter C, Foley NM, Forsberg-Nilsson K, Garcia CJ, Gatesy J, Gazal S, Genereux DP, Goodman L, Grimshaw J, Halsey MK, Harris AJ, Hickey G, Hiller M, Hindle AG, Hubley RM, Hughes GM, Johnson J, Juan D, Kaplow IM, Karlsson EK, Keough KC, Kirilenko B, Koepfli KP, Korstian JM, Kowalczyk A, Kozyrev SV, Lawler AJ, Lawless C, Lehmann T, Levesque DL, Lewin HA, Li X, Lind A, Lindblad-Toh K, Mackay-Smith A, Marinescu VD, Marques-Bonet T, Mason VC, Meadows JRS, Meyer WK, Moore JE, Moreira LR, Moreno-Santillan DD, Morrill KM, Muntané G, Murphy WJ, Navarro A, Nweeia M, Ortmann S, Osmanski A, Paten B, Paulat NS, Pfenning AR, Phan BN, Pollard KS, Pratt HE, Ray DA, Reilly SK, Rosen JR, Ruf I, Ryan L, Ryder OA, Sabeti PC, Schäffer DE, Serres A, Shapiro B, Smit AFA, Springer M, Srinivasan C, Steiner C, Storer JM, Sullivan KAM, Sullivan PF, Sundström E, et alFoley NM, Mason VC, Harris AJ, Bredemeyer KR, Damas J, Lewin HA, Eizirik E, Gatesy J, Karlsson EK, Lindblad-Toh K, Springer MS, Murphy WJ, Andrews G, Armstrong JC, Bianchi M, Birren BW, Bredemeyer KR, Breit AM, Christmas MJ, Clawson H, Damas J, Di Palma F, Diekhans M, Dong MX, Eizirik E, Fan K, Fanter C, Foley NM, Forsberg-Nilsson K, Garcia CJ, Gatesy J, Gazal S, Genereux DP, Goodman L, Grimshaw J, Halsey MK, Harris AJ, Hickey G, Hiller M, Hindle AG, Hubley RM, Hughes GM, Johnson J, Juan D, Kaplow IM, Karlsson EK, Keough KC, Kirilenko B, Koepfli KP, Korstian JM, Kowalczyk A, Kozyrev SV, Lawler AJ, Lawless C, Lehmann T, Levesque DL, Lewin HA, Li X, Lind A, Lindblad-Toh K, Mackay-Smith A, Marinescu VD, Marques-Bonet T, Mason VC, Meadows JRS, Meyer WK, Moore JE, Moreira LR, Moreno-Santillan DD, Morrill KM, Muntané G, Murphy WJ, Navarro A, Nweeia M, Ortmann S, Osmanski A, Paten B, Paulat NS, Pfenning AR, Phan BN, Pollard KS, Pratt HE, Ray DA, Reilly SK, Rosen JR, Ruf I, Ryan L, Ryder OA, Sabeti PC, Schäffer DE, Serres A, Shapiro B, Smit AFA, Springer M, Srinivasan C, Steiner C, Storer JM, Sullivan KAM, Sullivan PF, Sundström E, Supple MA, Swofford R, Talbot JE, Teeling E, Turner-Maier J, Valenzuela A, Wagner F, Wallerman O, Wang C, Wang J, Weng Z, Wilder AP, Wirthlin ME, Xue JR, Zhang X. A genomic timescale for placental mammal evolution. Science 2023; 380:eabl8189. [PMID: 37104581 DOI: 10.1126/science.abl8189] [Show More Authors] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
The precise pattern and timing of speciation events that gave rise to all living placental mammals remain controversial. We provide a comprehensive phylogenetic analysis of genetic variation across an alignment of 241 placental mammal genome assemblies, addressing prior concerns regarding limited genomic sampling across species. We compared neutral genome-wide phylogenomic signals using concatenation and coalescent-based approaches, interrogated phylogenetic variation across chromosomes, and analyzed extensive catalogs of structural variants. Interordinal relationships exhibit relatively low rates of phylogenomic conflict across diverse datasets and analytical methods. Conversely, X-chromosome versus autosome conflicts characterize multiple independent clades that radiated during the Cenozoic. Genomic time trees reveal an accumulation of cladogenic events before and immediately after the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary, implying important roles for Cretaceous continental vicariance and the K-Pg extinction in the placental radiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole M Foley
- Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Victor C Mason
- Institute of Cell Biology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Andrew J Harris
- Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics and Genomics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Kevin R Bredemeyer
- Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics and Genomics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
| | - Joana Damas
- The Genome Center, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Harris A Lewin
- The Genome Center, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Eduardo Eizirik
- School of Health and Life Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil
| | - John Gatesy
- Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY, USA
| | - Elinor K Karlsson
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, UMass Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Program in Molecular Medicine, University of Massachussetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Kerstin Lindblad-Toh
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, 751 32 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Mark S Springer
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA, USA
| | - William J Murphy
- Veterinary Integrative Biosciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
- Interdisciplinary Program in Genetics and Genomics, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
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17
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Brent AE, Buchholtz EA, Mansfield JH. Evolutionary assembly and disassembly of the mammalian sternum. Curr Biol 2023; 33:197-205.e2. [PMID: 36563692 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.11.055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Revised: 10/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/23/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Evolutionary transitions are frequently associated with novel anatomical structures,1 but the origins of the structures themselves are often poorly known. We use developmental, genetic, and paleontological data to demonstrate that the therian sternum was assembled from pre-existing elements. Imaging of the perinatal mouse reveals two paired sternal elements, both composed primarily of cells with lateral plate mesoderm origin. Location, articulations, and development identify them as homologs of the interclavicle and the sternal bands of synapsid outgroups. The interclavicle, not previously recognized in therians,2 articulates with the clavicle and differs from the sternal bands in both embryonic HOX expression and pattern of skeletal maturation. The sternal bands articulate with the ribs in two styles, most clearly differentiated by their association with sternebrae. Evolutionary trait mapping indicates that the interclavicle and sternal bands were independent elements throughout most of synapsid history. The differentiation of rib articulation styles and the subdivision of the sternal bands into sternebrae were key innovations likely associated with transitions in locomotor and respiratory mechanics.3,4 Fusion of the interclavicle and the anterior sternal bands to form a presternum anterior to the first sternebra was a historically recent innovation unique to therians. Subsequent disassembly of the radically reduced sternum of mysticete cetaceans was element specific, reflecting the constraints that conserved developmental programs exert on composite structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ava E Brent
- Department of Biology, Barnard College, Columbia University, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Emily A Buchholtz
- Department of Biological Sciences, Wellesley College, 106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02481, USA.
| | - Jennifer H Mansfield
- Department of Biology, Barnard College, Columbia University, 3009 Broadway, New York, NY 10027, USA
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18
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Tanaka Y. Rostrum morphology and feeding strategy of the baleen whale indicate that right whales and pygmy right whales became skimmers independently. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:221353. [PMID: 36425522 PMCID: PMC9682309 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.221353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 11/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Baleen whales have lost their functional teeth and begun to use their baleen plates to feed on small prey. Modern baleen whales exhibit different types of feeding strategies, such as lunging, skimming and so on. The evolution of feeding strategy in the Chaeomysticeti is an important step in considering niche partitioning and diversification, feeding efficiency and gigantism, and evolution and extinction. This study analyses the rostrum morphology to test the hypothesis that specific rostral morphologies facilitate special feeding strategies, using modern species and their observed feeding strategies. By this means, the convergence of rostral morphology can be recognized in the closest groups in the morphospace. As a result, the two linages (Balaenidae and Caperea marginata) are recognized to have convergent rostral morphology. In addition, an early member of the Chaeomysticeti, Yamatocetus canaliculatus, and most fossil species are plotted in or close to the cluster of lunge feeders. The original feeding strategy of the Chaeomysticeti could be more similar to lunge feeding than to skim feeding. Fossil relatives of the two linages showing transitional conditions indicate that they shifted to skim feeding independently. The evolution of the feeding strategy of the Chaeomysticeti is possibly more complex than that was thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoshihiro Tanaka
- Osaka Museum of Natural History, Nagai Park 1-23, Higashi-Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 546-0034, Japan
- Hokkaido University Museum, Kita 10, Nishi 8, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan
- Numata Fossil Museum, 2-7-49, Minami 1, Numata town, Hokkaido 078-2225, Japan
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19
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Anatomical, Ontogenetic, and Genomic Homologies Guide Reconstructions of the Teeth-to-Baleen Transition in Mysticete Whales. J MAMM EVOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-022-09614-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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20
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Peredo CM, Pyenson ND, Uhen MD. Lateral palatal foramina do not indicate baleen in fossil whales. Sci Rep 2022; 12:11448. [PMID: 35794235 PMCID: PMC9259611 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-15684-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Today's mysticetes filter-feed using baleen, a novel integumentary structure with no apparent homolog in any living mammal. The origins of filter-feeding and baleen can be informed by the fossil record, including rare instances of soft tissue preservation of baleen and also by potential osteological correlates of baleen. Lateral palatal foramina on the roof of the mouth have been proposed as potential osteological correlates of baleen and their presence in some tooth-bearing stem mysticetes has led to the hypothesis that these early mysticetes possessed both teeth and incipient baleen. Here, we test this hypothesis by examining lateral palatal foramina in both filter-feeding and non-filter-feeding cetaceans, including crown and stem odontocetes and in stem cetaceans (or archaeocetes). We also confirm the presence of lateral palatal foramina in 61 species of terrestrial artiodactyls. CT scanning demonstrates consistent internal morphology across all observed taxa, suggesting that the lateral palatal foramina observed in extant mysticetes are homologous to those of terrestrial artiodactyls. The presence of lateral palatal foramina in terrestrial artiodactyls and non-filter-feeding whales (odontocetes and archaeocetes) suggests that these structures are not unique predictors for the presence of baleen in fossil whales; instead, these structures are more probably associated with gingiva or other oral tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Mauricio Peredo
- Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University, Galveston, TX, USA.
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA.
| | - Nicholas D Pyenson
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA
- Departments of Mammalogy and Paleontology, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Mark D Uhen
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA
- Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth Sciences, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
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21
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Randall JG, Gatesy J, Springer MS. Molecular evolutionary analyses of tooth genes support sequential loss of enamel and teeth in baleen whales (Mysticeti). Mol Phylogenet Evol 2022; 171:107463. [PMID: 35358696 DOI: 10.1016/j.ympev.2022.107463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
The loss of teeth and evolution of baleen racks in Mysticeti was a profound transformation that permitted baleen whales to radiate and diversify into a previously underutilized ecological niche of bulk filter-feeding on zooplankton and other small prey. Ancestral state reconstructions suggest that postnatal teeth were lost in the common ancestor of crown Mysticeti. Genomic studies provide some support for this hypothesis and suggest that the genetic toolkit for enamel production was inactivated in the common ancestor of living baleen whales. However, molecular studies to date have not provided direct evidence for the complete loss of teeth, including their dentin component, on the stem mysticete branch. Given these results, several questions remain unanswered: (1) Were teeth lost in a single step or did enamel loss precede dentin loss? (2) Was enamel lost early or late on the stem mysticete branch? (3) If enamel and dentin/tooth loss were decoupled in the ancestry of baleen whales, did dentin loss occur on the stem mysticete branch or independently in different crown mysticete lineages? To address these outstanding questions, we compiled and analyzed complete protein-coding sequences for nine tooth-related genes from cetaceans with available genome data. Seven of these genes are associated with enamel formation (ACP4, AMBN, AMELX, AMTN, ENAM, KLK4, MMP20) whereas two other genes are either dentin-specific (DSPP) or tooth-specific (ODAPH) but not enamel-specific. Molecular evolutionary analyses indicate that all seven enamel-specific genes have inactivating mutations that are scattered across branches of the mysticete tree. Three of the enamel genes (ACP4, KLK4, MMP20) have inactivating mutations that are shared by all mysticetes. The two genes that are dentin-specific (DSPP) or tooth-specific (ODAPH) do not have any inactivating mutations that are shared by all mysticetes, but there are shared mutations in Balaenidae as well as in Plicogulae (Neobalaenidae + Balaenopteroidea). These shared mutations suggest that teeth were lost at most two times. Shared inactivating mutations and dN/dS analyses, in combination with cetacean divergence times, were used to estimate inactivation times of genes and by proxy enamel and tooth phenotypes at ancestral nodes. The results of these analyses are most compatible with a two-step model for the loss of teeth in the ancestry of living baleen whales: enamel was lost very early on the stem Mysticeti branch followed by the independent loss of dentin (and teeth) in the common ancestors of Balaenidae and Plicogulae, respectively. These results imply that some stem mysticetes, and even early crown mysticetes, may have had vestigial teeth comprised of dentin with no enamel. Our results also demonstrate that all odontocete species (in our study) with absent or degenerative enamel have inactivating mutations in one or more of their enamel genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason G Randall
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
| | - John Gatesy
- Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA.
| | - Mark S Springer
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA.
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22
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OUP accepted manuscript. Zool J Linn Soc 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlac019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
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23
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Sander PM, Griebeler EM, Klein N, Juarbe JV, Wintrich T, Revell LJ, Schmitz L. Early giant reveals faster evolution of large body size in ichthyosaurs than in cetaceans. Science 2021; 374:eabf5787. [PMID: 34941418 DOI: 10.1126/science.abf5787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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Affiliation(s)
- P Martin Sander
- Abteilung Paläontologie, Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany.,The Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
| | - Eva Maria Griebeler
- Institut für Organismische und Molekulare Evolutionsbiologie, Evolutionäre Ökologie, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, 55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - Nicole Klein
- Abteilung Paläontologie, Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Jorge Velez Juarbe
- Department of Mammalogy, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA
| | - Tanja Wintrich
- Abteilung Paläontologie, Institut für Geowissenschaften, Universität Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany.,Anatomisches Institut, Universität Bonn, 53115 Bonn, Germany
| | - Liam J Revell
- Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA 02125, USA.,Universidad Católica de la Santísima Concepción, Concepción, Chile
| | - Lars Schmitz
- The Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA 90007, USA.,W.M. Keck Science Department of Claremont McKenna, Scripps, and Pitzer Colleges, Claremont, CA 91711, USA
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24
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Bisconti M, Pellegrino L, Carnevale G. Evolution of gigantism in right and bowhead whales (Cetacea: Mysticeti: Balaenidae). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The evolution of gigantic body size represents a key to understand the ecological role of baleen whales in oceanic ecosystems. Many efforts have been devoted to the formulation of equations relating different body parts to total body length and mass in living and fossil mysticetes, mainly focusing on balaenopterid and balaenopterid-like mysticetes. Right whales (family Balaenidae) have a unique head-to-body length ratio, suggesting that their body proportions cannot be predicted effectively using equations based primarily on non-balaenid mysticetes. A new morphometric dataset of living and fossil balaenids is provided herein, and new regression equations allow one to predict the body length and mass of extinct species based on the expected head-to-body length ratio of extant balaenids. The reconstructed values are mapped on a new phylogenetic analysis of the Balaenidae, inferring body size and mass at ancestral nodes. The variations of body size and mass in Balaenidae since the early Miocene are reconstructed, revealing that: (1) a reduction in total body length occurred in the early Pliocene; (2) the origin of the gigantic body size in the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) is probably related to invasion of the Arctic Ocean in the last 3 Myr; and (3) the origin of the gigantic body size in the right whales (genus Eubalaena) occurred since the latest Miocene, probably concomitant with pulses of nutrients sustaining large zooplankton populations. We suggest that the evolution of gigantism in Balaenidae occurred independently in two lineages and, probably, in response to different palaeoenvironmental drivers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelangelo Bisconti
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Torino, via Valperga Caluso 35, 10125, Torino, Italy
- San Diego Natural History Museum, 1788 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101, USA
| | - Luca Pellegrino
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Torino, via Valperga Caluso 35, 10125, Torino, Italy
| | - Giorgio Carnevale
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università degli Studi di Torino, via Valperga Caluso 35, 10125, Torino, Italy
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25
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Ekdale EG, Deméré TA. Neurovascular evidence for a co-occurrence of teeth and baleen in an Oligocene mysticete and the transition to filter-feeding in baleen whales. Zool J Linn Soc 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Extant baleen whales (Mysticeti) have a deciduous foetal dentition, but are edentulous at birth. Fossils reveal that the earliest mysticetes possessed an adult dentition. Aetiocetids, a diverse clade of Oligocene toothed mysticetes, have a series of small palatal foramina and associated sulci medial to the postcanine dentition. The openings have been homologized with lateral palatal foramina that transmit neurovascular structures to baleen in extant mysticetes, thereby implying a co-occurrence of teeth and baleen in aetiocetids. However, homology of the foramina and sulci have been questioned. Using CT-imaging, we report that the lateral palatal foramina of Aetiocetus weltoni are connected internally to the superior alveolar canal, which transmits neurovascular structures to baleen in extant mysticetes and to teeth in extant odontocetes. Furthermore, the lateral palatal foramina of Aetiocetus are separate from the more medially positioned canals for the greater palatine arterial system. These results provide critical evidence to support the hypothesis that the superior alveolar neurovasculature was co-opted in aetiocetids and later diverging mysticetes to serve a new function associated with baleen. We evaluate competing hypotheses for the transition from teeth to baleen, and explore the transition from raptorial feeding in early mysticetes to filter-feeding in extant species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric G Ekdale
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, Campanile Drive, San Diego, CAUSA
- Department of Paleontology, San Diego Natural History Museum, El Prado, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Thomas A Deméré
- Department of Paleontology, San Diego Natural History Museum, El Prado, San Diego, CA, USA
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Li W, Wang S, Hu J, Tang C, Wu C, Liu J, Ren L, Sun C, Dong J, Liu S, Ye X. Asymmetric expression of homoeologous genes contributes to dietary adaption of an allodiploid hybrid fish derived from Megalobrama amblycephala (♀) × Culter alburnus (♂). BMC Genomics 2021; 22:362. [PMID: 34011285 PMCID: PMC8132401 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-021-07639-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hybridization, which can quickly merge two or more divergent genomes and form new allopolyploids, is an important technique in fish genetic breeding. However, the merged subgenomes must adjust and coexist with one another in a single nucleus, which may cause subgenome interaction and dominance at the gene expression level and has been observed in some allopolyploid plants. In our previous studies, newly formed allodiploid hybrid fish derived from herbivorous Megalobrama amblycephala (♀) × carnivorous Culter alburnus (♂) had herbivorous characteristic. It is thus interesting to further characterize whether the subgenome interaction and dominance derive dietary adaptation of this hybrid fish. RESULTS Differential expression, homoeolog expression silencing and bias were investigated in the hybrid fish after 70 days of adaptation to carnivorous and herbivorous diets. A total of 2.65 × 108 clean reads (74.06 Gb) from the liver and intestinal transcriptomes were mapped to the two parent genomes based on specific SNPs. A total of 2538 and 4385 differentially expressed homoeologous genes (DEHs) were identified in the liver and intestinal tissues between the two groups of fish, respectively, and these DEHs were highly enriched in fat digestion and carbon metabolism, amino acid metabolism and steroid biosynthesis. Furthermore, subgenome dominance were observed in tissues, with paternal subgenome was more dominant than maternal subgenome. Moreover, subgenome expression dominance controlled functional pathways in metabolism, disease, cellular processes, environment and genetic information processing during the two dietary adaptation processes. In addition, few but sturdy villi in the intestine, significant fat accumulation and a higher concentration of malondialdehyde in the liver were observed in fish fed carnivorous diet compared with fish fed herbivorous diet. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicated that diet drives phenotypic and genetic variation, and the asymmetric expression of homoeologous genes (including differential expression, expression silencing and bias) may play key roles in dietary adaptation of hybrid fish. Subgenome expression dominance may contribute to uncovering the mechanistic basis of heterosis and also provide perspectives for fish genetic breeding and application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wuhui Li
- State Key Laboratory of Developmental Biology of Freshwater Fish, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081 Hunan China
- Key Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Fishery Resource Application and Cultivation of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou, 510380 Guangdong China
| | - Shi Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Developmental Biology of Freshwater Fish, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081 Hunan China
| | - Jie Hu
- Key Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Fishery Resource Application and Cultivation of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou, 510380 Guangdong China
| | - Chenchen Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Developmental Biology of Freshwater Fish, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081 Hunan China
| | - Chang Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Developmental Biology of Freshwater Fish, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081 Hunan China
| | - Junmei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Developmental Biology of Freshwater Fish, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081 Hunan China
| | - Li Ren
- State Key Laboratory of Developmental Biology of Freshwater Fish, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081 Hunan China
| | - Chengfei Sun
- Key Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Fishery Resource Application and Cultivation of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou, 510380 Guangdong China
| | - Junjian Dong
- Key Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Fishery Resource Application and Cultivation of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou, 510380 Guangdong China
| | - Shaojun Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Developmental Biology of Freshwater Fish, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081 Hunan China
| | - Xing Ye
- Key Laboratory of Tropical and Subtropical Fishery Resource Application and Cultivation of Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Pearl River Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Guangzhou, 510380 Guangdong China
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Mccurry MR, Marx FG, Evans AR, Park T, Pyenson ND, Kohno N, Castiglione S, Fitzgerald EMG. Brain size evolution in whales and dolphins: new data from fossil mysticetes. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Cetaceans (whales and dolphins) have some of the largest and most complex brains in the animal kingdom. When and why this trait evolved remains controversial, with proposed drivers ranging from echolocation to foraging complexity and high-level sociality. This uncertainty partially reflects a lack of data on extinct baleen whales (mysticetes), which has obscured deep-time patterns of brain size evolution in non-echolocating cetaceans. Building on new measurements from mysticete fossils, we show that the evolution of large brains preceded that of echolocation, and subsequently followed a complex trajectory involving several independent increases (e.g. in rorquals and oceanic dolphins) and decreases (e.g. in right whales and ‘river dolphins’). Echolocating whales show a greater tendency towards large brain size, thus reaffirming cognitive demands associated with sound processing as a plausible driver of cetacean encephalization. Nevertheless, our results suggest that other factors such as sociality were also important.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R Mccurry
- Australian Museum Research Institute, 1 William Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2010, Australia
- Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales 2052, Australia
- Paleobiology, NMNH, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Felix G Marx
- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand
- Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, 3054, New Zealand
| | - Alistair R Evans
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Geosciences, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Travis Park
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, UK
| | - Nicholas D Pyenson
- Paleobiology, NMNH, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
- Department of Paleontology and Geology, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Naoki Kohno
- Department of Geology and Palaeontology, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Silvia Castiglione
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment and Resources, University of Naples Federico II, 80138 Napoli,Italy
| | - Erich M G Fitzgerald
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Geosciences, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, UK
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Davydenko S, Shevchenko T, Ryabokon T, Tretiakov R, Gol’din P. A Giant Eocene Whale from Ukraine Uncovers Early Cetacean Adaptations to the Fully Aquatic Life. Evol Biol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11692-020-09524-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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Uhen MD, Taylor D. A basilosaurid archaeocete (Cetacea, Pelagiceti) from the Late Eocene of Oregon, USA. PeerJ 2020; 8:e9809. [PMID: 33062412 PMCID: PMC7534682 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.9809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Basilosaurid archaeocetes are known from the Late Eocene of virtually all coastlines bearing coeval marine rocks except the North Pacific Basin, until now. Here we report on three consecutive posterior thoracic vertebrae of a large, basilosaurid archaeocete from a Late Eocene horizon in the Keasey Formation in Oregon. Methods These vertebrae were morphologically and morphometrically compared to other vertebrae of similar age from around the world. Results The specimens were determined to be different from all currently named species of fossil cetacean, but most similar to those found in the Gulf Coast region of North America. These vertebrae represent the first confirmed specimen of a Late Eocene basilosaurid from the North Pacific. These and other basilosaurids known only from vertebrae are reviewed here in the context of Late Eocene paleoceanography and cetacean evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark D. Uhen
- Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth Sciences, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
| | - David Taylor
- Department of Geology, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA
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Loch C, Vaz Viegas S, Waddell JN, Kemper C, Cook RB, Werth AJ. Structure and properties of baleen in the Southern right (Eubalaena australis) and Pygmy right whales (Caperea marginata). J Mech Behav Biomed Mater 2020; 110:103939. [PMID: 32957233 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2020.103939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2019] [Revised: 02/02/2020] [Accepted: 06/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Baleen is a resilient and keratinised filter-feeding structure attached to the maxilla of mysticete whales. It is strong and tough, yet a pliant and resilient material, that withstands extreme pressures in the oral cavity during feeding. We investigated the structure, water content, wettability and mechanical properties of baleen of the Southern right (SRW) and Pygmy right whales (PRW), to understand the effects of hydration on the physical and mechanical properties of baleen. Sixty 25 × 15mm baleen subsamples were prepared from one individual of SRW and PRW. Half were hydrated in circulated natural seawater for 21 days and half were dry. Water content analysis showed that SRW baleen was 21.2% water weight and PRW was 26.1%. Wettability testing indicated that surfaces of both hydrated and dried SRW and PRW baleen were hydrophilic, with hydrated samples of both species having lower contact angle values. For the SRW, the average contact angle of hydrated baleen was 40° ± 13.2 and 73° ± 6 for dried samples. Hydrated PRW baleen had an average contact angle of 44° ± 15.3, which was lower than in dried samples (74° ± 2.9). Three-point bending mechanical tests showed that the average maximum flexural stress of dried SRW (134.1 ± 34.3 MPa) and PRW samples (117.8 ± 22.3 MPa) were significantly higher than those of hydrated SRW (25.7 ± 6.3 MPa) and PRW (19.7 ± 4.8 MPa) baleen. Scanning electron microscope images showed the stratification of the outer cortical layer, with cross-linked keratin fibres observed within and between baleen keratin sheets. Hydrated baleen, as in its natural and functional behaviour, has greater flexibility and strength, attributes necessary for the complex filter feeding mechanism characteristic of whales. Hydration must be considered when addressing the physical and mechanical properties of baleen, especially when using dried museum specimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Loch
- Sir John Walsh Research Institute, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand.
| | - Shaun Vaz Viegas
- Sir John Walsh Research Institute, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - J Neil Waddell
- Sir John Walsh Research Institute, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Catherine Kemper
- Biological and Earth Sciences, South Australian Museum, Adelaide, SA, 5000, Australia
| | - Richard B Cook
- National Centre for Advanced Tribology at Southampton (nCATS), University of Southampton, SO17 1BJ, UK
| | - Alexander J Werth
- Department of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, VA, 23943, USA
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32
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Diana Z, Sawickij N, Rivera NA, Hsu-Kim H, Rittschof D. Plastic pellets trigger feeding responses in sea anemones. AQUATIC TOXICOLOGY (AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS) 2020; 222:105447. [PMID: 32145485 DOI: 10.1016/j.aquatox.2020.105447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Revised: 02/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Multiple mechanisms for plastic consumption by marine animals have been proposed based on the feeding cues and behavior of the animal studied. We investigated plastic consumption in sea anemones. We found that anemones readily consumed pristine National Institute of Standards and Technology low-density polyethylene and high-density polyethylene II and III pre-production pellets. Anemone weight, crown area, and number of tentacles were measured before and after 12 days of daily pellet consumption. Crown area significantly increased for control anemones only. Fresh anemones were then sequentially fed consumed and egested pellets from two of the earlier daily trials to measure feeding retention time, which decreased over three to four feedings. The concentrations of elements in anemones (zinc, iron, arsenic, manganese, chromium, copper, vanadium, selenium, nickel, cadmium, and cobalt) were similar to control anemones that were not exposed to pellets. Lead concentrations were significantly higher in anemones fed HDPE III pellets as compared to control. Plastic consumption by marine animals might be reduced by reducing the amount of plastic that enters the ocean and understanding the chemical triggers underlying plastic consumption.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoie Diana
- Duke Marine Laboratory, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, 28516, United States.
| | - Natasha Sawickij
- Duke Marine Laboratory, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, 28516, United States.
| | - Nelson A Rivera
- Duke University, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, 121 Hudson Hall, Durham, NC, 27708, United States.
| | - Heileen Hsu-Kim
- Duke University, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, 121 Hudson Hall, Durham, NC, 27708, United States.
| | - Daniel Rittschof
- Duke Marine Laboratory, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, 28516, United States.
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33
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Goldbogen JA, Cade DE, Wisniewska DM, Potvin J, Segre PS, Savoca MS, Hazen EL, Czapanskiy MF, Kahane-Rapport SR, DeRuiter SL, Gero S, Tønnesen P, Gough WT, Hanson MB, Holt MM, Jensen FH, Simon M, Stimpert AK, Arranz P, Johnston DW, Nowacek DP, Parks SE, Visser F, Friedlaender AS, Tyack PL, Madsen PT, Pyenson ND. Why whales are big but not bigger: Physiological drivers and ecological limits in the age of ocean giants. Science 2020; 366:1367-1372. [PMID: 31831666 DOI: 10.1126/science.aax9044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2019] [Accepted: 10/31/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The largest animals are marine filter feeders, but the underlying mechanism of their large size remains unexplained. We measured feeding performance and prey quality to demonstrate how whale gigantism is driven by the interplay of prey abundance and harvesting mechanisms that increase prey capture rates and energy intake. The foraging efficiency of toothed whales that feed on single prey is constrained by the abundance of large prey, whereas filter-feeding baleen whales seasonally exploit vast swarms of small prey at high efficiencies. Given temporally and spatially aggregated prey, filter feeding provides an evolutionary pathway to extremes in body size that are not available to lineages that must feed on one prey at a time. Maximum size in filter feeders is likely constrained by prey availability across space and time.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Goldbogen
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA.
| | - D E Cade
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - D M Wisniewska
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - J Potvin
- Department of Physics, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - P S Segre
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - M S Savoca
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - E L Hazen
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA.,Environmental Research Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, Monterey, CA, USA.,Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - M F Czapanskiy
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - S R Kahane-Rapport
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - S L DeRuiter
- Mathematics and Statistics Department, Calvin University, Grand Rapids, MI, USA
| | - S Gero
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - P Tønnesen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - W T Gough
- Hopkins Marine Station, Department of Biology, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - M B Hanson
- Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - M M Holt
- Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - F H Jensen
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | - M Simon
- Greenland Climate Research Centre, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk, Greenland
| | - A K Stimpert
- Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Moss Landing, CA, USA
| | - P Arranz
- Biodiversity, Marine Ecology and Conservation Group, Department of Animal Biology, University of La Laguna, La Laguna, Spain
| | - D W Johnston
- Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, NC, USA
| | - D P Nowacek
- Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - S E Parks
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY, USA
| | - F Visser
- Department of Freshwater and Marine Ecology, IBED, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands.,Department of Coastal Systems, NIOZ and Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands.,Kelp Marine Research, Hoorn, Netherlands
| | - A S Friedlaender
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - P L Tyack
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, School of Biology, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - P T Madsen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - N D Pyenson
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA.,Department of Paleontology and Geology, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, WA, USA
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Werth AJ, Ito H, Ueda K. Multiaxial movements at the minke whale temporomandibular joint. J Morphol 2020; 281:402-412. [PMID: 32003486 DOI: 10.1002/jmor.21107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Revised: 01/17/2020] [Accepted: 01/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Mandibular mobility accompanying gape change in Northern and Antarctic minke whales was investigated by manipulating jaws of carcasses, recording jaw movements via digital instruments (inclinometers, accelerometers, and goniometers), and examining osteological and soft tissue movements via computed tomography (CT)-scans. We investigated longitudinal (α) rotation of the mandible and mediolateral displacement at the symphysis (Ω1 ) and temporomandibular joint (Ω2 ) as the mouth opened (Δ). Results indicated three phases of jaw opening. In the first phase, as gape increased from zero to 8°, there was slight (<1°) α and Ω rotation. As gape increased between 20 and 30°, the mandibles rotated slightly laterally (Mean 3°), the posterior condyles were slightly medially displaced (Mean 4°), and the anterior ends at the symphysis were laterally displaced (Mean 3°). In the third phase of jaw opening, from 30° to full (≥90°) gape, these motions reversed: mandibles rotated medially (Mean 29°), condyles were laterally displaced (Mean 14°), and symphyseal ends were medially displaced (Mean 1°). Movements were observed during jaw manipulation and analyzed with CT-images that confirmed quantitative inclinometer/accelerometer data, including the unstable intermediate (Phase 2) position. Together these shifting movements maintain a constant distance for adductor muscles stretched between the skull's temporal fossa and mandible's coronoid process. Mandibular rotation enlarges the buccal cavity's volume as much as 36%, likely to improve prey capture in rorqual lunge feeding; it may strengthen and stabilize jaw opening or closure, perhaps via a simple locking or unlocking mechanism. Rotated lips may brace baleen racks during filtration. Mandibular movements may serve a proprioceptive mechanosensory function, perhaps via the symphyseal organ, to guide prey engulfment and water expulsion for filtration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J Werth
- Department of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, Virginia, USA
| | - Haruka Ito
- National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Keiichi Ueda
- Zoological Laboratory, Okinawa Churashima Research Center & Animal Health Management, Okinawa, Japan
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Bianucci G, Marx FG, Collareta A, Di Stefano A, Landini W, Morigi C, Varola A. Rise of the titans: baleen whales became giants earlier than thought. Biol Lett 2019; 15:20190175. [PMID: 31039728 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Baleen whales (Mysticeti) are major ecosystem engineers, thanks to their enormous size and bulk filter feeding strategy. Their signature gigantism is thought to be a relatively recent phenomenon, resulting from a Plio-Pleistocene mode shift in their body size evolution. Here, we report the largest whale fossil ever described: an Early Pleistocene (1.5-1.25 Ma) blue whale from Italy with an estimated body length of up to 26 m. Macroevolutionary modelling taking into account this specimen, as well as additional material from the Miocene of Peru, reveals that the proposed mode shift occurred either somewhat earlier, or perhaps not at all. Large-sized mysticetes comparable to most extant species have existed since at least the Late Miocene, suggesting a long-term impact on global marine ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Bianucci
- 1 Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Pisa , Pisa , Italy
| | - Felix G Marx
- 2 Directorate Earth and History of Life, Royal Belgium Institute of Natural Sciences , Brussels , Belgium.,3 Department of Geology, University of Liège , Liège , Belgium.,4 Geosciences, Museums Victoria , Melbourne, Victoria , Australia.,5 School of Biological Sciences, Monash University , Clayton, Victoria , Australia
| | - Alberto Collareta
- 1 Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Pisa , Pisa , Italy
| | - Agata Di Stefano
- 6 Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Catania , Catania , Italy
| | - Walter Landini
- 1 Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Pisa , Pisa , Italy
| | - Caterina Morigi
- 1 Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Pisa , Pisa , Italy
| | - Angelo Varola
- 1 Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, Università di Pisa , Pisa , Italy
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The Evolution of Unusually Small Amelogenin Genes in Cetaceans; Pseudogenization, X-Y Gene Conversion, and Feeding Strategy. J Mol Evol 2019; 88:122-135. [PMID: 31754761 DOI: 10.1007/s00239-019-09917-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2019] [Accepted: 11/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Among extant cetaceans, mysticetes are filter feeders that do not possess teeth and use their baleen for feeding, while most odontocetes are considered suction feeders, which capture prey by suction without biting or chewing with teeth. In the present study, we address the functionality of amelogenin (AMEL) genes in cetaceans. AMEL encodes a protein that is specifically involved in dental enamel formation and is located on the sex chromosomes in eutherians. The X-copy AMELX is functional in enamel-bearing eutherians, whereas the Y-copy AMELY appears to have undergone decay and was completely lost in some species. Consistent with these premises, we detected various deleterious mutations and/or non-canonical splice junctions in AMELX of mysticetes and four suction feeding odontocetes, Delphinapterus leucas, Monodon monoceros, Kogia breviceps, and Physeter macrocephalus, and in AMELY of mysticetes and odontocetes. Regardless of the functionality, both AMELX and AMELY are equally and unusually small in cetaceans, and even their functional AMELX genes presumably encode a degenerate core region, which is thought to be essential for enamel matrix assembly and enamel crystal growth. Furthermore, our results suggest that the most recent common ancestors of extant cetaceans had functional AMELX and AMELY, both of which are similar to AMELX of Platanista minor. Similar small AMELX and AMELY in archaic cetaceans can be explained by gene conversion between AMELX and AMELY. We speculate that common ancestors of modern cetaceans employed a degenerate AMELX, transferred from a decaying AMELY by gene conversion, at an early stage of their transition to suction feeders.
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Shipps BK, Peredo CM, Pyenson ND. Borealodon osedax, a new stem mysticete (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the Oligocene of Washington State and its implications for fossil whale-fall communities. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:182168. [PMID: 31417706 PMCID: PMC6689636 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.182168] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2019] [Accepted: 05/30/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Baleen whales (mysticetes) lack teeth as adults and instead filter feed using keratinous baleen plates. They do not echolocate with ultrasonic frequencies like toothed whales but are instead known for infrasonic acoustics. Both baleen and infrasonic hearing are separately considered key innovations linked to their gigantism, evolutionary success and ecological diversity. The earliest mysticetes had teeth, and the phylogenetic position of many so-called toothed mysticetes remains debated, including those belonging to the nominal taxonomic groups Llanocetidae, Mammalodontidae and Aetiocetidae. Here, we report a new stem mysticete, Borealodon osedax gen. et sp. nov., from the Oligocene of Washington State, USA. Borealodon preserves multi-cusped teeth with apical wear; microCT scans of the inner ear indicate that the minimum frequency hearing limit of Borealodon was similar to mammalodontids. Borealodon is not recovered within a monophyletic Mammalodontidae nor a monophyletic Aetiocetidae; instead, it represents an unnamed lineage of stem Mysticeti, adding to the diversity of stem mysticetes, especially across the Rupelian-Chattian boundary. Furthermore, the presence of a putative chemosynthetic bivalve along with Osedax, a bone-boring annelid, found in association with the type specimen of Borealodon, offer more insights into the evolution of deep-sea whale-fall communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- B. K. Shipps
- Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Earth Sciences, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Carlos Mauricio Peredo
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA
- Department of Earth and Environmental Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Nicholas D. Pyenson
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC, USA
- Department of Paleontology and Geology, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, Seattle, WA, USA
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Lanzetti A. Prenatal developmental sequence of the skull of minke whales and its implications for the evolution of mysticetes and the teeth-to-baleen transition. J Anat 2019; 235:725-748. [PMID: 31216066 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/15/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Baleen whales (Mysticeti) have an extraordinary fossil record documenting the transition from toothed raptorial taxa to modern species that bear baleen plates, keratinous bristles employed in filter-feeding. Remnants of their toothed ancestry can be found in their ontogeny, as they still develop tooth germs in utero. Understanding the developmental transition from teeth to baleen and the associated skull modifications in prenatal specimens of extant species can enhance our understanding of the evolutionary history of this lineage by using ontogeny as a relative proxy of the evolutionary changes observed in the fossil record. Although at present very little information is available on prenatal development of baleen whales, especially regarding tooth resorption and baleen formation, due to a lack of specimens. Here I present the first detailed description of prenatal specimens of minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata and Balaenoptera bonaerensis), focusing on the skull anatomy and tooth germ development, resorption, and baleen growth. The ontogenetic sequence described consists of 10 specimens of both minke whale species, from the earliest fetal stages to full term. The internal skull anatomy of the specimens was visualized using traditional and iodine-enhanced computed tomography scanning. These high-quality data allow detailed description of skull development both qualitatively and quantitatively using three-dimensional landmark analysis. I report distinctive external anatomical changes and the presence of a denser tissue medial to the tooth germs in specimens from the final portion of gestation, which can be interpreted as the first signs of baleen formation (baleen rudiments). Tooth germs are only completely resorbed just before the eruption of the baleen from the gums, and they are still present for a brief period with baleen rudiments. Skull shape development is characterized by progressive elongation of the rostrum relative to the braincase and by the relative anterior movement of the supraoccipital shield, contributing to a defining feature of cetaceans, telescoping. These data aid the interpretation of fossil morphologies, especially of those extinct taxa where there is no direct evidence of presence of baleen, even if caution is needed when comparing prenatal extant specimens with adult fossils. The ontogeny of other mysticete species needs to be analyzed before drawing definitive conclusions about the influence of development on the evolution of this group. Nonetheless, this work is the first step towards a deeper understanding of the most distinctive patterns in prenatal skull development of baleen whales, and of the anatomical changes that accompany the transition from tooth germs to baleen. It also presents comprehensive hypotheses to explain the influence of developmental processes on the evolution of skull morphology and feeding adaptations of mysticetes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnese Lanzetti
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
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Roston RA, Roth VL. Cetacean Skull Telescoping Brings Evolution of Cranial Sutures into Focus. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2019; 302:1055-1073. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.24079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2018] [Revised: 10/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/21/2018] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - V. Louise Roth
- Department of Biology; Duke University; Durham North Carolina
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Marx FG, Post K, Bosselaers M, Munsterman DK. A large Late Miocene cetotheriid (Cetacea, Mysticeti) from the Netherlands clarifies the status of Tranatocetidae. PeerJ 2019; 7:e6426. [PMID: 30783574 PMCID: PMC6377596 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.6426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Cetotheriidae are a group of small baleen whales (Mysticeti) that evolved alongside modern rorquals. They once enjoyed a nearly global distribution, but then largely went extinct during the Plio-Pleistocene. After languishing as a wastebasket taxon for more than a century, the concept of Cetotheriidae is now well established. Nevertheless, the clade remains notable for its variability, and its scope remains in flux. In particular, the recent referral of several traditional cetotheriids to a new and seemingly unrelated family, Tranatocetidae, has created major phylogenetic uncertainty. Here, we describe a new species of Tranatocetus, the type of Tranatocetidae, from the Late Miocene of the Netherlands. Tranatocetus maregermanicum sp. nov. clarifies several of the traits previously ascribed to this genus, and reveals distinctive auditory and mandibular morphologies suggesting cetotheriid affinities. This interpretation is supported by a large phylogenetic analysis, which mingles cetotheriids and tranatocetids within a unified clade. As a result, we suggest that both groups should be reintegrated into the single family Cetotheriidae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix G Marx
- Department of Geology, Université de Liège, Liège, Belgium.,Directorate of Earth and History of Life, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium.,Palaeontology, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.,School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Klaas Post
- Natuurhistorisch Museum, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Mark Bosselaers
- Directorate of Earth and History of Life, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium.,Zeeland Royal Society of Sciences, Middelburg, The Netherlands
| | - Dirk K Munsterman
- Netherlands Institute of Applied Geoscience TNO - National Geological Survey, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Pimiento C, Cantalapiedra JL, Shimada K, Field DJ, Smaers JB. Evolutionary pathways toward gigantism in sharks and rays. Evolution 2019; 73:588-599. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13680] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2018] [Accepted: 01/04/2019] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Catalina Pimiento
- Department of BiosciencesSwansea University Swansea SA28PP United Kingdom
- Museum für NaturkundeLeibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science Berlin 10115 Germany
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Balboa Panama
| | - Juan L. Cantalapiedra
- Museum für NaturkundeLeibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science Berlin 10115 Germany
- Departamento Ciencias de la VidaUniversidad de Alcalá Madrid Spain
| | - Kenshu Shimada
- Department of Environmental Science and Studies and Department of Biological SciencesDePaul University Chicago IL 60614
| | - Daniel J. Field
- Department of Earth SciencesUniversity of Cambridge Cambridge Cambridgeshire CB2 3EQ UK
| | - Jeroen B. Smaers
- Department of AnthropologyStony Brook University New York NY 11794
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Peredo CM, Pyenson ND, Marshall CD, Uhen MD. Tooth Loss Precedes the Origin of Baleen in Whales. Curr Biol 2018; 28:3992-4000.e2. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.10.047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2018] [Revised: 09/20/2018] [Accepted: 10/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Abstract
In its most basic conception, a novelty is simply something new. However, when many previously proposed evolutionary novelties have been illuminated by genetic, developmental, and fossil data, they have refined and narrowed our concept of biological "newness." For example, they show that these novelties can occur at one or multiple levels of biological organization. Here, we review the identity of structures in the avian vocal organ, the syrinx, and bring together developmental data on airway patterning, structural data from across tetrapods, and mathematical modeling to assess what is novel. In contrast with laryngeal cartilages that support vocal folds in other vertebrates, we find no evidence that individual cartilage rings anchoring vocal folds in the syrinx have homology with any specific elements in outgroups. Further, unlike all other vertebrate vocal organs, the syrinx is not derived from a known valve precursor, and its origin involves a transition from an evolutionary "spandrel" in the respiratory tract, the site where the trachea meets the bronchi, to a target for novel selective regimes. We find that the syrinx falls into an unusual category of novel structures: those having significant functional overlap with the structures they replace. The syrinx, along with other evolutionary novelties in sensory and signaling modalities, may more commonly involve structural changes that contribute to or modify an existing function rather than those that enable new functions.
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Werth AJ, Potvin J, Shadwick RE, Jensen MM, Cade DE, Goldbogen JA. Filtration area scaling and evolution in mysticetes: trophic niche partitioning and the curious cases of sei and pygmy right whales. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J Werth
- Department of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, VA, USA
| | - Jean Potvin
- Department of Physics, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Robert E Shadwick
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C., Canada
| | - Megan M Jensen
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - David E Cade
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - Jeremy A Goldbogen
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
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Geisler JH. Evolution: More Mysticete Mysteries. Curr Biol 2018; 28:R603-R605. [PMID: 29787723 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.04.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
Fossils of one of the oldest relatives to baleen-bearing whales have been described from Antarctica. Aspects of its anatomy cast doubt on conventional views for the evolution of filter-feeding and body size in whales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan H Geisler
- Department of Anatomy, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Northern Boulevard, Old Westbury, NY, USA; Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA.
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