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Fish FE, Nicastro AJ, Cardenas KL, Segre PS, Gough WT, Kahane-Rapport SR, St. Leger J, Goldbogen JA. Spin-leap performance by cetaceans is influenced by moment of inertia. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb246433. [PMID: 38149677 PMCID: PMC10914021 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.246433] [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: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 12/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
Cetaceans are capable of extraordinary locomotor behaviors in both water and air. Whales and dolphins can execute aerial leaps by swimming rapidly to the water surface to achieve an escape velocity. Previous research on spinner dolphins demonstrated the capability of leaping and completing multiple spins around their longitudinal axis with high angular velocities. This prior research suggested the slender body morphology of spinner dolphins together with the shapes and positions of their appendages allowed for rapid spins in the air. To test whether greater moments of inertia reduced spinning performance, videos and biologging data of cetaceans above and below the water surface were obtained. The principal factors affecting the number of aerial spins a cetacean can execute were moment of inertia and use of control surfaces for subsurface corkscrewing. For spinner dolphin, Pacific striped dolphin, bottlenose dolphin, minke whale and humpback whale, each with swim speeds of 6-7 m s-1, our model predicted that the number of aerial spins executable was 7, 2, 2, 0.76 and 1, respectively, which was consistent with observations. These data implied that the rate of subsurface corkscrewing was limited to 14.0, 6.8, 6.2, 2.2 and 0.75 rad s-1 for spinner dolphins, striped dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, minke whales and humpback whales, respectively. In our study, the moment of inertia of the cetaceans spanned a 21,000-fold range. The greater moments of inertia for the last four species produced large torques on control surfaces that limited subsurface corkscrewing motion and aerial maneuvers compared with spinner dolphins.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank E. Fish
- Department of Biology, West Chester University, West Chester, PA 19383, USA
| | - Anthony J. Nicastro
- Department of Physics and Engineering, West Chester University, West Chester, PA 19383, USA
| | | | - Paolo S. Segre
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - William T. Gough
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
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Ryan C, Martins MCI, Healy K, Bejder L, Cerchio S, Christiansen F, Durban J, Fearnbach H, Fortune S, Friedlaender A, Koski WR, Miller C, Rodríguez-González FM, Segre PS, Urbán R J, Vivier F, Weir CR, Moore MJ. Morphology of nares associated with stereo-olfaction in baleen whales. Biol Lett 2024; 20:20230479. [PMID: 38290551 PMCID: PMC10827433 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024] Open
Abstract
The sensory mechanisms used by baleen whales (Mysticeti) for locating ephemeral, dense prey patches in vast marine habitats are poorly understood. Baleen whales have a functional olfactory system with paired rather than single blowholes (nares), potentially enabling stereo-olfaction. Dimethyl sulfide (DMS) is an odorous gas emitted by phytoplankton in response to grazing by zooplankton. Some seabirds use DMS to locate prey, but this ability has not been demonstrated in whales. For 14 extant species of baleen whale, nares morphometrics (imagery from unoccupied aerial systems, UAS) was related to published trophic level indices using Bayesian phylogenetic mixed modelling. A significant negative relationship was found between nares width and whale trophic level (β = -0.08, lower 95% CI = -0.13, upper 95% CI = -0.03), corresponding with a 39% increase in nares width from highest to lowest trophic level. Thus, species with nasal morphology best suited to stereo-olfaction are more zooplanktivorous. These findings provide evidence that some baleen whale species may be able to localize odorants e.g. DMS. Our results help direct future behavioural trials of olfaction in baleen whales, by highlighting the most appropriate species to study. This is a research priority, given the potential for DMS-mediated plastic ingestion by whales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conor Ryan
- Scottish Association for Marine Science, Argyll PA37 1QA, UK
| | - Maria C. I. Martins
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, East Sands KY16 8LB, UK
| | - Kevin Healy
- Zoology Department, School of Natural Sciences, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway H91 TK33, Ireland
| | - Lars Bejder
- Marine Mammal Research Program, Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Kāne'ohe, Hawai'i, USA
| | - Salvatore Cerchio
- African Aquatic Conservation Fund, P.O. Box 366, Chilmark, MA 02535, USA
| | - Fredrik Christiansen
- Marine Mammal Research, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - John Durban
- SR3, SeaLife Response, Rehabilitation and Research, Des Moines, WA, USA
| | - Holly Fearnbach
- SR3, SeaLife Response, Rehabilitation and Research, Des Moines, WA, USA
| | - Sarah Fortune
- Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
| | - Ari Friedlaender
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
| | - William R. Koski
- LGL Limited Environmental Research Associates, 22 Fisher Street, King City, Ontario, Canada, L7B 1A6
| | - Carolyn Miller
- Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | | | - Paolo S. Segre
- Department of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, WI, USA
- Hopkins Marine Station, Oceans Department, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jorge Urbán R
- Departamento de Ciencias Marinas y Costeras, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, La Paz, BCS, México
| | - Fabien Vivier
- Marine Mammal Research Program, Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Kāne'ohe, Hawai'i, USA
| | - Caroline R. Weir
- Falklands Conservation, Jubilee Villas, 41 Ross Road, Stanley, Falkland Islands
| | - Michael J. Moore
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA
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Cade DE, Kahane-Rapport SR, Gough WT, Bierlich KC, Linsky JMJ, Calambokidis J, Johnston DW, Goldbogen JA, Friedlaender AS. Minke whale feeding rate limitations suggest constraints on the minimum body size for engulfment filtration feeding. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:535-546. [PMID: 36914772 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-01993-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023]
Abstract
Bulk filter feeding has enabled gigantism throughout evolutionary history. The largest animals, extant rorqual whales, utilize intermittent engulfment filtration feeding (lunge feeding), which increases in efficiency with body size, enabling their gigantism. The smallest extant rorquals (7-10 m minke whales), however, still exhibit short-term foraging efficiencies several times greater than smaller non-filter-feeding cetaceans, raising the question of why smaller animals do not utilize this foraging modality. We collected 437 h of bio-logging data from 23 Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) to test the relationship of feeding rates (λf) to body size. Here, we show that while ultra-high nighttime λf (mean ± s.d.: 165 ± 40 lunges h-1; max: 236 lunges h-1; mean depth: 28 ± 46 m) were indistinguishable from predictions from observations of larger species, daytime λf (mean depth: 72 ± 72 m) were only 25-40% of predicted rates. Both λf were near the maxima allowed by calculated biomechanical, physiological and environmental constraints, but these temporal constraints meant that maximum λf was below the expected λf for animals smaller than ~5 m-the length of weaned minke whales. Our findings suggest that minimum size for specific filter-feeding body plans may relate broadly to temporal restrictions on filtration rate and have implications for the evolution of filter feeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- David E Cade
- Institute of Marine Science, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA.
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA.
| | | | - William T Gough
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - K C Bierlich
- Division of Marine Science and Conservation, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, USA
- Marine Mammal Institute, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, USA
| | - Jacob M J Linsky
- Institute of Marine Science, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | | | - David W Johnston
- Division of Marine Science and Conservation, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, Beaufort, NC, USA
| | | | - Ari S Friedlaender
- Institute of Marine Science, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA
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