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Takeuchi H, Matsuishi TF, Hayakawa T. A tradeoff evolution between acoustic fat bodies and skull muscles in toothed whales. Gene 2024; 901:148167. [PMID: 38224921 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2024.148167] [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: 10/24/2023] [Revised: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
Toothed whales have developed specialized echolocation abilities that are crucial for underwater activities. Acoustic fat bodies, including the melon, extramandibular fat body, and intramandibular fat body, are vital for echolocation. This study explores the transcriptome of acoustic fat bodies in toothed whales, revealing some insight into their evolutionary origins and ecological significance. Comparative transcriptome analysis of acoustic fat bodies and related tissues in a harbor porpoise and a Pacific white-sided dolphin reveals that acoustic fat bodies possess characteristics of both muscle and adipose tissue, occupying an intermediate position. The melon and extramandibular fat body exhibit specific muscle-related functions, implying an evolutionary connection between acoustic fat bodies and muscle tissue. Furthermore, we suggested that the melon and extramandibular fat body originate from intramuscular adipose tissue, a component of white adipose tissue. The extramandibular fat body has been identified as an evolutionary homolog of the masseter muscle, supported by the specific expression of MYH16, a pivotal protein in masticatory muscles. The intramandibular fat body, located within the mandibular foramen, shows possibilities of the presence of several immune-related functions, likely due to its proximity to bone marrow. Furthermore, this study sheds light on leucine modification in the catabolic pathway, which leads to the accumulation of isovaleric acid in acoustic fat bodies. Swallowing without chewing, a major toothed whale feeding ecology adaptation, makes the masticatory muscle redundant and leads to the formation of the extramandibular fat body. We propose that the intramuscular fat enlargement in facial muscles, which influences acoustic fat body development, is potentially related to the substantial reorganization of head morphology in toothed whales during aquatic adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hayate Takeuchi
- Division of Biosphere Science, Graduate School of Environmental Science, Hokkaido University, N10W5, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan
| | - Takashi Fritz Matsuishi
- Global Center for Food, Land and Water Resources, Faculty of Fisheries Sciences, Hokkaido University, 3-1-1, Minato, Hakodate, Hokkaido 041-8611, Japan
| | - Takashi Hayakawa
- Section of Environmental Biology, Faculty of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, N10W5, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0810, Japan.
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2
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Tostado-Marcos C, Olocco Diz MJ, Martín-Orti R, Loureiro JP, Molpeceres-Diego I, Tendillo-Domínguez E, Pérez-Lloret P, Santos-Álvarez I, González-Soriano J. Nature or Nurture: Is the Digestive System of the Pontoporia blainvillei Influenced or Determined by Its Diet? Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:661. [PMID: 38473047 DOI: 10.3390/ani14050661] [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: 01/05/2024] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/17/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
The Franciscana (also known as the La Plata River Dolphin) is a small dolphin that lives in the coastal waters of Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. This species is considered the most endangered marine mammal in the western South Atlantic Ocean. Anatomic dissection of the digestive system of 19 animals of different ages, including 2 neonates, 12 juveniles, and 5 adults, was performed. Parameters related to length, breadth, weight, and diameter of the digestive viscera were considered in each case. Our results show that the Franciscana dolphin presents differential characteristics in relation to several parts of the digestive system, including, specifically, the tongue, the teeth, the stomach, and the small intestine. Thus, this paper add precious information to the actual knowledge of this vulnerable marine mammal species in order to improve conservation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Tostado-Marcos
- Fundación Mundo Marino, Av. X 157, San Clemente del Tuyú B7105, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - María Julieta Olocco Diz
- Fundación Mundo Marino, Av. X 157, San Clemente del Tuyú B7105, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Rosario Martín-Orti
- Sección Departamental de Anatomía y Embriología (Veterinaria), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, Avenida Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Juan-Pablo Loureiro
- Fundación Mundo Marino, Av. X 157, San Clemente del Tuyú B7105, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Ignacio Molpeceres-Diego
- Fundación Mundo Marino, Av. X 157, San Clemente del Tuyú B7105, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Veterinary Histology and Pathology, Atlantic Center for Cetacean Research, University Institute of Animal Health and Food Safety (IUSA), Veterinary School, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35413 Arucas, Spain
| | | | - Pilar Pérez-Lloret
- Sección Departamental de Anatomía y Embriología (Veterinaria), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, Avenida Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Inmaculada Santos-Álvarez
- Sección Departamental de Anatomía y Embriología (Veterinaria), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, Avenida Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Juncal González-Soriano
- Sección Departamental de Anatomía y Embriología (Veterinaria), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, Avenida Puerta de Hierro s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
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3
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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)
- Alexander J Werth
- Department of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, Virginia, USA
| | - A W Crompton
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
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4
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Description and distribution of the mechanical papillae of the lingual surface of Antarctic seals species (Phocidae: Carnivora) and their relationship with diet and dental morphology. Polar Biol 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-023-03119-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/14/2023]
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5
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Ferraz RS, Corrêa LAD, Calvet MCR, Santiago PMM, da Silva Teófilo T, de Oliveira REM, Martins AL, Barreto LN, Silva MML. Morphological tongue and palate characterizations in Trachemys adiutrix (Vanzolini, 1995) turtles. Anat Histol Embryol 2023; 52:519-527. [PMID: 36799805 DOI: 10.1111/ahe.12908] [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: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
Morphological studies on the oropharyngeal cavity of turtles are an interesting tool in understanding evolutionary processes associated with feeding habits. There is paucity of morphological information on the oropharyngeal cavity of the Trachemys adiutrix turtle. Thus, the aim of this study was to describe the tongue and palate morphology of T. adiutrix to establish a standard model for the species, providing information that may improve knowledge on the species feeding habits. Gross dissection, light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy assessments of 11 specimens were carried out. The tongue of T. adiutrix is triangular with a slightly rounded apex and broad base and lingual papillae widely distributed throughout the entire dorsal surface. The palate is composed of bony structures, displaying a triangular apex with one pair of choanae and palatine raphe that begin in the middle region, dividing the two openings. The body was elongated and smooth. The root was wrinkled and opened into the oesophagus. The tongue was lined by non-keratinized stratified squamous epithelium, rich in mucous cells and a large number of different-shaped papillae and taste buds. The palate was mainly lined by a pseudostratified cylindrical ciliated epithelium rich in mucous cells. In conclusion, the tongue and palate characteristics of T. adiutrix include evidence that these animals are semiaquatic, displaying morphological characteristics associated with aquatic and terrestrial trophic ecology, similar to that observed in other semiaquatic and terrestrial chelonian species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafaella Sousa Ferraz
- Biological Sciences and Health Center, Federal University of Maranhão, São Luís- MA, Brazil.,Nucleus of Oncology Research, Federal University of Pará, Belém-PA, Brazil
| | | | | | | | - Tiago da Silva Teófilo
- Department of Biosciences, Biological and Health Sciences Center, Federal University of the Semi-Arid Region, Mossoró-RN, Brazil
| | - Radan Elvis Matias de Oliveira
- Applied Animal Morphophysiology Laboratory (LABMORFA), Department of Animal Sciences, Federal University of the Semi-Arid Region, Mossoró-RN, Brazil
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Ecomorphology of toothed whales (Cetacea, Odontoceti) as revealed by 3D skull geometry. J MAMM EVOL 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-022-09642-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
AbstractExtant odontocetes (toothed whales) exhibit differences in body size and brain mass, biosonar mode, feeding strategies, and diving and habitat adaptations. Strong selective pressures associated with these factors have likely contributed to the morphological diversification of their skull. Here, we used 3D landmark geometric morphometric data from the skulls of 60 out of ~ 72 extant odontocete species and a well-supported phylogenetic tree to test whether size and shape variation are associated with ecological adaptations at an interspecific scale. Odontocete skull morphology exhibited a significant phylogenetic signal, with skull size showing stronger signal than shape. After accounting for phylogeny, significant associations were detected between skull size and biosonar mode, body length, brain and body mass, maximum and minimum prey size, and maximum peak frequency. Brain mass was also strongly correlated with skull shape together with surface temperature and average and minimum prey size. When asymmetric and symmetric components of shape were analysed separately, a significant correlation was detected between sea surface temperature and both symmetric and asymmetric components of skull shape, and between diving ecology and the asymmetric component. Skull shape variation of odontocetes was strongly influenced by evolutionary allometry but most of the associations with ecological variables were not supported after phylogenetic correction. This suggests that ecomorphological feeding adaptations vary more between, rather than within, odontocete families, and functional anatomical patterns across odontocete clades are canalised by size constraints.
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Young MT, Bowman CIW, Erb A, Schwab JA, Witmer LM, Herrera Y, Brusatte SL. Evidence for a novel cranial thermoregulatory pathway in thalattosuchian crocodylomorphs. PeerJ 2023; 11:e15353. [PMID: 37151298 PMCID: PMC10162039 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.15353] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Thalattosuchian crocodylomorphs were a diverse clade that lived from the Early Jurassic to the Early Cretaceous. The subclade Metriorhynchoidea underwent a remarkable transition, evolving from semi-aquatic ambush predators into fully aquatic forms living in the open oceans. Thalattosuchians share a peculiar palatal morphology with semi-aquatic and aquatic fossil cetaceans: paired anteroposteriorly aligned grooves along the palatal surface of the bony secondary palate. In extant cetaceans, these grooves are continuous with the greater palatine artery foramina, arteries that supply their oral thermoregulatory structures. Herein, we investigate the origins of thalattosuchian palatal grooves by examining CT scans of six thalattosuchian species (one teleosauroid, two early-diverging metriorhynchoids and three metriorhynchids), and CT scans of eleven extant crocodylian species. All thalattosuchians had paired osseous canals, enclosed by the palatines, that connect the nasal cavity to the oral cavity. These osseous canals open into the oral cavity via foramina at the posterior terminus of the palatal grooves. Extant crocodylians lack both the external grooves and the internal canals. We posit that in thalattosuchians these novel palatal canals transmitted hypertrophied medial nasal vessels (artery and vein), creating a novel heat exchange pathway connecting the palatal vascular plexus to the endocranial region. Given the general hypertrophy of thalattosuchian cephalic vasculature, and their increased blood flow and volume, thalattosuchians would have required a more extensive suite of thermoregulatory pathways to maintain stable temperatures for their neurosensory tissues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark T. Young
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- LWL-Museum für Naturkunde, Münster, Germany
| | | | - Arthur Erb
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Julia A. Schwab
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Lawrence M. Witmer
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, United States
| | - Yanina Herrera
- Museo de La Plata, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina
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8
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Ridgway S, Dibble DS, Baird M. Sights and sounds dolphins, Tursiops truncatus preying on native fish of San Diego Bay and offshore in the Pacific Ocean. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0265382. [PMID: 35976877 PMCID: PMC9385007 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0265382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
For the first time, dolphins wearing video cameras were observed capturing and eating live native fish. While freely swimming in San Diego Bay, one dolphin caught 69 resident fish, 64 demersal, 5 near surface, while the other caught 40, 36 demersal and 4 near the surface. Two other dolphins were observed capturing 135 live native fish in a sea water pool. Two additional dolphins were observed feeding opportunistically during open water sessions in the Pacific Ocean. Notably, one of these dolphins was observed to consume 8 yellow-bellied sea snakes (Hydrophis platurus). Searching dolphins clicked at intervals of 20 to 50 ms. On approaching prey, click intervals shorten into a terminal buzz and then a squeal. Squeals were bursts of clicks that varied in duration, peak frequency, and amplitude. Squeals continued as the dolphin seized, manipulated and swallowed the prey. If fish escaped, the dolphin continued the chase and sonar clicks were heard less often than the continuous terminal buzz and squeal. During captures, the dolphins’ lips flared to reveal nearly all of the teeth. The throat expanded outward. Fish continued escape swimming even as they entered the dolphins’ mouth, yet the dolphin appeared to suck the fish right down.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam Ridgway
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, CA, United States of America
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine University of California, San Diego, CA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | | | - Mark Baird
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, CA, United States of America
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9
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Nourbakhsh H, Adams A, Raverty S, Vogl AW, Haulena M, Skoretz SA. Microscopic Anatomy of the Upper Aerodigestive Tract in Harbour Seals (Phoca vitulina): Functional Adaptations to Swallowing. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2022; 306:947-959. [PMID: 35719006 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25025] [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: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Abandoned harbour seal pups (Phoca vitulina) are frequently recovered by rehabilitation centres and often require intensive nursing, gavage feeding and swallowing rehabilitation prior to anticipated release. Seal upper aerodigestive tract (UAT) histology descriptions relevant to deglutition are limited, impacting advances in rehabilitation practice. Therefore, we examined the histological characteristics of the harbour seal UAT to understand species-specific functional anatomy and characterize adaptations. To this end, we conducted gross dissections, compiled measurements and reviewed histologic features of the UAT structures of 14 pre-weaned harbour seal pups that died due to natural causes or were humanely euthanized. Representative samples for histologic evaluation included the tongue, salivary glands, epiglottis, and varying levels of the trachea and esophagus. Histologically, there was a prominent muscularis in the tongue with fewer lingual papillae types compared to humans. Abundant submucosal glands were observed in lateral and pharyngeal parts of the tongue and rostral parts of the esophagus. When compared to other mammalian species, there was a disproportionate increase in the amount of striated muscle throughout the length of the esophageal muscularis externa. This may indicate a lesser degree of autonomic control over the esophageal phase of swallowing in harbour seals. Our study represents the first detailed UAT histological descriptions for neonatal harbour seals. Collectively, these findings support specific anatomic and biomechanic adaptations relevant to suckling, prehension and deglutition. This work will inform rehabilitation practices and guide future studies on swallowing physiology in harbour seals with potential applications to other pinniped and otariid species in rehabilitation settings. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirad Nourbakhsh
- School of Audiology & Speech Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | - Arlo Adams
- Life Sciences Institute & Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | - Stephen Raverty
- Animal Health Center, 1767 Angus Campbell Road, Abbotsford, BC
| | - A Wayne Vogl
- Life Sciences Institute & Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC
| | - Martin Haulena
- Vancouver Aquarium Marine Mammal Rescue Centre, Vancouver, BC
| | - Stacey A Skoretz
- School of Audiology & Speech Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC.,Department of Critical Care Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB
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Kienle SS, Cuthbertson RD, Reidenberg JS. Comparative examination of pinniped craniofacial musculature and its role in aquatic feeding. J Anat 2022; 240:226-252. [PMID: 34697793 PMCID: PMC8742965 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [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: 05/20/2021] [Revised: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 09/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Secondarily aquatic tetrapods have many unique morphologic adaptations for life underwater compared with their terrestrial counterparts. A key innovation during the land-to-water transition was feeding. Pinnipeds, a clade of air-breathing marine carnivorans that include seals, sea lions, and walruses, have evolved multiple strategies for aquatic feeding (e.g., biting, suction feeding). Numerous studies have examined the pinniped skull and dental specializations for underwater feeding. However, data on the pinniped craniofacial musculoskeletal system and its role in aquatic feeding are rare. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to conduct a comparative analysis of pinniped craniofacial musculature and examine the function of the craniofacial musculature in facilitating different aquatic feeding strategies. We performed anatomic dissections of 35 specimens across six pinniped species. We describe 32 pinniped craniofacial muscles-including facial expression, mastication, tongue, hyoid, and soft palate muscles. Pinnipeds broadly conform to mammalian patterns of craniofacial muscle morphology. Pinnipeds also exhibit unique musculoskeletal morphologies-in muscle position, attachments, and size-that likely represent adaptations for different aquatic feeding strategies. Suction feeding specialists (bearded and northern elephant seals) have a significantly larger masseter than biters. Further, northern elephant seals have large and unique tongue and hyoid muscle morphologies compared with other pinniped species. These morphologic changes likely help generate and withstand suction pressures necessary for drawing water and prey into the mouth. In contrast, biting taxa (California sea lions, harbor, ringed, and Weddell seals) do not exhibit consistent craniofacial musculoskeletal adaptations that differentiate them from suction feeders. Generally, we discover that all pinnipeds have well-developed and robust craniofacial musculature. Pinniped head musculature plays an important role in facilitating different aquatic feeding strategies. Together with behavioral and kinematic studies, our data suggest that pinnipeds' robust facial morphology allows animals to switch feeding strategies depending on the environmental context-a critical skill in a heterogeneous and rapidly changing underwater habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Roxanne D. Cuthbertson
- Department of Biology and Marine BiologyUniversity of North Carolina WilmingtonWilmingtonNorth CarolinaUSA
| | - Joy S. Reidenberg
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount SinaiCenter for Anatomy and Functional MorphologyNew YorkNew YorkUSA
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11
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García de los Ríos y Loshuertos Á, Soler Laguía M, Arencibia Espinosa A, Martínez Gomariz F, Sánchez Collado C, López Fernández A, Gil Cano F, Seva Alcaraz J, Ramírez Zarzosa G. Endoscopic Study of the Oral and Pharyngeal Cavities in the Common Dolphin, Striped Dolphin, Risso's Dolphin, Harbour Porpoise and Pilot Whale: Reinforced with Other Diagnostic and Anatomic Techniques. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11061507. [PMID: 34067447 PMCID: PMC8224762 DOI: 10.3390/ani11061507] [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: 03/31/2021] [Revised: 05/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In this work, the fetal and newborn anatomical structures of the dolphin oropharyngeal cavities were studied. The main technique used was endoscopy, as these cavities are narrow tubular spaces and the oral cavity is difficult to photograph without moving the specimen. The endoscope was used to study the mucosal features of the oral and pharyngeal cavities. Two pharyngeal diverticula of the auditory tubes were discovered on either side of the choanae and larynx. These spaces begin close to the musculotubaric channel of the middle ear, are linked to the pterygopalatine recesses (pterygoid sinus) and they extend to the maxillopalatine fossa. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), osteological analysis, sectional anatomy, dissections, and histology were also used to better understand the function of the pharyngeal diverticula of the auditory tubes. These data were then compared with the horse's pharyngeal diverticula of the auditory tubes. The histology revealed that a vascular plexus inside these diverticula could help to expel the air from this space to the nasopharynx. In the oral cavity, teeth remain inside the alveolus and covered by gums. The marginal papillae of the tongue differ in extension depending on the fetal specimen studied. The histology reveals that the incisive papilla is vestigial and contain abundant innervation. No ducts were observed inside lateral sublingual folds in the oral cavity proper and caruncles were not seen in the prefrenular space.
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Affiliation(s)
- Álvaro García de los Ríos y Loshuertos
- Departamento de Anatomía y Anatomía Patológica Comparadas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (Á.G.d.l.R.y.L.); (F.M.G.); (C.S.C.); (F.G.C.); (J.S.A.)
- Centro de Estudio y Conservación de Animales Marinos (CECAM), 51001 Ceuta, Spain
| | - Marta Soler Laguía
- Departamento de Medicina y Cirugía Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain;
| | - Alberto Arencibia Espinosa
- Departamento de Morfología, Anatomía y Embriología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Trasmontaña, Arucas, 35416 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain;
| | - Francisco Martínez Gomariz
- Departamento de Anatomía y Anatomía Patológica Comparadas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (Á.G.d.l.R.y.L.); (F.M.G.); (C.S.C.); (F.G.C.); (J.S.A.)
| | - Cayetano Sánchez Collado
- Departamento de Anatomía y Anatomía Patológica Comparadas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (Á.G.d.l.R.y.L.); (F.M.G.); (C.S.C.); (F.G.C.); (J.S.A.)
| | - Alfredo López Fernández
- Departamento de Biología—CESAM, Campus Universitario de Santiago, Universidade de Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal;
- Coordinadora para el Estudio de los Mamíferos Marinos–CEMMA, Ap. 15, Gondomar, 36380 Pontevedra, Spain
| | - Francisco Gil Cano
- Departamento de Anatomía y Anatomía Patológica Comparadas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (Á.G.d.l.R.y.L.); (F.M.G.); (C.S.C.); (F.G.C.); (J.S.A.)
| | - Juan Seva Alcaraz
- Departamento de Anatomía y Anatomía Patológica Comparadas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (Á.G.d.l.R.y.L.); (F.M.G.); (C.S.C.); (F.G.C.); (J.S.A.)
| | - Gregorio Ramírez Zarzosa
- Departamento de Anatomía y Anatomía Patológica Comparadas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain; (Á.G.d.l.R.y.L.); (F.M.G.); (C.S.C.); (F.G.C.); (J.S.A.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-868-887-546; Fax: +34-868-884-147
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12
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Li S, Wang F. Vertebrate Evolution Conserves Hindbrain Circuits despite Diverse Feeding and Breathing Modes. eNeuro 2021; 8:ENEURO.0435-20.2021. [PMID: 33707205 PMCID: PMC8174041 DOI: 10.1523/eneuro.0435-20.2021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2020] [Revised: 01/08/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Feeding and breathing are two functions vital to the survival of all vertebrate species. Throughout the evolution, vertebrates living in different environments have evolved drastically different modes of feeding and breathing through using diversified orofacial and pharyngeal (oropharyngeal) muscles. The oropharyngeal structures are controlled by hindbrain neural circuits. The developing hindbrain shares strikingly conserved organizations and gene expression patterns across vertebrates, thus begs the question of how a highly conserved hindbrain generates circuits subserving diverse feeding/breathing patterns. In this review, we summarize major modes of feeding and breathing and principles underlying their coordination in many vertebrate species. We provide a hypothesis for the existence of a common hindbrain circuit at the phylotypic embryonic stage controlling oropharyngeal movements that is shared across vertebrate species; and reconfiguration and repurposing of this conserved circuit give rise to more complex behaviors in adult higher vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shun Li
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710
| | - Fan Wang
- Department of Neurobiology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27710
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Tanaka Y, Taruno H. A Fin Whale from the Holocene (Quaternary) of Osaka City, Japan. MAMMAL STUDY 2020. [DOI: 10.3106/ms2019-0044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yoshihiro Tanaka
- Osaka Museum of Natural History, Nagai Park 1-23, Higashi-Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 546-0034, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Taruno
- Osaka Museum of Natural History, Nagai Park 1-23, Higashi-Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 546-0034, Japan
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García de los Ríos y Loshuertos Á, Arencibia Espinosa A, Soler Laguía M, Gil Cano F, Martínez Gomariz F, López Fernández A, Ramírez Zarzosa G. A Study of the Head during Prenatal and Perinatal Development of Two Fetuses and One Newborn Striped Dolphin ( Stenella coeruleoalba, Meyen 1833) Using Dissections, Sectional Anatomy, CT, and MRI: Anatomical and Functional Implications in Cetaceans and Terrestrial Mammals. Animals (Basel) 2019; 9:ani9121139. [PMID: 31847155 PMCID: PMC6941167 DOI: 10.3390/ani9121139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2019] [Revised: 12/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/09/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The head region of the dolphin has been studied widely to identify its anatomical structures and to compare it with other marine and terrestrial mammals. In this study, specimens stranded off the Spanish coast were used. Our study analyzes four dolphin heads during fetal and perinatal development. All specimens were scanned using modern imaging techniques to study their internal organs and to preserve the specimens, which are difficult to obtain. Only one fetus was transversely cross-sectioned to help us to identify critical organs. The developmental study shows several anatomical structures that are compared with cetaceans and terrestrial mammals. During development of the oral cavity, it was observed that the rostral maxillary and mandible teeth (incisive area) had not completely erupted, in contrast with the rest of teeth, which have done so. Also, the main chewing muscle (masseter) was not observed. In addition, we describe the absence of major salivary glands during these developmental stages. Furthermore, we explain the characteristics of the orbit and its relation to the eyeball. In addition, the fetal dolphin’s ear is connected with pharynx in a way similar to that in horses. We conclude that these developmental studies will help cetacean conservation. Abstract Our objective was to analyze the main anatomical structures of the dolphin head during its developmental stages. Most dolphin studies use only one fetal specimen due to the difficulty in obtaining these materials. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) of two fetuses (younger and older) and a perinatal specimen cadaver of striped dolphins were scanned. Only the older fetus was frozen and then was transversely cross-sectioned. In addition, gross dissections of the head were made on a perinatal and an adult specimen. In the oral cavity, only the mandible and maxilla teeth have started to erupt, while the most rostral teeth have not yet erupted. No salivary glands and masseter muscle were observed. The melon was well identified in CT/MRI images at early stages of development. CT and MRI images allowed observation of the maxillary sinus. The orbit and eyeball were analyzed and the absence of infraorbital rim together with the temporal process of the zygomatic bone holding periorbit were described. An enlarged auditory tube was identified using anatomical sections, CT, and MRI. We also compare the dolphin head anatomy with some mammals, trying to underline the anatomical and physiological changes and explain them from an ontogenic point of view.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Alberto Arencibia Espinosa
- Departamento de Morfología. Anatomía y Embriología, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Trasmontaña, Arucas, 35416 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain
| | - Marta Soler Laguía
- Departamento de Medicina y Cirugía, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Francisco Gil Cano
- Departamento de Anatomía y Anatomía Patológica Comparadas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Francisco Martínez Gomariz
- Departamento de Anatomía y Anatomía Patológica Comparadas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
| | - Alfredo López Fernández
- Departamento de Biología—CESAM, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitario de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Gregorio Ramírez Zarzosa
- Departamento de Anatomía y Anatomía Patológica Comparadas, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Murcia, 30100 Murcia, Spain
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +34-868887546; Fax: +34-868884147
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Abstract
The largest animals are baleen filter feeders that exploit large aggregations of small-bodied plankton. Although this feeding mechanism has evolved multiple times in marine vertebrates, rorqual whales exhibit a distinct lunge filter feeding mode that requires extreme physiological adaptations-most of which remain poorly understood. Here, we review the biomechanics of the lunge feeding mechanism in rorqual whales that underlies their extraordinary foraging performance and gigantic body size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert E Shadwick
- Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Jean Potvin
- Department of Physics, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Jeremy A Goldbogen
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California
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17
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Kane EA, Cohen HE, Hicks WR, Mahoney ER, Marshall CD. Beyond Suction-Feeding Fishes: Identifying New Approaches to Performance Integration During Prey Capture in Aquatic Vertebrates. Integr Comp Biol 2019; 59:456-472. [DOI: 10.1093/icb/icz094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Organisms are composed of hierarchically arranged component parts that must work together to successfully achieve whole organism functions. In addition to integration among individual parts, some ecological demands require functional systems to work together in a type of inter-system performance integration. While performance can be measured by the ability to successfully accomplish ecologically relevant tasks, integration across performance traits can provide a deeper understanding of how these traits allow an organism to survive. The ability to move and the ability to consume food are essential to life, but during prey capture these two functions are typically integrated. Suction-feeding fishes have been used as a model of these interactions, but it is unclear how other ecologically relevant scenarios might reduce or change integration. To stimulate further research into these ideas, we highlight three contexts with the potential to result in changes in integration and underlying performance traits: (1) behavioral flexibility in aquatic feeding modes for capturing alternative prey types, (2) changes in the physical demands imposed by prey capture across environments, and (3) secondary adaptation for suction prey capture behaviors. These examples provide a broad scope of potential drivers of integration that are relevant to selection pressures experienced across vertebrate evolution. To demonstrate how these ideas can be applied and stimulate hypotheses, we provide observations from preliminary analyses of locally adapted populations of Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata) capturing prey using suction and biting feeding strategies and an Atlantic mudskipper (Periophthalmus barbarus) capturing prey above and below water. We also include a re-analysis of published data from two species of secondarily aquatic cetaceans, beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) and Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens), to examine the potential for secondary adaptation to affect integration in suction prey capture behaviors. Each of these examples support the broad importance of integration between locomotor and feeding performance but outline new ways that these relationships can be important when suction demands are reduced or altered. Future work in these areas will yield promising insights into vertebrate evolution and we hope to encourage further discussion on possible avenues of research on functional integration during prey capture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily A Kane
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA
| | - Hannah E Cohen
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA
| | - William R Hicks
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA
| | - Emily R Mahoney
- Department of Biology, Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, GA, USA
| | - Christopher D Marshall
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA
- Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA
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Laitman JT, Albertine KH. The Anatomical Record
Returns to the Sea: Exploring the Great Whales and Their Interesting Relatives. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2019; 302:659-662. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.24119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
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19
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Montuelle SJ, Kane EA. Food Capture in Vertebrates: A Complex Integrative Performance of the Cranial and Postcranial Systems. FEEDING IN VERTEBRATES 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-13739-7_4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Werth AJ, Lillie MA, Piscitelli MA, Wayne Vogl A, Shadwick RE. Slick, Stretchy Fascia Underlies the Sliding Tongue of Rorquals. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2018; 302:735-744. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.24035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2017] [Revised: 07/28/2017] [Accepted: 09/18/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander J. Werth
- Department of BiologyHampden‐Sydney College Hampden‐Sydney Virginia 23943
| | - Margo A. Lillie
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada V6T 1Z4
| | - Marina A. Piscitelli
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada V6T 1Z4
| | - A. Wayne Vogl
- Department of Cellular and Physiological SciencesUniversity of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada V6T 1Z3
| | - Robert E. Shadwick
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of British Columbia Vancouver British Columbia Canada V6T 1Z4
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Jensen MM, Saladrigas AH, Goldbogen JA. Comparative Three-Dimensional Morphology of Baleen: Cross-Sectional Profiles and Volume Measurements Using CT Images. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2018; 300:1942-1952. [PMID: 28971628 PMCID: PMC5656919 DOI: 10.1002/ar.23648] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2017] [Revised: 06/14/2017] [Accepted: 06/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Baleen whales are obligate filter feeders, straining prey‐laden seawater through racks of keratinized baleen plates. Despite the importance of baleen to the ecology and natural history of these animals, relatively little work has been done on baleen morphology, particularly with regard to the three‐dimensional morphology and structure of baleen. We used computed tomography (CT) scanning to take 3D images of six baleen specimens representing five species, including three complete racks. With these images, we described the three‐dimensional shape of the baleen plates using cross‐sectional profiles from within the gum tissue to the tip of the plates. We also measured the percentage of each specimen that was composed of either keratinized plate material or was void space between baleen plates, and thus available for seawater flow. Baleen plates have a complex three‐dimensional structure with curvature that varies across the anterior‐posterior, proximal‐distal, and medial‐lateral (lingual‐labial) axes. These curvatures also vary with location along the baleen rack, and between species. Cross‐sectional profiles resemble backwards‐facing airfoils, and some specimens display S‐shaped, or reflexed, camber. Within a baleen specimen, the intra‐baleen void volume correlates with the average bristle diameter for a species, suggesting that essentially, thinner plates (with more space between them for flow) have thinner bristles. Both plate curvature and the relative proportions of plate and void volumes are likely to have implications for the mechanics of mysticete filtration, and future studies are needed to determine the particular functions of these morphological characters. Anat Rec, 300:1942–1952, 2017. © 2017 The Authors The Anatomical Record published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Anatomists
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan M Jensen
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California, 93950
| | - Amalia H Saladrigas
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California, 93950
| | - Jeremy A Goldbogen
- Hopkins Marine Station of Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California, 93950
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22
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Fordyce RE, Marx FG. Gigantism Precedes Filter Feeding in Baleen Whale Evolution. Curr Biol 2018; 28:1670-1676.e2. [PMID: 29754903 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.04.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2018] [Revised: 03/19/2018] [Accepted: 04/06/2018] [Indexed: 10/16/2022]
Abstract
Baleen whales (Mysticeti) are the largest animals on Earth, thanks to their ability to filter huge volumes of small prey from seawater. Mysticetes appeared during the Late Eocene, but evidence of their early evolution remains both sparse and controversial [1, 2], with several models competing to explain the origin of baleen-based bulk feeding [3-6]. Here, we describe a virtually complete skull of Llanocetus denticrenatus, the second-oldest (ca. 34 Ma) mysticete known. The new material represents the same individual as the type and only specimen, a fragmentary mandible. Phylogenetic analysis groups Llanocetus with the oldest mysticete, Mystacodon selenensis [2], into the basal family Llanocetidae. Llanocetus is gigantic (body length ∼8 m) compared to other early mysticetes [7-9]. The broad rostrum has sharp, widely spaced teeth with marked dental abrasion and attrition, suggesting biting and occlusal shearing. As in extant mysticetes, the palate bears many sulci, commonly interpreted as osteological correlates of baleen [3]. Unexpectedly, these sulci converge on the upper alveoli, suggesting a peri-dental blood supply to well-developed gums, rather than to inter-alveolar racks of baleen. We interpret Llanocetus as a raptorial or suction feeder, revealing that whales evolved gigantism well before the emergence of filter feeding. Rather than driving the origin of mysticetes, baleen and filtering most likely only arose after an initial phase of suction-assisted raptorial feeding [2, 4, 5]. This scenario differs strikingly from that proposed for odontocetes, whose defining adaptation-echolocation-was present even in their earliest representatives [10].
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Affiliation(s)
- R Ewan Fordyce
- Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand; Departments of Vertebrate Zoology and Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Felix G Marx
- Directorate of Earth and History of Life, Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium; School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC, Australia; Geosciences, Museum Victoria, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
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Fortune SME, Koski WR, Higdon JW, Trites AW, Baumgartner MF, Ferguson SH. Evidence of molting and the function of "rock-nosing" behavior in bowhead whales in the eastern Canadian Arctic. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0186156. [PMID: 29166385 PMCID: PMC5699794 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0186156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2017] [Accepted: 09/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) have a nearly circumpolar distribution, and occasionally occupy warmer shallow coastal areas during summertime that may facilitate molting. However, relatively little is known about the occurrence of molting and associated behaviors in bowhead whales. We opportunistically observed whales in Cumberland Sound, Nunavut, Canada with skin irregularities consistent with molting during August 2014, and collected a skin sample from a biopsied whale that revealed loose epidermis and sloughing. During August 2016, we flew a small unmanned aerial system (sUAS) over whales to take video and still images to: 1) determine unique individuals; 2) estimate the proportion of the body of unique individuals that exhibited sloughing skin; 3) determine the presence or absence of superficial lines representative of rock-rubbing behavior; and 4) measure body lengths to infer age-class. The still images revealed that all individuals (n = 81 whales) were sloughing skin, and that nearly 40% of them had mottled skin over more than two-thirds of their bodies. The video images captured bowhead whales rubbing on large rocks in shallow, coastal areas—likely to facilitate molting. Molting and rock rubbing appears to be pervasive during late summer for whales in the eastern Canadian Arctic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah M. E. Fortune
- Department of Zoology and Marine Mammal Research Unit, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | | | | | - Andrew W. Trites
- Department of Zoology and Marine Mammal Research Unit, Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Mark F. Baumgartner
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Steven H. Ferguson
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Freshwater Institute, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Thometz NM, Dearolf JL, Dunkin RC, Noren DP, Holt MM, Sims OC, Cathey BC, Williams TM. Comparative physiology of vocal musculature in two odontocetes, the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) and the harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena). J Comp Physiol B 2017; 188:177-193. [PMID: 28569355 DOI: 10.1007/s00360-017-1106-5] [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: 01/31/2017] [Accepted: 05/11/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
The mechanism by which odontocetes produce sound is unique among mammals. To gain insight into the physiological properties that support sound production in toothed whales, we examined myoglobin content ([Mb]), non-bicarbonate buffering capacity (β), fiber-type profiles, and myosin heavy chain expression of vocal musculature in two odontocetes: the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus; n = 4) and the harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena; n = 5). Both species use the same anatomical structures to produce sound, but differ markedly in their vocal repertoires. Tursiops produce both broadband clicks and tonal whistles, while Phocoena only produce higher frequency clicks. Specific muscles examined in this study included: (1) the nasal musculature around the phonic lips on the right (RNM) and left (LNM) sides of the head, (2) the palatopharyngeal sphincter (PPS), which surrounds the larynx and aids in pressurizing cranial air spaces, and (3) the genioglossus complex (GGC), a group of muscles positioned ventrally within the head. Overall, vocal muscles had significantly lower [Mb] and β than locomotor muscles from the same species. The PPS was predominately composed of small diameter slow-twitch fibers. Fiber-type and myosin heavy chain analyses revealed that the GGC was comprised largely of fast-twitch fibers (Tursiops: 88.6%, Phocoena: 79.7%) and had the highest β of all vocal muscles. Notably, there was a significant difference in [Mb] between the RNM and LNM in Tursiops, but not Phocoena. Our results reveal shared physiological characteristics of individual vocal muscles across species that enhance our understanding of key functional roles, as well as species-specific differences which appear to reflect differences in vocal capacities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole M Thometz
- Department of Biology, University of San Francisco, 2130 Fulton St, San Francisco, CA, 94117, USA. .,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Long Marine Laboratory, University of California at Santa Cruz, 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060, USA.
| | - Jennifer L Dearolf
- Biology Department, Hendrix College, 1600 Washington Ave., Conway, AR, 72032, USA
| | - Robin C Dunkin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Long Marine Laboratory, University of California at Santa Cruz, 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060, USA
| | - Dawn P Noren
- Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, WA, 98112, USA
| | - Marla M Holt
- Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seattle, WA, 98112, USA
| | - Olivia C Sims
- Biology Department, Hendrix College, 1600 Washington Ave., Conway, AR, 72032, USA
| | - Brandon C Cathey
- Biology Department, Hendrix College, 1600 Washington Ave., Conway, AR, 72032, USA
| | - Terrie M Williams
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Long Marine Laboratory, University of California at Santa Cruz, 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060, USA
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Werth AJ, Ito H. Sling, Scoop, and Squirter: Anatomical Features Facilitating Prey Transport, Processing, and Swallowing in Rorqual Whales (Mammalia: Balaenopteridae). Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2017; 300:2070-2086. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.23606] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/06/2016] [Revised: 01/15/2017] [Accepted: 01/28/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Haruka Ito
- National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency; Yokohama Kanagawa 236-8648 Japan
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Goldbogen JA, Cade DE, Calambokidis J, Friedlaender AS, Potvin J, Segre PS, Werth AJ. How Baleen Whales Feed: The Biomechanics of Engulfment and Filtration. ANNUAL REVIEW OF MARINE SCIENCE 2017; 9:367-386. [PMID: 27620830 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-marine-122414-033905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 88] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Baleen whales are gigantic obligate filter feeders that exploit aggregations of small-bodied prey in littoral, epipelagic, and mesopelagic ecosystems. At the extreme of maximum body size observed among mammals, baleen whales exhibit a unique combination of high overall energetic demands and low mass-specific metabolic rates. As a result, most baleen whale species have evolved filter-feeding mechanisms and foraging strategies that take advantage of seasonally abundant yet patchily and ephemerally distributed prey resources. New methodologies consisting of multi-sensor tags, active acoustic prey mapping, and hydrodynamic modeling have revolutionized our ability to study the physiology and ecology of baleen whale feeding mechanisms. Here, we review the current state of the field by exploring several hypotheses that aim to explain how baleen whales feed. Despite significant advances, major questions remain about the processes that underlie these extreme feeding mechanisms, which enabled the evolution of the largest animals of all time.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Goldbogen
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California 93950; , ,
| | - D E Cade
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California 93950; , ,
| | - J Calambokidis
- Cascadia Research Collective, Olympia, Washington 98501;
| | - A S Friedlaender
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Marine Mammal Institute, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, Oregon 97365;
| | - J Potvin
- Department of Physics, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, Missouri 63103;
| | - P S Segre
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California 93950; , ,
| | - A J Werth
- Department of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, Virginia 23943;
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27
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Marshall CD. Morphology of the Bearded Seal (Erignathus barbatus) Muscular-Vibrissal Complex: A Functional Model for Phocid Subambient Pressure Generation. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2016; 299:1043-53. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.23377] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2015] [Revised: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 04/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D. Marshall
- Department of Marine Biology; Texas A&M University; Texas
- Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Biology; Texas A&M University; Texas
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28
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Kremers D, Célérier A, Schaal B, Campagna S, Trabalon M, Böye M, Hausberger M, Lemasson A. Sensory Perception in Cetaceans: Part I—Current Knowledge about Dolphin Senses As a Representative Species. Front Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2016.00049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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29
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Kremers D, Célérier A, Schaal B, Campagna S, Trabalon M, Böye M, Hausberger M, Lemasson A. Sensory Perception in Cetaceans: Part II—Promising Experimental Approaches to Study Chemoreception in Dolphins. Front Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2016.00050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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30
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Kienle SS, Berta A. The better to eat you with: the comparative feeding morphology of phocid seals (Pinnipedia, Phocidae). J Anat 2016; 228:396-413. [PMID: 26646351 PMCID: PMC5341551 DOI: 10.1111/joa.12410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/06/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
One adaptation crucial to the survival of mammalian lineages that secondarily transitioned from land to water environments was the ability to capture and consume prey underwater. Phocid seals have evolved diverse feeding strategies to feed in the marine environment, and the objectives of this study were to document the specialized feeding morphologies and identify feeding strategies used by extant phocids. This study used principal component analysis (PCA) to determine the major axes of diversification in the skull for all extant phocid taxa and the recently extinct Caribbean monk seal (n = 19). Prey data gathered from the literature and musculoskeletal data from dissections were included to provide a comprehensive description of each feeding strategy. Random Forest analysis was used to determine the morphological, ecological and phylogenetic variables that best described each feeding strategy. There is morphological evidence for four feeding strategies in phocids: filter; grip and tear; suction; and pierce feeding. These feeding strategies are supported by quantitative cranial and mandibular characters, dietary information, musculoskeletal data and, for some species, behavioral observations. Most phocid species are pierce feeders, using a combination of biting and suction to opportunistically catch prey. Grip and tear and filter feeding are specialized strategies with specific morphological adaptations. These unique adaptations have allowed leopard seals (Hydrurga leptonyx) and crabeater seals (Lobodon carcinophaga) to exploit novel ecological niches and prey types. This study provides the first cranial and mandibular morphological evidence for the use of specialized suction feeding in hooded seals (Cystophora cristata), northern elephant seals (Mirounga angustirostris) and southern elephant seals (Mirounga leonina). The most important variables in determining the feeding strategy of a given phocid species were cranial and mandibular shape, diet, and phylogeny. These results provide a framework for understanding the evolution and adaptability of feeding strategies employed by extant phocid species, and these findings can be applied to other pinniped lineages and extinct taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah S. Kienle
- Department of BiologySan Diego State UniversitySan DiegoCAUSA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of California Santa CruzSanta CruzCAUSA
| | - Annalisa Berta
- Department of BiologySan Diego State UniversitySan DiegoCAUSA
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Werth AJ, Straley JM, Shadwick RE. Baleen wear reveals intraoral water flow patterns of mysticete filter feeding. J Morphol 2016; 277:453-71. [DOI: 10.1002/jmor.20510] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2015] [Revised: 12/30/2015] [Accepted: 01/04/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Janice M. Straley
- Department of Marine Biology; University of Alaska Southeast; Sitka Alaska
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Marx FG, Tsai CH, Fordyce RE. A new Early Oligocene toothed 'baleen' whale (Mysticeti: Aetiocetidae) from western North America: one of the oldest and the smallest. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2015; 2:150476. [PMID: 27019734 PMCID: PMC4807455 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.150476] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2015] [Accepted: 10/30/2015] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Archaic toothed mysticetes represent the evolutionary transition from raptorial to bulk filter feeding in baleen whales. Aetiocetids, in particular, preserve an intermediate morphological stage in which teeth functioned alongside a precursor of baleen, the hallmark of all modern mysticetes. To date, however, aetiocetids are almost exclusively Late Oligocene and coeval with both other toothed mysticetes and fully fledged filter feeders. By contrast, reports of cetaceans from the Early Oligocene remain rare, leaving the origins of aetiocetids, and thus of baleen, largely in the dark. Here, we report a new aetiocetid, Fucaia buelli, from the earliest Oligocene (ca 33-31 Ma) of western North America. The new material narrows the temporal gap between aetiocetids and the oldest known mysticete, Llanocetus (ca 34 Ma). The specimen preserves abundant morphological detail relating to the phylogenetically informative ear bones (otherwise poorly documented in this family), the hyoid apparatus and much of the (heterodont) dentition. Fucaia comprises some of the smallest known mysticetes, comparable in size with the smallest odontocetes. Based on their phylogenetic relationships and dental and mandibular morphology, including tooth wear patterns, we propose that aetiocetids were suction-assisted raptorial feeders and interpret this strategy as a crucial, intermediary step, enabling the transition from raptorial to filter feeding. Following this line of argument, a combination of raptorial and suction feeding would have been ancestral to all toothed mysticetes, and possibly even baleen whales as a whole.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix G. Marx
- Department of Geology and Palaeontology, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba, Japan
- Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Author for correspondence: Felix G. Marx e-mail:
| | - Cheng-Hsiu Tsai
- Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - R. Ewan Fordyce
- Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
- Departments of Paleobiology and Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Washington DC, USA
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McDonald M, Vapniarsky-Arzi N, Verstraete F, Staszyk C, Leale D, Woolard K, Arzi B. Characterization of the temporomandibular joint of the harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) and Risso's dolphin (Grampus griseus). Arch Oral Biol 2015; 60:582-92. [DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2015.01.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2014] [Revised: 12/22/2014] [Accepted: 01/02/2015] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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Kienle SS, Ekdale EG, Reidenberg JS, Deméré TA. Tongue and Hyoid Musculature and Functional Morphology of a Neonate Gray Whale (Cetacea, Mysticeti, Eschrichtius robustus). Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2015; 298:660-74. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.23107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2013] [Revised: 02/20/2014] [Accepted: 09/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah S. Kienle
- Department of Biology; San Diego State University; San Diego California
| | - Eric G. Ekdale
- Department of Biology; San Diego State University; San Diego California
- Department of Paleontology; San Diego Natural History Museum; San Diego California
| | - Joy S. Reidenberg
- Center for Anatomy and Functional Morphology; Mount Sinai School of Medicine; New York New York
| | - Tom A. Deméré
- Department of Paleontology; San Diego Natural History Museum; San Diego California
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Ekdale EG, Kienle SS. Passive restriction of blood flow and counter-current heat exchange via lingual retia in the tongue of a neonatal gray whale Eschrichtius robustus (Cetacea, Mysticeti). Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2015; 298:675-9. [PMID: 25737382 DOI: 10.1002/ar.23111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2013] [Accepted: 09/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Retia mirabilia play broad roles in cetacean physiology, including thermoregulation during feeding and pressure regulations during diving. Vascular bundles of lingual retia are described within the base of the tongue of a neonatal female gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus). Each rete consists of a central artery surrounded by four to six smaller veins. The retia and constituent vessels decrease in diameter as they extend anteriorly within the hyoglossus muscle from a position anterior to the basihyal cartilage toward the apex of the tongue. The position of the retia embedded in the hyoglossus and the anterior constriction of the vessels differs from reports of similar vascular bundles that were previously identified in gray whales. The retia likely serve as a counter-current heat exchange system to control body temperature during feeding. Cold blood flowing toward the body center within the periarterial veins would accept heat from warm blood in the central artery flowing toward the anterior end of the tongue. Although thermoregulatory systems have been identified within the mouths of a few mysticete species, the distribution of such vascular structures likely is more widespread among baleen whales than has previously been described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric G Ekdale
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California; Department of Paleontology, San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego, California
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Snively E, Fahlke JM, Welsh RC. Bone-breaking bite force of Basilosaurus isis (Mammalia, Cetacea) from the late Eocene of Egypt estimated by finite element analysis. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0118380. [PMID: 25714832 PMCID: PMC4340796 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0118380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2014] [Accepted: 01/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Bite marks suggest that the late Eocence archaeocete whale Basilosaurus isis (Birket Qarun Formation, Egypt) fed upon juveniles of the contemporary basilosaurid Dorudon atrox. Finite element analysis (FEA) of a nearly complete adult cranium of B. isis enables estimates of its bite force and tests the animal's capabilities for crushing bone. Two loadcases reflect different biting scenarios: 1) an intitial closing phase, with all adductors active and a full condylar reaction force; and 2) a shearing phase, with the posterior temporalis active and minimized condylar force. The latter is considered probable when the jaws were nearly closed because the preserved jaws do not articulate as the molariform teeth come into occulusion. Reaction forces with all muscles active indicate that B. isis maintained relatively greater bite force anteriorly than seen in large crocodilians, and exerted a maximum bite force of at least 16,400 N at its upper P3. Under the shearing scenario with minimized condylar forces, tooth reaction forces could exceed 20,000 N despite lower magnitudes of muscle force. These bite forces at the teeth are consistent with bone indentations on Dorudon crania, reatract-and-shear hypotheses of Basilosaurus bite function, and seizure of prey by anterior teeth as proposed for other archaeocetes. The whale's bite forces match those estimated for pliosaurus when skull lengths are equalized, suggesting similar tradeoffs of bite function and hydrodynamics. Reaction forces in B. isis were lower than maxima estimated for large crocodylians and carnivorous dinosaurs. However, comparison of force estimates from FEA and regression data indicate that B. isis exerted the largest bite forces yet estimated for any mammal, and greater force than expected from its skull width. Cephalic feeding biomechanics of Basilosaurus isis are thus consistent with habitual predation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Snively
- Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin–La Crosse, 1725 State Street, La Crosse, Wisconsin, United States of America
| | - Julia M. Fahlke
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institut für Evolutions- und Biodiversitätsforschung, Invalidenstraße 43, D-10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Robert C. Welsh
- Department of Radiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
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Marshall CD, Rosen D, Trites AW. Feeding kinematics and performance of basal otariid pinnipeds, Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus), and northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus): implications for the evolution of mammalian feeding. J Exp Biol 2015; 218:3229-40. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.126573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2015] [Accepted: 08/18/2015] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Feeding performance studies can address questions relevant to feeding ecology and evolution. Our current understanding of feeding mechanisms for aquatic mammals is poor. Therefore, we characterized the feeding kinematics and performance of 5 Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus) and 6 northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus). We tested the hypotheses that both species use suction as their primary feeding mode, and that rapid jaw opening was related to suction generation. Steller sea lions used suction as their primary feeding mode, but also used a biting feeding mode. In contrast, Northern fur seals only used a biting feeding mode. Kinematic profiles of Steller sea lions were all indicative of suction feeding (i.e., a small gape, small gape angle, large depression of the hyolingual apparatus and lip pursing). However, jaw opening as measured by Gape Angle Opening Velocity (GAOV) was relatively slow in Steller sea lions. In contrast to Steller sea lions, the GAOV of Northern fur seals was extremely fast, but their kinematic profiles indicated a biting feeding mode (i.e., northern fur seals exhibited a greater gape, a greater gape angle, and minimal depression of the hyolingual apparatus compared to Steller sea lions). Steller sea lions produced both subambient and suprambient pressures at 45 kPa, respectively. In contrast, northern fur seals produced no detectable pressure measurements. Steller sea lions have a broader feeding repertoire than northern fur seals, which likely enables them to feed on a greater variety of prey, in more diverse habitats. Based on the basal phylogenetic position of northern fur seals, craniodental morphological data of the Callorhinus lineage, and the performance data provided in this study, we suggest that a northern fur seals may be exhibiting their ancestral feeding mode.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D. Marshall
- Texas A&M University, Department of Marine Biology, Galveston, TX 77553, USA
- Texas A&M University, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, College Station, TX 77840, USA
| | - David Rosen
- Marine Mammal Research Unit,
Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
| | - Andrew W. Trites
- Marine Mammal Research Unit,
Fisheries Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4
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Zhu K, Zhou X, Xu S, Sun D, Ren W, Zhou K, Yang G. The loss of taste genes in cetaceans. BMC Evol Biol 2014; 14:218. [PMID: 25305673 PMCID: PMC4232718 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-014-0218-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2014] [Accepted: 10/02/2014] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Five basic taste modalities, sour, sweet, bitter, salt and umami, can be distinguished by humans and are fundamental for physical and ecological adaptations in mammals. Molecular genetic studies of the receptor genes for these tastes have been conducted in terrestrial mammals; however, little is known about the evolution and adaptation of these genes in marine mammals. RESULTS Here, all five basic taste modalities, sour, sweet, bitter, salt and umami, were investigated in cetaceans. The sequence characteristics and evolutionary analyses of taste receptor genes suggested that nearly all cetaceans may have lost all taste modalities except for that of salt. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to comprehensively examine the five basic taste modalities in cetaceans with extensive taxa sampling. Our results suggest that cetaceans have lost four of the basic taste modalities including sour, sweet, umami, and most of the ability to sense bitter tastes. The integrity of the candidate salt taste receptor genes in all the cetaceans examined may be because of their function in Na(+) reabsorption, which is key to osmoregulation and aquatic adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kangli Zhu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Xuming Zhou
- Division of Genetics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Shixia Xu
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Di Sun
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Wenhua Ren
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Kaiya Zhou
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
| | - Guang Yang
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
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Guidarelli G, Nicolosi P, Fusco G, de Francesco MC, Loy A. Morphological variation and modularity in the mandible of three Mediterranean dolphin species. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014. [DOI: 10.1080/11250003.2014.943685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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40
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Schoenfuss HL, Bragulla HH, Schumacher J, Henk WG, Craig George J, Hillmann DJ. The anatomy of the larynx of the bowhead whale,Balaena mysticetus, and its sound-producing functions. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2014; 297:1316-30. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.22907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2013] [Revised: 05/21/2013] [Accepted: 11/22/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Heiko L. Schoenfuss
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences; School of Veterinary Medicine; Louisiana State University; Baton Rouge Louisiana
- Aquatic Toxicology Laboratory; St. Cloud State University; St. Cloud Minnesota
| | - Hermann H. Bragulla
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences; School of Veterinary Medicine; Louisiana State University; Baton Rouge Louisiana
| | - Jeffrey Schumacher
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences; School of Veterinary Medicine; Louisiana State University; Baton Rouge Louisiana
| | - William G. Henk
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences; School of Veterinary Medicine; Louisiana State University; Baton Rouge Louisiana
| | - J. Craig George
- North Slope Borough, Department of Wildlife Management; Barrow Alaska
| | - Daniel J. Hillmann
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences; School of Veterinary Medicine; Louisiana State University; Baton Rouge Louisiana
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Marshall CD, Wieskotten S, Hanke W, Hanke FD, Marsh A, Kot B, Dehnhardt G. Feeding kinematics, suction, and hydraulic jetting performance of harbor seals (Phoca vitulina). PLoS One 2014; 9:e86710. [PMID: 24475170 PMCID: PMC3901688 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0086710] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2013] [Accepted: 12/12/2013] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The feeding kinematics, suction and hydraulic jetting capabilities of captive harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) were characterized during controlled feeding trials. Feeding trials were conducted using a feeding apparatus that allowed a choice between biting and suction, but also presented food that could be ingested only by suction. Subambient pressure exerted during suction feeding behaviors was directly measured using pressure transducers. The mean feeding cycle duration for suction-feeding events was significantly shorter (0.15±0.09 s; P<0.01) than biting feeding events (0.18±0.08 s). Subjects feeding in-water used both a suction and a biting feeding mode. Suction was the favored feeding mode (84% of all feeding events) compared to biting, but biting comprised 16% of feeding events. In addition, seals occasionally alternated suction with hydraulic jetting, or used hydraulic jetting independently, to remove fish from the apparatus. Suction and biting feeding modes were kinematically distinct regardless of feeding location (in-water vs. on-land). Suction was characterized by a significantly smaller gape (1.3±0.23 cm; P<0.001) and gape angle (12.9±2.02°), pursing of the rostral lips to form a circular aperture, and pursing of the lateral lips to occlude lateral gape. Biting was characterized by a large gape (3.63±0.21 cm) and gape angle (28.8±1.80°; P<0.001) and lip curling to expose teeth. The maximum subambient pressure recorded was 48.8 kPa. In addition, harbor seals were able to jet water at food items using suprambient pressure, also known as hydraulic jetting. The maximum hydraulic jetting force recorded was 53.9 kPa. Suction and hydraulic jetting where employed 90.5% and 9.5%, respectively, during underwater feeding events. Harbor seals displayed a wide repertoire of behaviorally flexible feeding strategies to ingest fish from the feeding apparatus. Such flexibility of feeding strategies and biomechanics likely forms the basis of their opportunistic, generalized feeding ecology and concomitant breadth of diet.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher D. Marshall
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
- Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, United States of America
| | - Sven Wieskotten
- Institute for Biosciences, Sensory and Cognitive Ecology Group, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Wolf Hanke
- Institute for Biosciences, Sensory and Cognitive Ecology Group, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Frederike D. Hanke
- Institute for Biosciences, Sensory and Cognitive Ecology Group, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
| | - Alyssa Marsh
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Brian Kot
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University, Galveston, Texas, United States of America
| | - Guido Dehnhardt
- Institute for Biosciences, Sensory and Cognitive Ecology Group, University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
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Motani R, Ji C, Tomita T, Kelley N, Maxwell E, Jiang DY, Sander PM. Absence of suction feeding ichthyosaurs and its implications for triassic mesopelagic paleoecology. PLoS One 2013; 8:e66075. [PMID: 24348983 PMCID: PMC3859474 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2012] [Accepted: 05/01/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Mesozoic marine reptiles and modern marine mammals are often considered ecological analogs, but the extent of their similarity is largely unknown. Particularly important is the presence/absence of deep-diving suction feeders among Mesozoic marine reptiles because this would indicate the establishment of mesopelagic cephalopod and fish communities in the Mesozoic. A recent study suggested that diverse suction feeders, resembling the extant beaked whales, evolved among ichthyosaurs in the Triassic. However, this hypothesis has not been tested quantitatively. We examined four osteological features of jawed vertebrates that are closely linked to the mechanism of suction feeding, namely hyoid corpus ossification/calcification, hyobranchial apparatus robustness, mandibular bluntness, and mandibular pressure concentration index. Measurements were taken from 18 species of Triassic and Early Jurassic ichthyosaurs, including the presumed suction feeders. Statistical comparisons with extant sharks and marine mammals of known diets suggest that ichthyosaurian hyobranchial bones are significantly more slender than in suction-feeding sharks or cetaceans but similar to those of ram-feeding sharks. Most importantly, an ossified hyoid corpus to which hyoid retractor muscles attach is unknown in all but one ichthyosaur, whereas a strong integration of the ossified corpus and cornua of the hyobranchial apparatus has been identified in the literature as an important feature of suction feeders. Also, ichthyosaurian mandibles do not narrow rapidly to allow high suction pressure concentration within the oral cavity, unlike in beaked whales or sperm whales. In conclusion, it is most likely that Triassic and Early Jurassic ichthyosaurs were 'ram-feeders', without any beaked-whale-like suction feeder among them. When combined with the inferred inability for dim-light vision in relevant Triassic ichthyosaurs, the fossil record of ichthyosaurs does not suggest the establishment of modern-style mesopelagic animal communities in the Triassic. This new interpretation matches the fossil record of coleoids, which indicates the absence of soft-bodied deepwater species in the Triassic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryosuke Motani
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Cheng Ji
- Department of Geology and Geological Museum, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Taketeru Tomita
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
- Hokkaido University Museum, Hakodate, Japan
| | - Neil Kelley
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of California Davis, Davis, California, United States of America
| | - Erin Maxwell
- Paläontologisches Institut und Museum, Universität Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Da-yong Jiang
- Department of Geology and Geological Museum, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Paul Martin Sander
- Steinmann Institute, Division of Palaeontology, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany
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Ford TJ, Werth AJ, George JC. An Intraoral Thermoregulatory Organ in the Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus), the Corpus Cavernosum Maxillaris. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2013; 296:701-8. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.22681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2009] [Accepted: 01/03/2013] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - J. Craig George
- Department of Wildlife Management; North Slope Borough; Barrow Alaska
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44
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Integrative Approaches to the Study of Baleen Whale Diving Behavior, Feeding Performance, and Foraging Ecology. Bioscience 2013. [DOI: 10.1525/bio.2013.63.2.5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 146] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
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Potvin J, Goldbogen JA, Shadwick RE. Metabolic expenditures of lunge feeding rorquals across scale: implications for the evolution of filter feeding and the limits to maximum body size. PLoS One 2012; 7:e44854. [PMID: 23024769 PMCID: PMC3443106 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0044854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2012] [Accepted: 08/08/2012] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Bulk-filter feeding is an energetically efficient strategy for resource acquisition and assimilation, and facilitates the maintenance of extreme body size as exemplified by baleen whales (Mysticeti) and multiple lineages of bony and cartilaginous fishes. Among mysticetes, rorqual whales (Balaenopteridae) exhibit an intermittent ram filter feeding mode, lunge feeding, which requires the abandonment of body-streamlining in favor of a high-drag, mouth-open configuration aimed at engulfing a very large amount of prey-laden water. Particularly while lunge feeding on krill (the most widespread prey preference among rorquals), the effort required during engulfment involve short bouts of high-intensity muscle activity that demand high metabolic output. We used computational modeling together with morphological and kinematic data on humpback (Megaptera noveaangliae), fin (Balaenoptera physalus), blue (Balaenoptera musculus) and minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) whales to estimate engulfment power output in comparison with standard metrics of metabolic rate. The simulations reveal that engulfment metabolism increases across the full body size of the larger rorqual species to nearly 50 times the basal metabolic rate of terrestrial mammals of the same body mass. Moreover, they suggest that the metabolism of the largest body sizes runs with significant oxygen deficits during mouth opening, namely, 20% over maximum at the size of the largest blue whales, thus requiring significant contributions from anaerobic catabolism during a lunge and significant recovery after a lunge. Our analyses show that engulfment metabolism is also significantly lower for smaller adults, typically one-tenth to one-half . These results not only point to a physiological limit on maximum body size in this lineage, but also have major implications for the ontogeny of extant rorquals as well as the evolutionary pathways used by ancestral toothed whales to transition from hunting individual prey items to filter feeding on prey aggregations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean Potvin
- Department of Physics, Saint Louis University, Saint Louis, Missouri, United States of America.
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Abstract
Mammalian sweet taste is primarily mediated by the type 1 taste receptor Tas1r2/Tas1r3, whereas Tas1r1/Tas1r3 act as the principal umami taste receptor. Bitter taste is mediated by a different group of G protein-coupled receptors, the Tas2rs, numbering 3 to ∼66, depending on the species. We showed previously that the behavioral indifference of cats toward sweet-tasting compounds can be explained by the pseudogenization of the Tas1r2 gene, which encodes the Tas1r2 receptor. To examine the generality of this finding, we sequenced the entire coding region of Tas1r2 from 12 species in the order Carnivora. Seven of these nonfeline species, all of which are exclusive meat eaters, also have independently pseudogenized Tas1r2 caused by ORF-disrupting mutations. Fittingly, the purifying selection pressure is markedly relaxed in these species with a pseudogenized Tas1r2. In behavioral tests, the Asian otter (defective Tas1r2) showed no preference for sweet compounds, but the spectacled bear (intact Tas1r2) did. In addition to the inactivation of Tas1r2, we found that sea lion Tas1r1 and Tas1r3 are also pseudogenized, consistent with their unique feeding behavior, which entails swallowing food whole without chewing. The extensive loss of Tas1r receptor function is not restricted to the sea lion: the bottlenose dolphin, which evolved independently from the sea lion but displays similar feeding behavior, also has all three Tas1rs inactivated, and may also lack functional bitter receptors. These data provide strong support for the view that loss of taste receptor function in mammals is widespread and directly related to feeding specializations.
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Hydrodynamic and Sensory Factors Governing Response of Copepods to Simulated Predation by Balaenid Whales. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY 2012. [DOI: 10.1155/2012/208913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Predator/prey interactions between copepods and balaenid (bowhead and right) whales were studied with controlled lab experiments using moving baleen in still water and motionless baleen in flowing water to simulate zooplankton passage toward, into, and through the balaenid oral cavity. Copepods showed a lesser escape response to baleen and to a model head simulating balaenid oral hydrodynamics than to other objects. Copepod escape response increased as water flow and body size increased and was greatest at distances ≥10 cm from baleen and at copepod density = 10,000 m−3. Data from light/dark experiments suggest that escape is based on mechanoreception, not vision. The model head captured 88% of copepods. Results support previous research showing hydrodynamic effects within a whale’s oral cavity create slight suction pressures to draw in prey or at least preclude formation of an anterior compressive bow wave that could scatter or alert prey to the presence of the approaching whale.
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48
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Scaling of lunge feeding in rorqual whales: An integrated model of engulfment duration. J Theor Biol 2010; 267:437-53. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2010.08.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2010] [Revised: 08/19/2010] [Accepted: 08/24/2010] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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49
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FITZGERALD ERICHMG. The morphology and systematics of Mammalodon colliveri (Cetacea: Mysticeti), a toothed mysticete from the Oligocene of Australia. Zool J Linn Soc 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1096-3642.2009.00572.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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50
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Kane EA, Marshall CD. Comparative feeding kinematics and performance of odontocetes: belugas, Pacific white-sided dolphins and long-finned pilot whales. J Exp Biol 2009; 212:3939-50. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.034686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
SUMMARY
Cetaceans are thought to display a diversity of feeding modes that are often described as convergent with other more basal aquatic vertebrates (i.e. actinopterygians). However, the biomechanics of feeding in cetaceans has been relatively ignored by functional biologists. This study investigated the feeding behavior, kinematics and pressure generation of three odontocetes with varying feeding modes (belugas, Delphinapterus leucas; Pacific white-sided dolphins, Lagenorhynchus obliquidens; and long-finned pilot whales, Globicephala melas). Four feeding phases were recognized in all odontocetes: (I) preparatory, (II) jaw opening, (III) gular depression, and (IV) jaw closing. Belugas relied on a feeding mode that was composed of discrete ram and suction components. Pacific white-sided dolphins fed using ram, with some suction for compensation or manipulation of prey. Pilot whales were kinematically similar to belugas but relied on a combination of ram and suction that was less discrete than belugas. Belugas were able to purse the anterior lips to occlude lateral gape and form a small, circular anterior aperture that is convergent with feeding behaviors observed in more basal vertebrates. Suction generation in odontocetes is a function of hyolingual displacement and rapid jaw opening, and is likely to be significantly enhanced by lip pursing behaviors. Some degree of subambient pressure was measured in all species, with belugas reaching 126 kPa. Functional variations of suction generation during feeding demonstrate a wider diversity of feeding behaviors in odontocetes than previously thought. However, odontocete suction generation is convergent with that of more basal aquatic vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- E. A. Kane
- Texas A&M University, Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Science, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - C. D. Marshall
- Texas A&M University, Department of Marine Biology and Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, 5007 Avenue U, Galveston, TX 77551, USA
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