Modern Whales Divergence

Great Essays
Show More
A tale of modern whales: Divergence and radiation of Neoceti during the Oligocene period likely driven by environmental changes in Southern Oceans

ZOO*4910 Integrative Vertebrate Biology
Group 04

Candace Flynn (cflynn@mail.uoguelph.ca),
Melissa Westaway, Katherine Znotinas, and Daniela Banda Marin

2 November 2014

Abstract
Reasons for divergence within the animal kingdom is heavily debated across many orders. Macroevolution in Cetacea has been attributed to a variety of ecological and environmental dynamics which set the stage for the success of modern whales. In this meta-analysis, we investigate the magnitude of support for two current competing hypotheses explaining the divergence of Neoceti from archaic whales (Archaeoceti) …show more content…
Fitzgerald (2006) and Demere et al. (2008) provide evidence that the initial mysticete radiation did not coincide with the appearance of traits associated with bulk filter-feeding. Other studies suggest that previous timeframe estimates are incorrect, and that either the establishment of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (Pfuhl and Cave 2005) or the radiation of the Mysticeti (Geisler et al. 2011) occurred much later than previously …show more content…
Eocene-Oligocene transition of the Southern Ocean: history of water mass circulation and biological productivity. Geology. 24, 163-166.

Fitzgerald, E. M. G., 2009. The morphology and systematics of Mammalodon colliveri (Cetacea: Mysticeti), a toothed Mysticete from the Oligocene of Australia. Zool. J. Linn. Soc-lond. 158, 367-476.

Fitzgerald, E., 2005. Bizarre baleen whales from Australia's ancient seas. Australas. Sci. 26, 23-27.

Fitzgerald, E., 2006. A bizarre new toothed Mysticete (Cetacea) from Australia and the early evolution of baleen whales. Proc. Biol. Sci. 273(1604), 2955-2963.

Fordyce, E. F., 1977. The development of the circum-antarctic current and the evolution of the Mysticeti (mammalian: Cetacea). Palaeogeog. Palaeoclim. Palaeocol. 21, 265-271.
Fordyce, R.E., 1980. Whale evolution and Oligocene sourthern ocean environments. Palaeogeog. Palaeoclim. Palaeoecol. 31, 319-336.

Geisler, J. H., McGowen, M. R., Yang, G., and Gatesy, J., 2011. A supermatrix analysis of genomic, morphological, and paleontological data from crown Cetacea. BMC. Evol. Biol. 11, 112-144.

Lipps, J. H., and Mitchell, E., 1976. Trophic model for the adaptive radiations and extinctions of pelagic marine mammals. Paleobiol. 2,

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    MS-LS-4-2 Summative Assessment: Anzar Mo
    • 487 Words
    • 2 Pages

    MS-LS-4-2 Summative Assessment: Anzar Mo

    During the “Whale Tales” I observed, that the Pakicetus was more of a land animal that had a long skull and long teeth unlike the Ambulocetus which had more aquatic lifestyle with shorter legs, feet enlarged like paddles, and had a long and muscular tale. In other words, the Pakicetus was a land animal and had land features unlike the Ambulocetus which lived in the ocean and had body features for swimming. This means that the Ambulocetus evolved from the Pakicetus because one was a land animal while the other one was a water animal and had similar body parts. This shows evolution because it shows that these two whales evolved from each other from being a land animal who could barely swim to a water animal who barely lived on land. This supports my claim because it shows how evolution occurred with whales and it compared two…

    • 487 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Baleen Whales Research Paper
    • 1501 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Baleen Whales Research Paper

    Baleen whales are the largest animals on earth, yet they feed on some of the smallest animals in the ocean. There are 12 baleen whale species divided into 4 families: Right, Pygmy right, Gray, and Rorqual. Characteristic baleen plates and paired blowholes help distinguish baleen whales from toothed whales. Whaling is definitely affecting the world's ecosystems. It has decimated the great whale population, especially in the southern hemisphere. The whales are vital to the food chain, stabilizing the food flow and maintaining a healthy ocean so the rapidly decreasing number of whales are going to have major effects on the ocean's ecosystem.…

    • 1501 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Pacific Ocean Whaling Research Paper
    • 1388 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Pacific Ocean Whaling Research Paper

    It’s 1848, Captain Horatio Dobbs and his whaling ship Princess a scouring the Pacific Ocean in search of the elusive Sperm Whale, his crew has been on a fruitless voyage for several months, not a whale in sight the reserves are running low and the ship has to make port to restock on rations. Suddenly, out of the vast blue expanse, an explosion of water, the Princess had stumbled upon a pod of Pacific Sperm Whales within minutes the small whaling boats a launched leaving only a skeleton crew on the Princess, one of these boats contained green hand Caleb Nye, the newest member of the crew of the Princess, they paddled toward the pod and select a target. Two men quickly hurl their harpoons toward the whale, each makes perfect contact with the…

    • 1388 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Australian Salt Water Crocodile Essay
    • 1057 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Australian Salt Water Crocodile Essay

    The Australian Salt-Water Crocodile [Crocodylus porosus] is an ancient group of achosaurs, which first appeared in the fossil record during the Late Triassic; over 200 million years ago. An ancestor of the Salt Water Crocodile, is the Isisfordia duncanii, which originated in Isisford Qld during the Mid Cretaceous period. The Isisfordia duncanii is essentially, the beginning of the lifestyle, known as “semi aquatic ambush predators” and despite being considerably smaller than the average Salt Water Crocodile, it bears a striking resemblance to its modern day counterpart. This new discovery has allowed for an insight into how this species resulted in the creation of the Salt Water Crocodile.…

    • 1057 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Decent Essays

    Sea Otter Population In The Alaska Summary
    • 283 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Sea Otter Population In The Alaska Summary

    Secondly, the author contends that pollution is a reasonable explanation of the decline of other sea mammals' populations…

    • 283 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
    Read More
  • Superior Essays

    Whales Evolution Research Paper
    • 918 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Whales Evolution Research Paper

    Some people may not believe this, but whales have been around for over 50 million years; however, they have not always like they do today (WGBH). Scientist have found over seven different species that whales could have originated from. Some species have had four legs with a furry tail; others have had two flippers and a blubbery tail (“The Evolution”) Here are some hypotheses for how whales have became whales: evolution (depending on religion and beliefs) or whales have just always been apart of the world and never really thought about it.…

    • 918 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Hippca Habitat Destruction
    • 995 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Hippca Habitat Destruction

    The six factors summarized by HIPPCO include habitat destruction, degradation, and fragmentation; invasive species; population growth and increasing use of resources; pollution; climate change; and overexploitation. All these factors summarized by HIPPCO may be applied to whales to describe how their populations have been affected and will be affected in the future. Quite simply, the whale populations have been decimated by human activity and environmental catastrophes that have ultimately adversely affected the whale. Habitat destruction and degradation has played a large role in the decreasing whale population. The destruction of the whale’s habitat can mainly be attributed to increases in human activity, fishing traffic, commuter vessels,…

    • 995 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Decent Essays

    Biology: The Most Controversial Claim Of Cetaceans
    • 396 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Biology: The Most Controversial Claim Of Cetaceans

    According to Biologists, Cetaceans have evolved from an ancient four-legged land mammal. Anatomically, whales have bones needed for a fully developed arm, hand,…

    • 396 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Rhincodon Typus
    • 234 Words
    • 1 Pages

    Rhincodon Typus

    Information regarding whale sharks, Rhincodon typus, is sparse, in terms of migratory patterns, age of sexual maturity, growth patterns, and breeding grounds. Spread throughout the oceans, whale sharks are rarely observed, except for in a few seasonal aggregation locations, which are presumed to have the necessary resources for survival, such as coral, plankton, and fish. Besides this, it is known that the population ranges from 27 000 to 476 000 (Berumen et al., 2014) and that these sharks may migrate up to 13 000 km (Berumen et al., 2014). This variation in population comes from the limited migratory information regarding R. typus.…

    • 234 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Baleen Whales
    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Baleen Whales

    Baleen whales undergo the longest annual migrations of any animal (Rice and Wolman 1971, Stone et al. 1990, Rasmussen et al. 2007). The function has generally been accepted as an evolutionary response to the need to feed in colder waters and reproduce in warmer waters (Corkeron and Connor 1999, Learmonth et al 2006). The location of feeding and breeding grounds along migration routes were initially inferred from stomach contents of stranding data and whaling logs (e.g., MacKintosh 1945, Scammon 1874, Pike 1962, Reeves et al 2004). Migration studies were rare before the 1960s because baleen whale populations were severely depleted by commercial whaling (Johnson and Wolman 1984, Mizroch et a1. 1984, Butterworth et al 2002). Studies increased…

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Trichechus Inunguis
    • 1012 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Trichechus Inunguis

    Throughout the course of history, mammals have evolved attempting to adapt to their changing environments. Since the world is continuingly changing, mammals needed to also change their habits and adjust so that they may continue to thrive and live. Three exemplary mammals that adapted so that they could exploit aquatic environments are the Orcinus orca, a cetacean, more commonly known as the killer whale, the Trichechus inunguis, a Sirenia, more commonly called the Amazonian manatee, and finally the Ornithorhynchus anatinus, a Monotreme, commonly known as the platypus. Each one of these mammals adapted differently to their specific niche, however, these adaptations or changes were so these mammals can fully exploit their new environments.…

    • 1012 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Succession Research Paper
    • 458 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Succession Research Paper

    Death of the whale can be divided into three phases: the mobile scavengers, the enrichment opportunist stage, and the sulphophilic bacteria. After the whale death, its body will slowly sink till it reaches the floor of the ocean which then will it settle there. After it’s down, in phase one, all the flesh eating species such as sharks and crabs will come and eat pieces of the whale. After the muscles and skins had been eaten, worms and bacterias will begin to eat and tear apart the soft tissues of the whale. And at the end, sulphur-reducing bacteria will eat whatever it is left. A whale can feed and serve other species from 50 to 75 years after its being death. That is why whale fall can simply become a key point of the succession. Because of it, many new species had been found and…

    • 458 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Decent Essays

    Humpback Whales Migration Summary
    • 295 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Humpback Whales Migration Summary

    The reading passage discusses an interesting topic about humpback whales migration using the starts to cover long distances, and provides three main reasons for supporting. However, the lecture casts doubts on the claims exposed by the article. He thinks that the reason whales can migrate long distance has nothing to do with the starts.…

    • 295 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Major Transitions In Human Evolution
    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Major Transitions In Human Evolution

    Many times there is a correlation between the arrival of humans and a rapid die off in the local megafauna. However, determinations of causality are often complicated by the concomitant occurrence of drastic climate change. While separating these factors can be difficult archaeologically, aDNA analysis can prove useful to that end. By analyzing the genetic diversity of a population, it can be more accurately inferred as to the overall population at a given time. This data seems to show that climate and human factors effected the various species of megafauna to a different degree. Some species where more closely tied to climate changes, while others suffered losses coinciding with the arrival of early humans. While most species showed some degree of correlation to both factors, the Woolly Rhino and Musk Ox extinction show no connection to early human…

    • 648 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More
  • Improved Essays

    Whales Research Paper
    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Whales Research Paper

    It’s just a lazy day on the surf. You and your family are riding along in a fishing boat, hoping for something to grab your bait. Far off on the horizon, you see a pod of whales. You immediately jump up and start smiling and laughing. The whales jump out of the crystal blue water, and then land with grace. It blows your mind how animals of such size have such gentleness. What makes whales so special is that they are mammals. They are the largest mammals, in fact. Also, whales are unique in their diet, their early life, and their ways of survival. Hopefully by the end of this, you will see how incredible the whale species really are.…

    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
    Read More

Related Topics

Ready To Get Started?
Discover
Company
Follow
©2023 Cram.com
Privacy Policy |  About Ads |  Site Map |  Advertise  | 
  • Cookie Settings