BIO 358 1st Edition Lecture 1 Outline of Last Lecture I N A Outline of Current Lecture II Who are marine mammals A Definition of marine mammals B Monophyletic clades III What do marine mammals have in common A Anatomical Specializations B Physiological specializations IV Human impacts on marine mammals A indirect B direct V Current events VI Example exam question for assignment Current Lecture Who are marine mammals Definition a functional descriptor of a diverse assemblage of distantly related mammals that spend some or all of their life in a marine or aquatic environment Not an evolutionary valid grouping NOT a monophyletic clade Monophyletic clade group that contains an ancestor and all of it s descendants What do they have in common Anatomical Specializations 1 body streamlining a fusiform body shape These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor s lecture GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes not as a substitute b reduced protuberances i genitalia not out c modification of limbs 2 Reduced or modified appendages a Pectorals flippers b Pelvic often reduced or absent c Fully aquatic orders absent 3 Enhanced insulation a Blubber b Fur 4 Large body size hallmark of being a marine mammal a Ones with the largest body size are fully aquatic b Achieved with buoyancy supporting body mass and reduced gravity Physiological specializations 1 Enhanced breath hold capabilities apnea a Dive up to 2 hours 2 Specialized thermoregulatory capabilities and vascular structures a Cold water heat sucked 25 times faster 3 Specialized sensory systems a The ocean is a dark place Vulnerability to indirect human impacts on marine ecosystems Habitat degradation and or destruction especially for river estuarine and coastal species GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE climate change is affecting the animals we are talking about Anthropogenic toxins negatively impact health and or reproductive success Other forms of pollution terrestrial runoff debris NOISE sonar and seismic testing Incidental or accidental mortalities vessel strikes and by catch in fishing operations pinnipeds cetaceans and sea otters Credible conservation and management requires maintenance of their environment Historic and current direct exploitation by humans The vequita will be extinct in my lifetime Stellar sea cow extinctwithin 30 years of discovery North Atlantic wright whale hunted for over 1000 years 4 5000 individuals Many species are endangered or threatened Northern wright whale endangered Manatees endangered Bottlenose dolphin threatened Science and Nature international journals same week evolution of cetaceans on the cover May 2012 Piaison discovered entire new sensory system engulfment feeding Stranding s what do they tell us long term data record of global climate change 2001 DeMaster by the end of the 21rst century back to eating marine mammals over fished other protein out of the ocean 2009 Gerber should whales be culled to increase fishery yield WHAT 2005 whale deaths linked to navy sonar Global climate change arctic species that rely on ice for walking and for seals threatened The worlds rarest whale mesoplodontraversii beaked whale deep diving 4 5 meters long described and discovered in 2012 in New Zealand Example questions true false all living marine mammals are contained within 2 orders of mammals FALSE 3