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PubMed1979

Whales.

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Animals↗
PubMed1997

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-DNA adducts in beluga whales from the Arctic.

The Arctic is still relatively pristine in nature, but it is also vulnerable to pollution because contaminants originating from midlatitudes are transported to the Arctic by atmospheric processes, ocean currents, and rivers (Muir et al., 1992). Recognition of this fact of Arctic vulnerability has resulted in a Declaration on the Protection of the Arctic Environment by eight Arctic countries. A manifest aim of this declaration is to develop an Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program. We report here on the presence of measurable levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon-DNA adducts, including relatively high levels in Arctic beluga (Delphinapterus leucas). These results lend support to the value of developing biological assessment programs for Arctic wildlife.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Biomechanics and energetics in aquatic and semiaquatic mammals: platypus to whale.

A variety of mammalian lineages have secondarily invaded the water. To locomote and thermoregulate in the aqueous medium, mammals developed a range of morphological, physiological, and behavioral adaptations. A distinct difference in the suite of adaptations, which affects energetics, is apparent between semiaquatic and fully aquatic mammals. Semiaquatic mammals swim by paddling, which is inefficient compared to the use of oscillating hydrofoils of aquatic mammals. Semiaquatic mammals swim at the water surface and experience a greater resistive force augmented by wave drag than submerged aquatic mammals. A dense, nonwettable fur insulates semiaquatic mammals, whereas aquatic mammals use a layer of blubber. The fur, while providing insulation and positive buoyancy, incurs a high energy demand for maintenance and limits diving depth. Blubber contours the body to reduce drag, is an energy reserve, and suffers no loss in buoyancy with depth. Despite the high energetic costs of a semiaquatic existence, these animals represent modern analogs of evolutionary intermediates between ancestral terrestrial mammals and their fully aquatic descendants. It is these intermediate animals that indicate which potential selection factors and mechanical constraints may have directed the evolution of more derived aquatic forms.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Hen's teeth and whale's feet: generalized characters and their compatibility.

We propose a new model of computation for deriving phylogenetic trees based upon a generalization of qualitative characters. The model we propose is based upon recent experimental research in molecular biology. We show that the general case of determining perfect compatibility of generalized ordered characters is an NP-complete problem, but can be solved in polynomial time for a special case.

Algorithms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

DNA surveillance: web-based molecular identification of whales, dolphins, and porpoises.

DNA Surveillance is a Web-based application that assists in the identification of the species and population of unknown specimens by aligning user-submitted DNA sequences with a validated and curated data set of reference sequences. Phylogenetic analyses are performed and results are returned in tree and table format summarizing the evolutionary distances between the query and reference sequences. DNA Surveillance is implemented with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region sequences representing the majority of recognized cetacean species. Extensions of the system to include other gene loci and taxa are planned. The service, including instructions and sample data, is available at http://www.dna-surveillance.auckland.ac.nz.

Animals↗