LIVIVO - The Search Portal for Life Sciences

zur deutschen Oberfläche wechseln
Advanced search

Search results

Result 1 - 10 of total 43

Search options

  1. Book ; Online ; E-Book: The bowhead whale

    Thewissen, J. G. M. / George, John

    Balaena mysticetus : biology and human interactions

    2021  

    Author's details edited by Hans Thewissen, John George
    Keywords Bowhead whale
    Subject code 599
    Language English
    Size 1 online resource (xxiii, 640 pages)
    Publisher Academic Press
    Publishing place London, England
    Document type Book ; Online ; E-Book
    Remark Zugriff für angemeldete ZB MED-Nutzerinnen und -Nutzer
    ISBN 0-12-818970-3 ; 0-12-818969-X ; 978-0-12-818970-2 ; 978-0-12-818969-6
    Database ZB MED Catalogue: Medicine, Health, Nutrition, Environment, Agriculture

    Kategorien

  2. Article ; Online: A really big fossil whale.

    Thewissen, J G M / Waugh, David A

    Nature

    2023  Volume 620, Issue 7975, Page(s) 734–735

    MeSH term(s) Animals ; Fossils ; Whales ; Biological Evolution ; Phylogeny
    Language English
    Publishing date 2023-07-31
    Publishing country England
    Document type News
    ZDB-ID 120714-3
    ISSN 1476-4687 ; 0028-0836
    ISSN (online) 1476-4687
    ISSN 0028-0836
    DOI 10.1038/d41586-023-02408-9
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

    More links

    Kategorien

  3. Article ; Online: Protein signaling and morphological development of the tail fluke in the embryonic beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas).

    Gavazzi, L M / Nair, M / Suydam, R / Usip, S / Thewissen, J G M / Cooper, L N

    Developmental dynamics : an official publication of the American Association of Anatomists

    2024  

    Abstract: Background: During the land-to-sea transition of cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), the hindlimbs were lost and replaced by an elaborate tail fluke that evolved 32 Ma. All modern cetaceans utilize flukes for lift-based propulsion, and nothing ... ...

    Abstract Background: During the land-to-sea transition of cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises), the hindlimbs were lost and replaced by an elaborate tail fluke that evolved 32 Ma. All modern cetaceans utilize flukes for lift-based propulsion, and nothing is known of this organ's molecular origins during embryonic development. This study utilizes immunohistochemistry to identify the spatiotemporal location of protein signals known to drive appendage outgrowth in other vertebrates (e.g., Sonic Hedgehog [SHH], GREMLIN [GREM], wingless-type family member 7a [WNT], and fibroblast growth factors [FGFs]) and to test the hypothesis that signals associated with outgrowth and patterning of the tail fluke are similar to a tetrapod limb. Specifically, this study utilizes an embryo of a beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) as a case study.
    Results: Results showed epidermal signals of WNT and FGFs, and mesenchymal/epidermal signals of SHH and GREM. These patterns are most consistent with vertebrate limb development. Overall, these data are most consistent with the hypothesis that outgrowth of tail flukes in cetaceans employs a signaling pattern that suggests genes essential for limb outgrowth and patterning shape this evolutionarily novel appendage.
    Conclusions: While these data add insights into the molecular signals potentially driving the evolution and development of tail flukes in cetaceans, further exploration of the molecular drivers of fluke development is required.
    Language English
    Publishing date 2024-03-17
    Publishing country United States
    Document type Journal Article ; Review
    ZDB-ID 1102541-4
    ISSN 1097-0177 ; 1058-8388
    ISSN (online) 1097-0177
    ISSN 1058-8388
    DOI 10.1002/dvdy.704
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

    More links

    Kategorien

  4. Article ; Online: The pattern of brain-size change in the early evolution of cetaceans.

    Waugh, David A / Thewissen, J G M

    PloS one

    2021  Volume 16, Issue 9, Page(s) e0257803

    Abstract: Most authors have identified two rapid increases in relative brain size (encephalization quotient, EQ) in cetacean evolution: first at the origin of the modern suborders (odontocetes and mysticetes) around the Eocene-Oligocene transition, and a second at ...

    Abstract Most authors have identified two rapid increases in relative brain size (encephalization quotient, EQ) in cetacean evolution: first at the origin of the modern suborders (odontocetes and mysticetes) around the Eocene-Oligocene transition, and a second at the origin of the delphinoid odontocetes during the middle Miocene. We explore how methods used to estimate brain and body mass alter this perceived timing and rate of cetacean EQ evolution. We provide new data on modern mammals (mysticetes, odontocetes, and terrestrial artiodactyls) and show that brain mass and endocranial volume scale allometrically, and that endocranial volume is not a direct proxy for brain mass. We demonstrate that inconsistencies in the methods used to estimate body size across the Eocene-Oligocene boundary have caused a spurious pattern in earlier relative brain size studies. Instead, we employ a single method, using occipital condyle width as a skeletal proxy for body mass using a new dataset of extant cetaceans, to clarify this pattern. We suggest that cetacean relative brain size is most accurately portrayed using EQs based on the scaling coefficients as observed in the closely related terrestrial artiodactyls. Finally, we include additional data for an Eocene whale, raising the sample size of Eocene archaeocetes to seven. Our analysis of fossil cetacean EQ is different from previous works which had shown that a sudden increase in EQ coincided with the origin of odontocetes at the Eocene-Oligocene boundary. Instead, our data show that brain size increased at the origin of basilosaurids, 5 million years before the Eocene-Oligocene transition, and we do not observe a significant increase in relative brain size at the origin of odontocetes.
    MeSH term(s) Animals ; Biological Evolution ; Body Size ; Brain/anatomy & histology ; Cetacea/anatomy & histology ; Fossils/anatomy & histology ; Phylogeny ; Skull/anatomy & histology
    Language English
    Publishing date 2021-09-28
    Publishing country United States
    Document type Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
    ZDB-ID 2267670-3
    ISSN 1932-6203 ; 1932-6203
    ISSN (online) 1932-6203
    ISSN 1932-6203
    DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0257803
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

    More links

    Kategorien

  5. Book ; Online: Encyclopedia of marine mammals

    Kovacs, Kit M / Thewissen, J. G. M / Würsig, Bernd G

    2018  

    Author's details edited by Bernd Wursig, J.G.M. Thewissen, Kit M. Kovacs
    Keywords Includes index ; Marine mammals
    Language English
    Size 1 Online-Ressource
    Document type Book ; Online
    ISBN 0128043814 ; 9780128043271 ; 9780128043813 ; 012804327X
    Database Special collection on veterinary medicine and general parasitology

    More links

    Kategorien

  6. Book: Encyclopedia of marine mammals

    Kovacs, Kit M / Thewissen, J.G.M / Würsig, Bernd

    2018  

    Title variant Marine mammals
    Author's details edited by Bernd Würsig (Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX, United States), J.G.M. Thewissen (Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH, United States), Kit M. Kovacs (Norwegian Polar Institute, Tromso, Norway and University Studies on Svalbard)
    Keywords Marine mammals
    Language English
    Size xxxi, 1157 Seiten, Illustrationen, Diagramme, Karten
    Edition 3rd edition
    Document type Book
    Note Literaturangaben
    ISBN 9780128043271 ; 012804327X
    Database Special collection on veterinary medicine and general parasitology

    More links

    Kategorien

  7. Article: Congenital defects and herpesvirus infection in beluga whale Delphinapterus leucas calves from the Critically Endangered Cook Inlet population.

    Burek-Huntington, Kathleen A / Shelden, Kim E W / Guilfoyle, Colleen / Thewissen, J G M / Migura, Mandy / Armien, Anibal G / Romero, Carlos H

    Diseases of aquatic organisms

    2022  Volume 151, Page(s) 29–35

    Abstract: Cook Inlet beluga whales (CIBs) Delphinapterus leucas are Critically Endangered and genetically distinct from other beluga populations in Alaska. CIBs are exposed to numerous natural and anthropogenic sources of mortality and morbidity. This study ... ...

    Abstract Cook Inlet beluga whales (CIBs) Delphinapterus leucas are Critically Endangered and genetically distinct from other beluga populations in Alaska. CIBs are exposed to numerous natural and anthropogenic sources of mortality and morbidity. This study describes congenital defects observed in 2 CIB calves. The first case, an aborted fetus, was characterized by lack of a peduncle and flukes, anorectal and genitourinary dysgenesis, and probable biliary dysplasia. The second case, a male calf, had a perineal groove defect and suspected secondary peritonitis; it also had a systemic herpesvirus infection. Further studies are needed to determine if such defects are due to genetic mutation, infectious diseases, nutritional imbalances, or contaminant exposure.
    MeSH term(s) Alaska ; Animals ; Bays ; Beluga Whale ; Herpesviridae Infections/epidemiology ; Herpesviridae Infections/veterinary ; Male
    Language English
    Publishing date 2022-09-15
    Publishing country Germany
    Document type Journal Article
    ISSN 0177-5103
    ISSN 0177-5103
    DOI 10.3354/dao03690
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

    More links

    Kategorien

  8. Article ; Online: Olfactory epithelium and ontogeny of the nasal chambers in the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus).

    Farnkopf, Ian C / George, John Craig / Kishida, Takushi / Hillmann, Daniel J / Suydam, Robert S / Thewissen, J G M

    Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007)

    2021  Volume 305, Issue 3, Page(s) 643–667

    Abstract: In a species of baleen whale, we identify olfactory epithelium that suggests a functional sense of smell and document the ontogeny of the surrounding olfactory anatomy. Whales must surface to breathe, thereby providing an opportunity to detect airborne ... ...

    Abstract In a species of baleen whale, we identify olfactory epithelium that suggests a functional sense of smell and document the ontogeny of the surrounding olfactory anatomy. Whales must surface to breathe, thereby providing an opportunity to detect airborne odorants. Although many toothed whales (odontocetes) lack olfactory anatomy, baleen whales (mysticetes) have retained theirs. Here, we investigate fetal and postnatal specimens of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus). Computed tomography (CT) reveals the presence of nasal passages and nasal chambers with simple ethmoturbinates through ontogeny. Additionally, we describe the dorsal nasal meatuses and olfactory bulb chambers. The cribriform plate has foramina that communicate with the nasal chambers. We show this anatomy within the context of the whole prenatal and postnatal skull. We document the tunnel for the ethmoidal nerve (ethmoid foramen) and the rostrolateral recess of the nasal chamber, which appears postnatally. Bilateral symmetry was apparent in the postnatal nasal chambers. No such symmetry was found prenatally, possibly due to tissue deformation. No nasal air sacs were found in fetal development. Olfactory epithelium, identified histologically, covers at least part of the ethmoturbinates. We identify olfactory epithelium using six explicit criteria of mammalian olfactory epithelium. Immunohistochemistry revealed the presence of olfactory marker protein (OMP), which is only found in mature olfactory sensory neurons. Although it seems that these neurons are scarce in bowhead whales compared to typical terrestrial mammals, our results suggest that bowhead whales have a functional sense of smell, which they may use to find prey.
    MeSH term(s) Animals ; Bowhead Whale ; Ethmoid Bone ; Nasal Cavity/diagnostic imaging ; Olfactory Mucosa ; Skull
    Language English
    Publishing date 2021-06-11
    Publishing country United States
    Document type Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
    ZDB-ID 2269667-2
    ISSN 1932-8494 ; 1932-8486
    ISSN (online) 1932-8494
    ISSN 1932-8486
    DOI 10.1002/ar.24682
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

    More links

    Kategorien

  9. Article ; Online: Unexpected evolutionary patterns of dental ontogenetic traits in cetartiodactyl mammals.

    Rodrigues, Helder Gomes / Lihoreau, Fabrice / Orliac, Maëva / Thewissen, J G M / Boisserie, Jean-Renaud

    Proceedings. Biological sciences

    2019  Volume 286, Issue 1896, Page(s) 20182417

    Abstract: Studying ontogeny in both extant and extinct species can unravel the mechanisms underlying mammal diversification and specialization. Among mammalian clades, Cetartiodactyla encompass species with a wide range of adaptations, and ontogenetic evidence ... ...

    Abstract Studying ontogeny in both extant and extinct species can unravel the mechanisms underlying mammal diversification and specialization. Among mammalian clades, Cetartiodactyla encompass species with a wide range of adaptations, and ontogenetic evidence could clarify longstanding debates on the origins of modern specialized families. Here, we study the evolution of dental eruption patterns in early diverging cetartiodactyls to assess the ecological and biological significance of this character and shed new light on phylogenetic issues. After investigation of the ontogenetic dental series of 63 extinct genera, our parsimony reconstructions of eruption state evolution suggest that the eruption of molars before permanent premolars represents a plesiomorphic condition within Cetartiodactyla. This result substantially differs from a previous study based on modern species only. As a result, the presence of this pattern in most ruminants might represent an ancestral condition contributing to their specialized herbivory, rather than an original adaptation. In contrast, the late eruption of molars in hippopotamoids is more likely related to biological aspects, such as increases in body mass and slower pace of life. Our study mainly shows that eruption sequences reliably characterize higher level cetartiodactyl taxa and could represent a new source of phylogenetic characters, especially to disentangle the origin of hippopotamoids and cetaceans.
    MeSH term(s) Animals ; Artiodactyla/anatomy & histology ; Artiodactyla/physiology ; Biological Evolution ; Cetacea/anatomy & histology ; Cetacea/physiology ; Fossils/anatomy & histology ; Phylogeny ; Species Specificity ; Tooth Eruption
    Language English
    Publishing date 2019-04-09
    Publishing country England
    Document type Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
    ZDB-ID 209242-6
    ISSN 1471-2954 ; 0080-4649 ; 0962-8452 ; 0950-1193
    ISSN (online) 1471-2954
    ISSN 0080-4649 ; 0962-8452 ; 0950-1193
    DOI 10.1098/rspb.2018.2417
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

    More links

    Kategorien

  10. Article ; Online: Evolutionary changes of the importance of olfaction in cetaceans based on the olfactory marker protein gene.

    Kishida, Takushi / Thewissen, J G M

    Gene

    2012  Volume 492, Issue 2, Page(s) 349–353

    Abstract: Odontocetes and mysticetes are two extant suborders of cetaceans. It is reported that the former have no sense of olfaction, while the latter can smell in air. To explain the ecological reason why mysticetes still retain their sense of smell, two ... ...

    Abstract Odontocetes and mysticetes are two extant suborders of cetaceans. It is reported that the former have no sense of olfaction, while the latter can smell in air. To explain the ecological reason why mysticetes still retain their sense of smell, two hypotheses have been proposed - the echolocation-priority hypothesis, which assumes that the acquisition of echolocation causes the reduction of the importance of olfaction, and the filter-feeder hypothesis, which assumes that olfactory ability is important for filter-feeders to locate their prey because clouds of plankton give off a peculiar odor. The olfactory marker protein (OMP) is almost exclusively expressed in vertebrate olfactory receptor neurons, and is considered to play important roles in olfactory systems. In this study, full-length open reading frames of OMP genes were identified in 6 cetacean species and we analyzed the nonsynonymous to synonymous substitution rate ratio based on the maximum likelihood method. The evolutionary changes of the selective pressures on OMP genes did fit better to the filter-feeder hypothesis than to the echolocation-priority hypothesis. In addition, no pseudogenization mutations are found in all five odontocetes OMP genes investigated in this study. It may suggest that OMP retains some function even in 'anosmic' odontocetes.
    MeSH term(s) Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Biological Evolution ; Cetacea/genetics ; Olfactory Marker Protein/genetics ; Sequence Alignment ; Smell/genetics
    Chemical Substances Olfactory Marker Protein
    Language English
    Publishing date 2012-01-25
    Publishing country Netherlands
    Document type Journal Article ; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
    ZDB-ID 391792-7
    ISSN 1879-0038 ; 0378-1119
    ISSN (online) 1879-0038
    ISSN 0378-1119
    DOI 10.1016/j.gene.2011.11.013
    Database MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System OnLINE

    More links

    Kategorien

To top