SIO 133 Marine Mammal Biology Instructors: John Hildebrand (SIO) and Lisa Balance (SWFSC) Office Hours: Friday 10:30-11:30 Ritter Hall 200E Guest Lecturers: Simone Baumann-Pickering and Bob Pitman Teaching Assistants: Rebecca Cohen and Ashlyn Giddings Class Website: www.cetus.ucsd.edu/sio133 Lecture Room: CSB001 MWF 4-4:50 pm
SIO 133 Marine Mammal Biology Text: Marine Mammals: Evolutionary Biology 3rd Edition Berta, Sumich and Kovacs Supplemented with pdf readings posted on class www site: www.cetus.ucsd.edu/sio133
SIO 133 Evaluation Criteria Midterm: 30% Term Paper: 30% Final Exam: 30% Section Participation: 10% Important Dates: Midterm: May 7 Term Paper Outline Due: May 11 Term Paper Due: June 1 Final Exam: June 14, 3 6 pm
SIO 133 Term Paper Detailed examination of a topic or species ~5 pages including citations Beyond level of material covered in class Uses information from the primary literature Scientific Journals or Monographs Marine Mammal Science
SIO 133 Goals of the Course Understand Marine Mammal diversity, evolution, physiology, ecology and behavior Challenges for mammals living in the sea Thermal regulation, diving hydrostatics Marine ecology, foraging Social systems, communication, reproduction Conservation and Management Whaling, fisheries interactions
Is the ocean homogenous?
Non-random distribution of animals Northern elephant seal distribution: Pupping on beaches Foraging in open ocean Yellow: females Red: males Tagging of Pacific predators (TOPP)
Marine Biozones and Light Zones
Vertical Profiles of Temperature and Nutrients MIXED LAYER
POLAR TEMPERATE SUBTROPICAL TROPICAL
Global Ocean Circulation Surface Subsurface COLD-CORE WARM-CORE
SEA SURFACE PRIMARY PRODUCTIVITY Based on satellite data for ocean color
Ocean latitudinal zones (biomes)
Seasonal variability of ocean zones Temperate region Wind important factor
Coastal Upwelling in the Northern Hemishpere thermocline acts a a boundary for Eckman transport wind driven layers are contained to the mixed layer.
Coastal upwelling: Blue Whales California Current system Blue whale tracks Bailey et al. 2010 Block et al. 2011
Marine Organism Lifestyles Plankton organisms float in the water with no ability to propel themselves. phytoplankton (plants) zooplankton (animals) Nekton - swimmers include fish, reptiles, mammals and others. Benthos organisms live on the bottom (epifauna) or within the bottom sediments (infauna). Some organisms change from being pelagic early in life and benthonic later.
Zooplankton Biomass
Benthic Biomass
Prey aggregation Affected by oceanographic features: fronts, eddies, ocean bottom Krill concentration Blue whale catches From Tynan et al. 1998
Marine Food Web Availability of food established by: - Primary production and number of trophic levels
Deep Scattering Layer Diel Vertical Migration
Deep Scattering Layer Diel Vertical Migration Klevjer et al. 2016 Sci Reports Does vertical migration prevent marine mammal predation?
Marine Mammals Early Observations Aristotle (384-322 BC) Historia Animalia describes dolphins, killer whales, baleen whales Konrad Gesner (1516-1565) Historia Animalium Contained earliest drawings of marine mammals
Marine Mammal Science Emerged as a discipline in last 20-30 years Expansion of literature 1495-1840 3 papers/year 1845-1960 28 papers/year 1961-1998 646 papers/year 1999-2004 856 papers/year Marine Mammal Science, Journal of Mammalogy, Canadian Journal of Zoology, Journal of Zoology, Fisheries Bulletin, Marine Ecology Progress Series..
Marine Mammal Science Study of Mammal Mammals Increasing technology Remote sensing acoustic, satellite time-depth recorders crittercams Molecular ecology systematics taxonomy Physiology
Systematics & Taxonomy Systematics - Study of biological diversity Taxonomy Is the practice of classification Phylogeny evolutionary history of a particular group of animals Why study? Framework for interpreting biological diversity
Taxonomy & Classification Taxonomy the description, identification, and classification of species Within past 10 years of work on Marine Mammal Taxa: 2 beaked whales described; 1 resurrected New dolphin species described 3 forms (subspecies) of Orcinus orca New balaenopterid species described
Pygmy beaked whale (Mesoplodon peruvianus)
Pygmy Bryde's Whale (Eden's Whale) Balaenoptera edeni Omura s Whale Balaenoptera omurai
Marine Mammal Systematics Kingdom Animalia Phylum Chordata SubPhylum Vertebrata + backbone + dorsal hollow nerve chord + bone/cartilage internal skeleton
Class Mammalia, 4000 species Viviparous Hair Lactation via the mammary gland 4 chambered heart Diphyodont dentition- 2 sets of teeth 7 cervical vertebrae 3 inner ear ossicles Respiratory system - diaphragm Endothermy
Platypus & Echidna Marsupials Scaly Anteaters Armadillos, Sloths, Anteaters Mammalian Orders Dogs, Cats, Bears, Weasels, Pinnipeds, Otters Shrews Elephant Shrews Rabbits, Hares, Pikas Mice, Rats Gorillas, Monkeys, Baboons, Humans Tree Shrews Flying Lemurs Bats Aardvarks Even-Toed Ungulates (Deer, Cows, etc.) Whales, Dolphins, Porpoises Odd-Toed Mammals (Horses, Rhinos) Hyraxes Manatees& Dugongs Elephants
Marine Mammal Taxonomic Groupings About 126 Species across 3 Orders Order Carnivoria (38 species) Polar bears, sea otters, seals, sea lions, walruses Order Cetacea (83 species) Baleen whales, toothed whales Order Sirenia (5 species) Manatees, dugongs