Dear MARMAM readers,
On behalf of my coauthors, I’m pleased to announce our new publication:
Morteo E., Rocha-Olivares A., Morteo R., Weller D.W. 2017. Phenotypic variation
in dorsal fin morphology of coastal bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus)
off Mexico. PeerJ5:e3415, ISSN 2167-8359, doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3415
<http://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.3415>
Geographic variation in external morphology is thought to reflect an interplay
between genotype and the environment. Morphological variation has been
well-described for a number of cetacean species, including the bottlenose
dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). In this study we analyzed dorsal fin morphometric
variation in coastal bottlenose dolphins to search for geographic patterns at
different spatial scales. A total of 533 dorsal fin images from 19 available
photo-identification catalogs across the three Mexican oceanic regions (Pacific
Ocean n = 6, Gulf of California n = 6 and, Gulf of Mexico n = 7) were used in
the analysis. Eleven fin shape measurements were analyzed to evaluate fin
polymorphism through multivariate tests. Principal Component Analysis on
log-transformed standardized ratios explained 94% of the variance. Canonical
Discriminant Function Analysis on factor scores showed separation among most
study areas (p < 0.05) with exception of the Gulf of Mexico where a strong
morphometric cline was found. Possible explanations for the observed
differences are related to environmental, biological and evolutionary
processes. Shape distinction between dorsal fins from the Pacific and those
from the Gulf of California were consistent with previously reported
differences in skull morphometrics and genetics. Although the functional
advantages of dorsal fin shape remains to be assessed, it is not unlikely that
over a wide range of environments, fin shape may represent a trade-off among
thermoregulatory capacity, hydrodynamic performance and the swimming/hunting
behavior of the species.
You may view and download the paper (and the supplementary materials) directly
form the Open Access platform PeerJ: https://peerj.com/articles/3415/
<https://peerj.com/articles/3415/>
Or you may send an email to: [email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]> to request a full PDF,
Kind regards,
E.
Eduardo Morteo, Dr.
Head Researcher
Marine Mammal Laboratory
Institute of Biological Research
Institute of Marine Sciences and Fisheries
Universidad Veracruzana
617 Calle Hidalgo, Col. Río Jamapa, Boca del Río, Veracruz, Mexico. CP 94290
Ph: +52 (229) 956 72 27 Ext. 114
Fax: +52 (229) 956 70 70
E-mail: [email protected]
http://www.uv.mx/personal/emorteo/
http://uv-mx.academia.edu/EMorteo
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Eduardo_Morteo/?ev=hdr_xprf
http://scholar.google.com.mx/citations?user=fDUl-IIAAAAJ
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