Morphological convergence in ‘river dolphin’ skulls
Convergent evolution can provide insights into the predictability of, and constraints on, the evolution of biodiversity. One striking example of convergence is seen in the ‘river dolphins’. The four dolphin genera that make up the ‘river dolphins’ (Inia geoffrensis, Pontoporia blainvillei, Platanist...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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PeerJ Inc.
2017-11-01
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| Series: | PeerJ |
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| Online Access: | https://peerj.com/articles/4090.pdf |
| _version_ | 1797419903760728064 |
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| author | Charlotte E. Page Natalie Cooper |
| author_facet | Charlotte E. Page Natalie Cooper |
| author_sort | Charlotte E. Page |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Convergent evolution can provide insights into the predictability of, and constraints on, the evolution of biodiversity. One striking example of convergence is seen in the ‘river dolphins’. The four dolphin genera that make up the ‘river dolphins’ (Inia geoffrensis, Pontoporia blainvillei, Platanista gangetica and Lipotes vexillifer) do not represent a single monophyletic group, despite being very similar in morphology. This has led many to using the ‘river dolphins’ as an example of convergent evolution. We investigate whether the skulls of the four ‘river dolphin’ genera are convergent when compared to other toothed dolphin taxa in addition to identifying convergent cranial and mandibular features. We use geometric morphometrics to uncover shape variation in the skulls of the ‘river dolphins’ and then apply a number of phylogenetic techniques to test for convergence. We find significant convergence in the skull morphology of the ‘river dolphins’. The four genera seem to have evolved similar skull shapes, leading to a convergent morphotype characterised by elongation of skull features. The cause of this morphological convergence remains unclear. However, the features we uncover as convergent, in particular elongation of the rostrum, support hypotheses of shared feeding mode or diet and thus provide the foundation for future work into convergence within the Odontoceti. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:53:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2915100a595d4a7999ef981a6d35a2ab |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2167-8359 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T06:53:57Z |
| publishDate | 2017-11-01 |
| publisher | PeerJ Inc. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PeerJ |
| spelling | doaj.art-2915100a595d4a7999ef981a6d35a2ab2023-12-03T10:07:36ZengPeerJ Inc.PeerJ2167-83592017-11-015e409010.7717/peerj.4090Morphological convergence in ‘river dolphin’ skullsCharlotte E. Page0Natalie Cooper1Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, London, United KingdomDepartment of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, United KingdomConvergent evolution can provide insights into the predictability of, and constraints on, the evolution of biodiversity. One striking example of convergence is seen in the ‘river dolphins’. The four dolphin genera that make up the ‘river dolphins’ (Inia geoffrensis, Pontoporia blainvillei, Platanista gangetica and Lipotes vexillifer) do not represent a single monophyletic group, despite being very similar in morphology. This has led many to using the ‘river dolphins’ as an example of convergent evolution. We investigate whether the skulls of the four ‘river dolphin’ genera are convergent when compared to other toothed dolphin taxa in addition to identifying convergent cranial and mandibular features. We use geometric morphometrics to uncover shape variation in the skulls of the ‘river dolphins’ and then apply a number of phylogenetic techniques to test for convergence. We find significant convergence in the skull morphology of the ‘river dolphins’. The four genera seem to have evolved similar skull shapes, leading to a convergent morphotype characterised by elongation of skull features. The cause of this morphological convergence remains unclear. However, the features we uncover as convergent, in particular elongation of the rostrum, support hypotheses of shared feeding mode or diet and thus provide the foundation for future work into convergence within the Odontoceti.https://peerj.com/articles/4090.pdfConvergent evolutionGeometric morphometricsInia geoffrensisLipotes vexilliferPontoporia blainvilleiPlatanista gangetica |
| spellingShingle | Charlotte E. Page Natalie Cooper Morphological convergence in ‘river dolphin’ skulls PeerJ Convergent evolution Geometric morphometrics Inia geoffrensis Lipotes vexillifer Pontoporia blainvillei Platanista gangetica |
| title | Morphological convergence in ‘river dolphin’ skulls |
| title_full | Morphological convergence in ‘river dolphin’ skulls |
| title_fullStr | Morphological convergence in ‘river dolphin’ skulls |
| title_full_unstemmed | Morphological convergence in ‘river dolphin’ skulls |
| title_short | Morphological convergence in ‘river dolphin’ skulls |
| title_sort | morphological convergence in river dolphin skulls |
| topic | Convergent evolution Geometric morphometrics Inia geoffrensis Lipotes vexillifer Pontoporia blainvillei Platanista gangetica |
| url | https://peerj.com/articles/4090.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT charlotteepage morphologicalconvergenceinriverdolphinskulls AT nataliecooper morphologicalconvergenceinriverdolphinskulls |