科研之友
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摘要
Calibration of the Brownian diffusion model of Felsenstein indicates that phylogeny may have an influence on body length and other phenotypic measures in Cetacea for as many as 10,000 generations or about 180,000 years, which is negligible in the 35 million year history of extant Cetacea. Observations of phenotypic traits in cetacean species living today are independent of phylogeny and independent statistically. Four methods for estimating body weight in fossil cetaceans are compared: (1) median serial regression involving a set of multiple regressions of log body weight on log centrum length, width, and height for core vertebrae; (2) regression of log whole body weight on log body length for individuals; (3) regression of log whole body weight on log body length for species means; and (4) regression of log lean body weight on log body length for individuals. These yield body weight estimates for the Eocene archaeocete Dorudon atrox of 1126, 1118, 1132, and 847 kg, respectively, with consistency and applicability to partial skeletons favoring the first approach. The whole-body weight expected, P-e (in kg), for a given body length, L-i (in cm), is given by log(10) P-e = 2.784 aEuro cent log(10) L-i -aEuro parts per thousand 4.429. Negative allometry of body weight and body length (slope 2.784 < 3.000) means that small cetaceans are shorter and more maneuverable than expected for their weight, while large cetaceans are longer and more efficient energetically than expected for their weight. Encephalization is necessarily quantified relative to a reference sample, most mammals are terrestrial, and terrestrial mammals provide a logical baseline. The encephalization residual for living terrestrial mammals as a class (ERTC), is the difference between observed log(2) brain weight (E-i in g) and expected log(2) brain weight (E-e in g), where the latter is estimated from body weight (P-i in g), as log(2) E-e = 0.740 aEuro cent log(2) P-i -aEuro parts per thousand 4.004. ERTC is positive for brains that are larger than expected for a given body size, and negative for brains that are smaller than expected. Base-2 logarithms make the ERTC scale intuitive, in uniform units of halving or doubling. Encephalization quotients (EQ) are unsuitable for comparison because they are proportions on a non-uniform scale. Middle Eocene archaeocetes have ERTC values close to -2 (two halvings compared to expectation), while late Eocene archaeocetes have ERTC values close to -1 (one halving compared to expectation). ERTC is not known for fossil mysticetes, but living mysticetes have ERTC values averaging about -2. Oligocene-Recent odontocetes appear to have ERTC values averaging about +1 (one doubling compared to expectation) through their temporal range. Definitive interpretation of the evolution of encephalization in Cetacea will require better documentation for Oligocene-Recent mysticetes and odontocetes.
- 出版日期2016-3
