Timingofontogenetic changesof twocranial regions in Sotalia guianensis(Delphinidae)
Mamm. biol
; Mamm. biol;77(6): 397-403, 2012.
Article
em En
| SES-SP, SESSP-IBPROD, SES-SP, SESSP-IBACERVO
| ID: biblio-1064649
Biblioteca responsável:
BR78.1
Localização: BR78.1
ABSTRACT
Despite the fact that heterochronic processes seem to be an important process determining morphological evolution of the delphinid skull, previous workers have not found allometric scaling as relevant factor in the differentiation within the genus Sotalia. Here we analyzed the skull ontogeny of the estuarine dolphin S. guianensis and investigate differential growth and shape changes of twocranialregions the neurocranium and the face in order to evaluate the relevance of cranial compartmentalization on the ontogeny of this structure. Our results show that, even though both cranialregions stop growing at adulthood, the face has higher initial growth rates than the neurocranium. The rate of shape changes is also different for both regions, with the face showing a initially higher, but rapidly decreasing rate of change, while the neurocranium shows a slow decreasing rate, leading to persistent and localized shape changes throughout adult life, a pattern that could be related to epigenetic regional factors. The pattern of ontogenetic shape change described here is similar to those described for other groups of Delphinidae and also match intra and interspecific variation found within the family, suggesting that mosaic heterochrony could be an important factor in the morphological evolution of this group.
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Coleções:
06-national
/
BR
Base de dados:
SES-SP
/
SESSP-IBACERVO
/
SESSP-IBPROD
Assunto principal:
Crânio
/
Golfinhos
Limite:
Animals
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Mamm. biol
Ano de publicação:
2012
Tipo de documento:
Article