The life of whales and other sea -animals has just been discoveredEspecially those who made a transition from the earth to the sea millions of years ago and is precisely the step associated with a delay in life as a result of developing Certain options for your new adjustment in the sea.
These animals, as is the case with whales, have a slow rhythm and low fertility they make Very vulnerable to human impact in the form of pollutionClimate change or incidence in his habitat with boats.
The conclusions are part of an investigation Recently published in Nature communicationand led by creaf and the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE) And it has been developed by analyzing in detail how the evolution of these animals that went from life on the mainland to do this on the bottom of the sea.
Science explains the reason why whales and other sea -animals have a long life
In nature, growing quickly and reproducing young people is the most common vital strategy because it reduces the risk of dying without leaving offspring. But not all animals follow this rule. For example, the humpback whales do not grow up to 10 or 15 years of adults and only have one offspring every few years. Insight into the evolution of vital strategies remains one of the great enigma of evolutionary biology.
A new study recently published in Nature communication And led by creaf and the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE) -A Mixte Center of the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) and the Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) and with the participation of researchers of the CEAB -CSIC and the University of Barcelona, conclude that that Then mammals and terrestrial birds made the transition of the earth into the sea, evolved.
This delay in life would be explained by the fact that life in the sea requires a series of adjustments that improve the survival of individuals and therefore promote a long life. The possibility of Having a long reproductive life would make it possible to maintain low fertility and slower development.
“Our study suggests that the evolution of slow life is not only the result of increasing the measure or relaxing the risk of mortality, but also has to do with the colonization of new environments that, like the case of the sea, behave Major challenges that require the difficulty of finding food in such a huge space. These challenges prefer adjustments that protect individuals against the risk of dying because of external factors, ”says Daniel Sol, first author of the IBE and Creaf researcher.
Research the present to understand the past with the long life of whales
Because vital strategies do not leave any trace in the fossil register, the authors of the study had to investigate the evolutionary changes from the past using phylogenetic information and evolutionary models. The first step was to rebuild the transitions of terrestrial and freshwater habitats to marine environments, With the help of phylogenetic information of more than 90% species of birds and mammals currently living on earth.
By combining this information with evolutionary models, scientists could verify that these transitions are accompanied by adaptive adjustments in a long service life, fertility and development time, and that these adjustments are related to an increase in physical measure, an improvement in the efficiency to long distances and an increase in the brain – a measure of the brain – a measure of the brain – a measure of the brain – for the brain’s increase in brains.
“Although we understand very well why some organisms die quickly and die young, the reasons behind the slower life strategies are less clear. We know that larger animals have a low metabolism, which can slow down aging. We also know that a reduction in the risk of mortality is available for longer lives to eliminate the selection.
Life in the sea is not easy, especially for animals whose ancestors lived on the mainland. Finding food is particularly complicated: dams are divided into very extensive and unpredictable areas, and some live in little accessible depths. The marine species have to “invent” new ways to feed, often in the inhospitable and extreme environments of the coldest oceans on the planet. Let’s let the albatrossFor example. The morphology allows you to effortlessly plan thousands of kilometers that benefit from wind flows, almost without using energy, ”argues Daniel Sol, main author of the article.
Or consider the Dolphins and Orks: They have developed large and flexible brains with which they can work together and use ingenious strategies to catch dams, ”adds Sol. These adaptive innovations take a long time to develop. Once they do, they offer animals for an advantage of survival with which they can enjoy a very long life.
Modern dangers for whales and other marine animals
The same functions that mammals and seabirds have helped to flourish millions of years now make them vulnerable. The slow life of birds and marine mammals such as whale makes the population very vulnerable to threats that influence the survival of adults – such as Collisions with shipsSound pollution, tangles with fishing networks, oil stains and commercial yacht -,,, threats that they have had few opportunities to adapt.
To get worse, because they also reproduce at a slow pace and the time of each generation is very long, it makes the recovery of the populations slow and that every evolutionary adjustment – if possible – lets it occur for a long time. “The large paradox is that the same adjustments that make the extraordinary evolutionary success of Marine Birds and Mammals possible now can now jeopardize this diversity”concludes Sol.
The study was led by Daniel Sol, researcher at Creaf and IBE (CSIC-UPF); Laura Olivé, a researcher at Creaf; Antón Pego and Antonio Hernández-Matías, researchers from the Institute for Biodiversity Research (IRBIO) of the University of Barcelona; and researchers Meritxell Genovart and Daniel ORO, from the Blanes Advanced Studies Center (CEAB-CSIC).