Larger body size leads to greater female beluga whale ovarian reproductive activity at the southern periphery of their range.
| Title: | Larger body size leads to greater female beluga whale ovarian reproductive activity at the southern periphery of their range. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Ferguson SH; Fisheries and Oceans Canada Freshwater Institute Winnipeg Manitoba Canada.; Biological Sciences University of Manitoba Winnipeg Manitoba Canada.; Yurkowski DJ; Fisheries and Oceans Canada Freshwater Institute Winnipeg Manitoba Canada.; Biological Sciences University of Manitoba Winnipeg Manitoba Canada.; Hudson JM; Fisheries and Oceans Canada Freshwater Institute Winnipeg Manitoba Canada.; Edkins T; Fisheries and Oceans Canada Freshwater Institute Winnipeg Manitoba Canada.; Willing C; Biological Sciences University of Manitoba Winnipeg Manitoba Canada.; Watt CA; Fisheries and Oceans Canada Freshwater Institute Winnipeg Manitoba Canada.; Biological Sciences University of Manitoba Winnipeg Manitoba Canada. |
| Source: | Ecology and evolution [Ecol Evol] 2021 Nov 23; Vol. 11 (23), pp. 17314-17322. Date of Electronic Publication: 2021 Nov 23 (Print Publication: 2021). |
| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Journal Info: | Publisher: Blackwell Pub. Ltd Country of Publication: England NLM ID: 101566408 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Print ISSN: 2045-7758 (Print) Linking ISSN: 20457758 NLM ISO Abbreviation: Ecol Evol Subsets: PubMed not MEDLINE |
| Imprint Name(s): | Original Publication: [Oxford] : Blackwell Pub. Ltd. |
| Abstract: | Identification of phenotypic characteristics in reproductively successful individuals provides important insights into the evolutionary processes that cause range shifts due to environmental change. Female beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from the Baffin Bay region (BB) of the Canadian Arctic in the core area of the species' geographic range have larger body size than their conspecifics at the southern range periphery in Hudson Bay (HB). We investigated the mechanism for this north and south divergence as it relates to ovarian reproductive activity (ORA = total corpora) that combines morphometric data with ovarian corpora counted from female reproductive tracts. Our study aim was to assess the relative influence of age and body size of female beluga whale on ORA in the two populations. Female beluga whale ORA increased more quickly with age (63% partial variation explained) in BB than in HB (41%). In contrast, body length in HB female beluga whales accounted for considerably more of the total variation (12% vs. 1%) in ORA compared to BB whales. We speculate that female HB beluga whale ORA was more strongly linked with body length due to higher population density resulting in food competition that favors the energetic advantages of larger body size during seasonal food limitations. Understanding the evolutionary mechanism of how ORA varies across a species' range will assist conservation efforts in anticipating and mitigating future challenges associated with a warming planet.; (© 2021 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.) |
| Competing Interests: | None declared. |
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| Contributed Indexing: | Keywords: Delphinapterus leucas; age; body length; fitness; geographic range; ovarian corpora |
| Molecular Sequence: | Dryad 10.5061/dryad.hmgqnk9j3 |
| Entry Date(s): | Date Created: 20211223 Latest Revision: 20240404 |
| Update Code: | 20260130 |
| PubMed Central ID: | PMC8668808 |
| DOI: | 10.1002/ece3.8367 |
| PMID: | 34938510 |
| Database: | MEDLINE |
Journal Article