Cetacean (order Cetacea) evolution

Abstract

Cilj ovog rada bio je shvatiti i razraditi morfološke i molekularne podatke dobivene iz brojnih fosilnih nalaza kako bi se zaključilo o podrijetlu današnjih vrsti reda Cetacea. Pri tome je također važno ukratko se upoznati s biotičkim i abiotičkim čimbenicima koji su kroz evoluciju ovog reda utjecali na njihovu rasprostranjenost. Morfološki i molekularni podatci podupiru teoriju da su parnoprstaši najbliži srodnici kitovima. Prvi kitovi bili su Archaeocetes, parafiletska skupina koja se pojavila prije otprilike 50 milijuna godina, a najpoznatiji fosili su iz Pakistana i Indije. Ovi rani kitovi morfološki su se vrlo razlikovali, a mnogi su imali dobro razvijene stražnje udove i stopala. I molekularni i fosilni podaci podupiru teoriju da je odvajanje kitova usanih i zubanih od zajedničkog pretka došlo prije oko 35 milijuna godina. Dorzoventralna oscilacija repne peraje, odnosno način plivanja suvremenih kitova, razvio se kroz niz tipova kretanja počevši od kvadripedalnog lokomotornog stadija. Iza toga je slijedila takozvana zdjelična faza (Ambulocetus), zatim faza valovitog pokretanja repom (Kutchicetus) da bi na kraju Dorudontinae razvili tip plivanja karakterističan za današnje kitove. Najraniji kitovi Pakicetidae imali su isti mehanizam za transmisiju zvuka kakav koriste kopneni sisavci, a sluh pod vodom bio im je slab. Sustav za primanje zvuka prošao je brojne anatomske promjene i specijalizacije uha te donje čeljusti koja je s mašću ispunjenim foramenom služila kao dodatni zvučni kanal za prenošenje zvukova visoke frekvencije u srednje uho. Daljnje transformacije uha i čeljusti kod Odontoceti moglo je voditi k razvitku eholokacije.This seminar is about understanding and describing morphological and molecular data gathered from numerous fossil records in order to conclude about the origin of species of the modern Order Cetacea. In this sense, it is important to understand the biotic and the abiotic factors that had influenced distribution of species of this Order through its history. Morphological and molecular data supports theory that artiodactyls are the closest relatives of cetaceans. The earliest whales were Archaeocetes, a paraphyletic group that had appeared approximately 50 million years ago, and are best known from India and Pakistan. These basal whales were morphologically very diverse; many of them had well developed hind limbs and feet. Molecular data and fossil record are in agreement that baleen and toothed whales diverged from a common ancestor approximately 35 million years ago. The caudal fin oscillation mode (swimming mode of modern whales) evolved from an initial quadrupedal locomotors stage. This was followed by a pelvic phase (Ambulocetus), a caudal undulation phase (Kutchicetus), and the final adaptation of caudal oscillation, the way of swimming seen in Dorudontinae and all modern cetaceans. The earliest cetaceans, Pakicetidae, used the same sound transmission mechanisms as land mammals, their hearing sensitivity in water was poor. The sound reception system had pass through a number of anatomical specializations of the ear and lower jaw which has fat pad that acts as additional sound channel for conducting high – frequency sound to middle ear. Further transformations of ear and jaw of Odontoceti probably leaded to development of echolocation