1. No category

SIO133 Week 2 Study Guide
Relevant Lectures:
Marine Environment: Selective Forces for Secondary Marine Forms
Cetacean Taxonomy
Marine Environment: Selective Forces for Secondary Marine Forms
Property of Water
Effect on Marine Mammals
Density
High thermal conductivity
Less oxygen than air
Light does not propagate well
Sound does propagate well
Different habitat than land/air
1. Define “Secondary Marine Forms”
2. What physical property of water has had the greatest effect on the evolution
of marine mammal locomotion?
Describe at least 4 associated adaptations in marine mammals.
1.
2.
3.
4.
3. Why does it make sense that whales have kept their lungs after adapting to
the marine environment?
4. What physiological mechanisms prevent deep diving marine mammals from
getting “the bends”?
5. Describe “telescoping” as it relates to marine mammal morphology.
6. What is Fick’s Law and what does it describe? Relate evolved characteristics
of marine mammals to the different components of Fick’s Law.
Q=
Component
Q
k
A
l
∆t
Description
kxA
∆t
l
Marine mammal adaptation
7. How have the properties of water influenced the skeletal function and
morphology of marine mammals?
General Skeleton:
Spine:
Appendages:
Feeding mechanisms:
Cetacean Taxonomy
1. Define the following
Taxonomy:
Classification:
Systematics:
2. What is the primary source of evidence used in marine mammal taxonomy?
3. What other lines of evidence have more recently been considered?
4. Compare the diversity of marine and terrestrial mammals. What
environmental factors might account differences in diversity?
5. What are the two major suborders within the Order Cetacea?
a. Which of these is more diverse?
b. What are 5 major differences between these suborders?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6. Describe some differences between dolphins and porpoises
7. Which cetacean family has the most diversity in terms of number of species?
8. Name each cetacean family, describe some identifying characteristics and
give an example of one of its species
Family
Characteristics
Example Species
(common and scientific
name)