Abstract
The phylogeny of cetaceans is still unresolved. Two hypotheses prevail for the position of cetaceans among ungulates. The first hypothesis shows that Artiodactyla is monophyletic and is sister taxon to a clade composed of cetaceans and mesonychians. The second one shows that Artiodactyla is paraphyletic and contains Cetacea that is sister taxon of Hippopotamida. These hypotheses are based on fossil records and molecular studies. The behaviour of extant species can provide as much phylogenetic information as other classical parameters. I considered the behaviour observed during male agonistic interactions in placental mammals in order to determine which of these hypotheses was supported by the behaviour of extant species. Headbutting was only observed in ruminants, hippopotamids and cetaceans, supporting the paraphyletic nature of Artiodactyla. Primitive ruminants (tragulids) and two genera of ruminants (Moschus and Oreamnos) were not observed headbutting. These secondary losses were only present in 6.25% of the 48 surveyed ruminant genera. Head-to-head attacks emerged in pigs, which have developed dermal protusions. Yet, these confrontations are not based on mutual blow delivery. The behavioural evidence supports the inclusion of cetaceans in Artiodactyla.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 531-535 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Journal of Evolutionary Biology |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 17 Apr 2003 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 1 May 2003 |
Keywords
- Artiodactyla
- Cetacea
- headbutting
- phylogeny
- behaviour
- aggressive-behavior
- extant taxa
- group-size
- whales
- artiodactyls
- evolution
- mammalia
- position
- extinct
- calves
Cite this
The emergence of cetaceans : phylogenetic analysis of male social behaviour supports the Cetartiodactyla clade. / Lusseau, D.
In: Journal of Evolutionary Biology, Vol. 16, No. 3, 01.05.2003, p. 531-535.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - The emergence of cetaceans
T2 - phylogenetic analysis of male social behaviour supports the Cetartiodactyla clade
AU - Lusseau, D.
N1 - MEDLINE® is the source for the MeSH terms of this document.
PY - 2003/5/1
Y1 - 2003/5/1
N2 - The phylogeny of cetaceans is still unresolved. Two hypotheses prevail for the position of cetaceans among ungulates. The first hypothesis shows that Artiodactyla is monophyletic and is sister taxon to a clade composed of cetaceans and mesonychians. The second one shows that Artiodactyla is paraphyletic and contains Cetacea that is sister taxon of Hippopotamida. These hypotheses are based on fossil records and molecular studies. The behaviour of extant species can provide as much phylogenetic information as other classical parameters. I considered the behaviour observed during male agonistic interactions in placental mammals in order to determine which of these hypotheses was supported by the behaviour of extant species. Headbutting was only observed in ruminants, hippopotamids and cetaceans, supporting the paraphyletic nature of Artiodactyla. Primitive ruminants (tragulids) and two genera of ruminants (Moschus and Oreamnos) were not observed headbutting. These secondary losses were only present in 6.25% of the 48 surveyed ruminant genera. Head-to-head attacks emerged in pigs, which have developed dermal protusions. Yet, these confrontations are not based on mutual blow delivery. The behavioural evidence supports the inclusion of cetaceans in Artiodactyla.
AB - The phylogeny of cetaceans is still unresolved. Two hypotheses prevail for the position of cetaceans among ungulates. The first hypothesis shows that Artiodactyla is monophyletic and is sister taxon to a clade composed of cetaceans and mesonychians. The second one shows that Artiodactyla is paraphyletic and contains Cetacea that is sister taxon of Hippopotamida. These hypotheses are based on fossil records and molecular studies. The behaviour of extant species can provide as much phylogenetic information as other classical parameters. I considered the behaviour observed during male agonistic interactions in placental mammals in order to determine which of these hypotheses was supported by the behaviour of extant species. Headbutting was only observed in ruminants, hippopotamids and cetaceans, supporting the paraphyletic nature of Artiodactyla. Primitive ruminants (tragulids) and two genera of ruminants (Moschus and Oreamnos) were not observed headbutting. These secondary losses were only present in 6.25% of the 48 surveyed ruminant genera. Head-to-head attacks emerged in pigs, which have developed dermal protusions. Yet, these confrontations are not based on mutual blow delivery. The behavioural evidence supports the inclusion of cetaceans in Artiodactyla.
KW - Artiodactyla
KW - Cetacea
KW - headbutting
KW - phylogeny
KW - behaviour
KW - aggressive-behavior
KW - extant taxa
KW - group-size
KW - whales
KW - artiodactyls
KW - evolution
KW - mammalia
KW - position
KW - extinct
KW - calves
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0038559980&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1046/j.1420-9101.2003.00541.x
DO - 10.1046/j.1420-9101.2003.00541.x
M3 - Article
VL - 16
SP - 531
EP - 535
JO - Journal of Evolutionary Biology
JF - Journal of Evolutionary Biology
SN - 1010-061X
IS - 3
ER -