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1. The complex trophic anatomy of silver carp, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix , highlighting a novel type of epibranchial organ

   https://doi.org/10.1002/jmor.20891  

   Cohen, Karly Elizabeth ; Hernandez, L. Patricia ( October 2018 , Journal of Morphology)

   Hypophthalmichthys molitrix,silver carp, is an invasive Asian carp that has become increasingly widespread and ecologically destructive within the upper Mississippi River Basin. Its complex trophic anatomy may help explain the apparent efficiency with which they consume phytoplankton, outcompeting native filter feeders. This cypriniform species is characterized by trophic synapomorphies that include a palatal organ, loss of upper pharyngeal jaws, and a hypertrophied lower pharyngeal jaw. However, in silver carp these structures have become greatly modified and diverge from the more basal condition that characterizes species such as goldfish. The trophic apparatus of silver carp is composed of discrete structures that are functionally coupled: filtering plates, paired epibranchial organs (EBO), a modified palatal organ composed of large muscular folds that interdigitate with the filtering plates, and hypertrophied lower pharyngeal jaws and teeth. The filtering plates fill a significant portion of the buccal cavity, especially since the distal parts of these filtering plates make up a key component of the EBOs. EBOs, food aggregating structures found in many teleosts, are thought to have independently evolved at least six times. Ranging in complexity from small slits on the dorsal wall of the pharyngeal cavity to exceedingly intricate spiraling structures, EBOs are morphologically diverse among filter‐feeding fishes. Despite this morphological diversity and broad taxonomic distribution, little is known regarding the functional anatomy of the EBO. Moreover, the EBO in silver carp is distinct from the organs previously described in other species, being created by four independent pharyngeal involutions (instead of the more typical one or two) that form spiral‐shaped pharyngeal tubes surrounded by circumferential muscle. On each side of the head greatly hypertrophied hyomandibulae and opercles are connected to the anterior cartilaginous caps of the bilateral EBOs via enlarged muscles. Given that these fish are pump filter feeders we hypothesize that the opercula may compress and expand the EBOs during pumping causing food to be moved posteriorly toward the pharyngeal jaws.

    

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2. Characterization of the exoskeleton of the Antarctic king crab Paralomis birsteini

   https://doi.org/10.1111/ivb.12246  

   Steffel, Brittan V. ; Smith, Kathryn E. ; Dickinson, Gary H. ; Flannery, Jennifer A. ; Baran, Kerstin A. ; Rosen, Miranda N. ; McClintock, James B. ; Aronson, Richard B. ( May 2019 , Invertebrate Biology)

   Ocean acidification is projected to inhibit the biogenic production of calcium carbonate skeletons in marine organisms. Antarctic waters represent a natural environment in which to examine the long‐term effects of carbonate undersaturation on calcification in marine predators. King crabs (Decapoda: Anomura: Lithodidae), which currently inhabit the undersaturated environment of the continental slope off Antarctica, are potential invasives on the Antarctic shelf as oceanic temperatures rise. Here, we describe the chemical, physical, and mechanical properties of the exoskeleton of the deep‐water Antarctic lithodidParalomis birsteiniand compare our measurements with two decapod species from shallow water at lower latitudes, Callinectes sapidus(Brachyura: Portunidae) andCancer borealis(Brachyura: Cancridae). InParalomis birsteini,crabs deposit proportionally more calcium carbonate in their predatory chelae than their protective carapaces, compared with the other two crab species. When exoskeleton thickness and microhardness were compared between the chelae and carapace, the magnitude of the difference between these body regions was significantly greater inP. birsteinithan in the other species tested. Hence, there appeared to be a greater disparity inP. birsteiniin overall investment in calcium carbonate structures among regions of the exoskeleton. The imperatives of prey consumption and predator avoidance may be influencing the deposition of calcium to different parts of the exoskeleton in lithodids living in an environment undersaturated with respect to calcium carbonate.

    

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3. Exploring movement patterns and changing distributions of baleen whales in the western North Atlantic using a decade of passive acoustic data

   https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15191  

   Davis, Genevieve E. ; Baumgartner, Mark F. ; Corkeron, Peter J. ; Bell, Joel ; Berchok, Catherine ; Bonnell, Julianne M. ; Bort Thornton, Jacqueline ; Brault, Solange ; Buchanan, Gary A. ; Cholewiak, Danielle M. ; et al ( July 2020 , Global Change Biology)

   Six baleen whale species are found in the temperate western North Atlantic Ocean, with limited information existing on the distribution and movement patterns for most. There is mounting evidence of distributional shifts in many species, including marine mammals, likely because of climate‐driven changes in ocean temperature and circulation. Previous acoustic studies examined the occurrence of minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and North Atlantic right whales (NARW;Eubalaena glacialis). This study assesses the acoustic presence of humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae), sei (B. borealis), fin (B. physalus), and blue whales (B. musculus) over a decade, based on daily detections of their vocalizations. Data collected from 2004 to 2014 on 281 bottom‐mounted recorders, totaling 35,033 days, were processed using automated detection software and screened for each species' presence. A published study on NARW acoustics revealed significant changes in occurrence patterns between the periods of 2004–2010 and 2011–2014; therefore, these same time periods were examined here. All four species were present from the Southeast United States to Greenland; humpback whales were also present in the Caribbean. All species occurred throughout all regions in the winter, suggesting that baleen whales are widely distributed during these months. Each of the species showed significant changes in acoustic occurrence after 2010. Similar to NARWs, sei whales had higher acoustic occurrence in mid‐Atlantic regions after 2010. Fin, blue, and sei whales were more frequently detected in the northern latitudes of the study area after 2010. Despite this general northward shift, all four species were detected less on the Scotian Shelf area after 2010, matching documented shifts in prey availability in this region. A decade of acoustic observations have shown important distributional changes over the range of baleen whales, mirroring known climatic shifts and identifying new habitats that will require further protection from anthropogenic threats like fixed fishing gear, shipping, and noise pollution.

    

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4. The scale of the whale: using video-tag data to evaluate sea-surface ice concentration from the perspective of individual Antarctic minke whales

   https://doi.org/10.1186/s40317-020-00218-8  

   Linsky, Jacob M. ; Wilson, Nicole ; Cade, David E. ; Goldbogen, Jeremy A. ; Johnston, David W. ; Friedlaender, Ari S. ( December 2020 , Animal Biotelemetry)

   Abstract Background Advances in biologging technology allow researchers access to previously unobservable behavioral states and movement patterns of marine animals. To relate behaviors with environmental variables, features must be evaluated at scales relevant to the animal or behavior. Remotely sensed environmental data, collected via satellites, often suffers from the effects of cloud cover and lacks the spatial or temporal resolution to adequately link with individual animal behaviors or behavioral bouts. This study establishes a new method for remotely and continuously quantifying surface ice concentration (SIC) at a scale relevant to individual whales using on-animal tag video data. Results Motion-sensing and video-recording suction cup tags were deployed on 7 Antarctic minke whales ( Balaenoptera bonaerensis ) around the Antarctic Peninsula in February and March of 2018. To compare the scale of camera-tag observations with satellite imagery, the area of view was simulated using camera-tag parameters. For expected conditions, we found the visible area maximum to be ~ 100m 2 which indicates that observations occur at an equivalent or finer scale than a single pixel of high-resolution visible spectrum satellite imagery. SIC was classified into one of six bins (0%, 1–20%, 21–40%, 41–60%, 61–80%, 81–100%) by two independent observers for the initial and final surfacing between dives. In the event of a disagreement, a third independent observer was introduced, and the median of the three observer’s values was used. Initial results ( n  = 6) show that Antarctic minke whales in the coastal bays of the Antarctic Peninsula spend 52% of their time in open water, and only 15% of their time in water with SIC greater than 20%. Over time, we find significant variation in observed SIC, indicating that Antarctic minke occupy an extremely dynamic environment. Sentinel-2 satellite-based approaches of sea ice assessment were not possible because of persistent cloud cover during the study period. Conclusion Tag-video offers a means to evaluate ice concentration at spatial and temporal scales relevant to the individual. Combined with information on underwater behavior, our ability to quantify SIC continuously at the scale of the animal will improve upon current remote sensing methods to understand the link between animal behavior and these dynamic environmental variables. 

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5. Patterns of postnatal ontogeny of the skull and lower jaw of snakes as revealed by micro‐ CT scan data and three‐dimensional geometric morphometrics

   https://doi.org/10.1111/joa.12509  

   Palci, Alessandro ; Lee, Michael S. Y. ; Hutchinson, Mark N. ( June 2016 , Journal of Anatomy)

   We compared the head skeleton (skull and lower jaw) of juvenile and adult specimens of five snake species [Anilios(=Ramphotyphlops)bicolor,Cylindrophis ruffus,Aspidites melanocephalus,Acrochordus arafurae, andNotechis scutatus] and two lizard outgroups (Ctenophorus decresii,Varanus gilleni). All major ontogenetic changes observed were documented both qualitatively and quantitatively. Qualitative comparisons were based on high‐resolution micro‐CTscanning of the specimens, and detailed quantitative analyses were performed using three‐dimensional geometric morphometrics. Two sets of landmarks were used, one for accurate representation of the intraspecific transformations of each skull and jaw configuration, and the other for comparison between taxa. Our results document the ontogenetic elaboration of crests and processes for muscle attachment (especially for cervical and adductor muscles); negative allometry in the braincase of all taxa; approximately isometric growth of the snout of all taxa exceptVaranusandAnilios(positively allometric); and positive allometry in the quadrates of the macrostomatan snakesAspidites,AcrochordusandNotechis, but also, surprisingly, in the iguanian lizardCtenophorus. Ontogenetic trajectories from principal component analysis provide evidence for paedomorphosis inAniliosand peramorphosis inAcrochordus. Some primitive (lizard‐like) features are described for the first time in the juvenileCylindrophis. Two distinct developmental trajectories for the achievement of the macrostomatan (large‐gaped) condition in adult snakes are documented, driven either by positive allometry of supratemporal and quadrate (in pythons), or of quadrate alone (in sampled caenophidians); this is consistent with hypothesised homoplasy in this adaptive complex. Certain traits (e.g. shape of coronoid process, marginal tooth counts) are more stable throughout postnatal ontogeny than others (e.g. basisphenoid keel), with implications for their reliability as phylogenetic characters.

    

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