Skip to main content
Publications | Persons | Institutes | Projects
[ report an error in this record ]basket (1): add | show Print this page

one publication added to basket [144153]
Climate, critters, and cetaceans: Cenozoic drivers of the evolution of modern whales
Marx, F.G.; Uhen, M.D. (2010). Climate, critters, and cetaceans: Cenozoic drivers of the evolution of modern whales. Science (Wash.) 327(5968): 993-996. https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1185581
In: Science (Washington). American Association for the Advancement of Science: New York, N.Y. ISSN 0036-8075; e-ISSN 1095-9203, more
Peer reviewed article  

Available in  Authors 

Keyword
    Marine/Coastal

Authors  Top 
  • Marx, F.G., more
  • Uhen, M.D.

Abstract
    Modern cetaceans, a poster child of evolution, play an important role in the ocean ecosystem as apex predators and nutrient distributors, as well as evolutionary "stepping stones" for the deep sea biota. Recent discussions on the impact of climate change and marine exploitation on current cetacean populations may benefit from insights into what factors have influenced cetacean diversity in the past. Previous studies suggested that the rise of diatoms as dominant marine primary producers and global temperature change were key factors in the evolution of modern whales. Based on a comprehensive diversity data set, we show that much of observed cetacean paleodiversity can indeed be explained by diatom diversity in conjunction with variations in climate as indicated by oxygen stable isotope records (delta(18)O).

All data in the Integrated Marine Information System (IMIS) is subject to the VLIZ privacy policy Top | Authors