Body size data collected non-invasively from drone images indicate a morphologically distinct Chilean blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) taxon
The blue whale Balaenoptera musculus (Linnaeus, 1758) was the target of intense commercial whaling in the 20th century, and current populations remain drastically below pre-whaling abundances. Reducing uncertainty in subspecific taxonomy would enable targeted conservation strategies for the recovery...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:7e2a080a2f07414fb7e914f43c38fc97 2023-05-15T13:46:45+02:00 Body size data collected non-invasively from drone images indicate a morphologically distinct Chilean blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) taxon Leslie, MS Perkins-Taylor, CM Durban, JW Moore, MJ Miller, CA Chanarat, P Bahamonde, P Chiang, G Apprill, A 2020-11-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01066 https://doaj.org/article/7e2a080a2f07414fb7e914f43c38fc97 EN eng Inter-Research https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v43/p291-304/ https://doaj.org/toc/1863-5407 https://doaj.org/toc/1613-4796 1863-5407 1613-4796 doi:10.3354/esr01066 https://doaj.org/article/7e2a080a2f07414fb7e914f43c38fc97 Endangered Species Research, Vol 43, Pp 291-304 (2020) Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 article 2020 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01066 2022-12-31T05:15:25Z The blue whale Balaenoptera musculus (Linnaeus, 1758) was the target of intense commercial whaling in the 20th century, and current populations remain drastically below pre-whaling abundances. Reducing uncertainty in subspecific taxonomy would enable targeted conservation strategies for the recovery of unique intraspecific diversity. Currently, there are 2 named blue whale subspecies in the temperate to polar Southern Hemisphere: the Antarctic blue whale B. m. intermedia and the pygmy blue whale B. m. brevicauda. These subspecies have distinct morphologies, genetics, and acoustics. In 2019, the Society for Marine Mammalogy’s Committee on Taxonomy agreed that evidence supports a third (and presently unnamed) subspecies of Southern Hemisphere blue whale subspecies, the Chilean blue whale. Whaling data indicate that the Chilean blue whale is intermediate in body length between pygmy and Antarctic blue whales. We collected body size data from blue whales in the Gulfo Corcovado, Chile, during the austral summers of 2015 and 2017 using aerial photogrammetry from a remotely controlled drone to test the hypothesis that the Chilean blue whale is morphologically distinct from other Southern Hemisphere blue whale subspecies. We found the Chilean whale to be morphologically intermediate in both overall body length and relative tail length, thereby joining other diverse data in supporting the Chilean blue whale as a unique subspecific taxon. Additional photogrammetry studies of Antarctic, pygmy, and Chilean blue whales will help examine unique morphological variation within this species of conservation concern. To our knowledge, this is the first non-invasive small drone study to test a hypothesis for systematic biology. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctic Balaenoptera musculus Blue whale Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Antarctic The Antarctic Austral Endangered Species Research 43 291 304 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 |
spellingShingle |
Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 Leslie, MS Perkins-Taylor, CM Durban, JW Moore, MJ Miller, CA Chanarat, P Bahamonde, P Chiang, G Apprill, A Body size data collected non-invasively from drone images indicate a morphologically distinct Chilean blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) taxon |
topic_facet |
Zoology QL1-991 Botany QK1-989 |
description |
The blue whale Balaenoptera musculus (Linnaeus, 1758) was the target of intense commercial whaling in the 20th century, and current populations remain drastically below pre-whaling abundances. Reducing uncertainty in subspecific taxonomy would enable targeted conservation strategies for the recovery of unique intraspecific diversity. Currently, there are 2 named blue whale subspecies in the temperate to polar Southern Hemisphere: the Antarctic blue whale B. m. intermedia and the pygmy blue whale B. m. brevicauda. These subspecies have distinct morphologies, genetics, and acoustics. In 2019, the Society for Marine Mammalogy’s Committee on Taxonomy agreed that evidence supports a third (and presently unnamed) subspecies of Southern Hemisphere blue whale subspecies, the Chilean blue whale. Whaling data indicate that the Chilean blue whale is intermediate in body length between pygmy and Antarctic blue whales. We collected body size data from blue whales in the Gulfo Corcovado, Chile, during the austral summers of 2015 and 2017 using aerial photogrammetry from a remotely controlled drone to test the hypothesis that the Chilean blue whale is morphologically distinct from other Southern Hemisphere blue whale subspecies. We found the Chilean whale to be morphologically intermediate in both overall body length and relative tail length, thereby joining other diverse data in supporting the Chilean blue whale as a unique subspecific taxon. Additional photogrammetry studies of Antarctic, pygmy, and Chilean blue whales will help examine unique morphological variation within this species of conservation concern. To our knowledge, this is the first non-invasive small drone study to test a hypothesis for systematic biology. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Leslie, MS Perkins-Taylor, CM Durban, JW Moore, MJ Miller, CA Chanarat, P Bahamonde, P Chiang, G Apprill, A |
author_facet |
Leslie, MS Perkins-Taylor, CM Durban, JW Moore, MJ Miller, CA Chanarat, P Bahamonde, P Chiang, G Apprill, A |
author_sort |
Leslie, MS |
title |
Body size data collected non-invasively from drone images indicate a morphologically distinct Chilean blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) taxon |
title_short |
Body size data collected non-invasively from drone images indicate a morphologically distinct Chilean blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) taxon |
title_full |
Body size data collected non-invasively from drone images indicate a morphologically distinct Chilean blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) taxon |
title_fullStr |
Body size data collected non-invasively from drone images indicate a morphologically distinct Chilean blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) taxon |
title_full_unstemmed |
Body size data collected non-invasively from drone images indicate a morphologically distinct Chilean blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) taxon |
title_sort |
body size data collected non-invasively from drone images indicate a morphologically distinct chilean blue whale (balaenoptera musculus) taxon |
publisher |
Inter-Research |
publishDate |
2020 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01066 https://doaj.org/article/7e2a080a2f07414fb7e914f43c38fc97 |
geographic |
Antarctic The Antarctic Austral |
geographic_facet |
Antarctic The Antarctic Austral |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Balaenoptera musculus Blue whale |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Balaenoptera musculus Blue whale |
op_source |
Endangered Species Research, Vol 43, Pp 291-304 (2020) |
op_relation |
https://www.int-res.com/abstracts/esr/v43/p291-304/ https://doaj.org/toc/1863-5407 https://doaj.org/toc/1613-4796 1863-5407 1613-4796 doi:10.3354/esr01066 https://doaj.org/article/7e2a080a2f07414fb7e914f43c38fc97 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3354/esr01066 |
container_title |
Endangered Species Research |
container_volume |
43 |
container_start_page |
291 |
op_container_end_page |
304 |
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1766245169996234752 |