Cultural turnover among Galápagos sperm whales
While populations may wax and wane, it is rare for an entire population to be replaced by a completely different set of individuals. We document the large-scale relocation of cultural groups of sperm whale off the Galápagos Islands, in which two sympatric vocal clans were entirely replaced by two di...
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160615 https://doaj.org/article/b51ffc5cdf89415182eb5416dd8d5a85 |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:b51ffc5cdf89415182eb5416dd8d5a85 2023-05-15T17:59:26+02:00 Cultural turnover among Galápagos sperm whales Mauricio Cantor Hal Whitehead Shane Gero Luke Rendell 2016-01-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160615 https://doaj.org/article/b51ffc5cdf89415182eb5416dd8d5a85 EN eng The Royal Society https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.160615 https://doaj.org/toc/2054-5703 2054-5703 doi:10.1098/rsos.160615 https://doaj.org/article/b51ffc5cdf89415182eb5416dd8d5a85 Royal Society Open Science, Vol 3, Iss 10 (2016) culture dialect physeter macrocephalus population ecology demographic change social structure Science Q article 2016 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160615 2022-12-31T04:17:34Z While populations may wax and wane, it is rare for an entire population to be replaced by a completely different set of individuals. We document the large-scale relocation of cultural groups of sperm whale off the Galápagos Islands, in which two sympatric vocal clans were entirely replaced by two different ones. Between 1985 and 1999, whales from two clans (called Regular and Plus-One) defined by cultural dialects in coda vocalizations were repeatedly photo-identified off Galápagos. Their occurrence in the area declined through the 1990s; by 2000, none remained. We reassessed Galápagos sperm whales in 2013–2014, identifying 463 new females. However, re-sighting rates were low, with no matches with the Galápagos 1985–1999 population, suggesting an eastward shift to coastal areas. Their vocal repertoires matched those of two other clans (called Short and Four-Plus) found across the Pacific but previously rare or absent around Galápagos. The mechanisms behind this cultural turnover may include large-scale environmental regime shifts favouring clan-specific foraging strategies, and a response to heavy whaling in the region involving redistribution of surviving whales into high-quality habitats. The fall and rise of sperm whale cultures off Galápagos reflect the structuring of the Pacific population into large, enduring clans with dynamic ranges. Long-lasting clan membership illustrates how culture can be bound up in the structure and dynamics of animal populations and so how tracking cultural traits can reveal large-scale population shifts. Article in Journal/Newspaper Physeter macrocephalus Sperm whale Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Pacific Royal Society Open Science 3 10 160615 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
culture dialect physeter macrocephalus population ecology demographic change social structure Science Q |
spellingShingle |
culture dialect physeter macrocephalus population ecology demographic change social structure Science Q Mauricio Cantor Hal Whitehead Shane Gero Luke Rendell Cultural turnover among Galápagos sperm whales |
topic_facet |
culture dialect physeter macrocephalus population ecology demographic change social structure Science Q |
description |
While populations may wax and wane, it is rare for an entire population to be replaced by a completely different set of individuals. We document the large-scale relocation of cultural groups of sperm whale off the Galápagos Islands, in which two sympatric vocal clans were entirely replaced by two different ones. Between 1985 and 1999, whales from two clans (called Regular and Plus-One) defined by cultural dialects in coda vocalizations were repeatedly photo-identified off Galápagos. Their occurrence in the area declined through the 1990s; by 2000, none remained. We reassessed Galápagos sperm whales in 2013–2014, identifying 463 new females. However, re-sighting rates were low, with no matches with the Galápagos 1985–1999 population, suggesting an eastward shift to coastal areas. Their vocal repertoires matched those of two other clans (called Short and Four-Plus) found across the Pacific but previously rare or absent around Galápagos. The mechanisms behind this cultural turnover may include large-scale environmental regime shifts favouring clan-specific foraging strategies, and a response to heavy whaling in the region involving redistribution of surviving whales into high-quality habitats. The fall and rise of sperm whale cultures off Galápagos reflect the structuring of the Pacific population into large, enduring clans with dynamic ranges. Long-lasting clan membership illustrates how culture can be bound up in the structure and dynamics of animal populations and so how tracking cultural traits can reveal large-scale population shifts. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Mauricio Cantor Hal Whitehead Shane Gero Luke Rendell |
author_facet |
Mauricio Cantor Hal Whitehead Shane Gero Luke Rendell |
author_sort |
Mauricio Cantor |
title |
Cultural turnover among Galápagos sperm whales |
title_short |
Cultural turnover among Galápagos sperm whales |
title_full |
Cultural turnover among Galápagos sperm whales |
title_fullStr |
Cultural turnover among Galápagos sperm whales |
title_full_unstemmed |
Cultural turnover among Galápagos sperm whales |
title_sort |
cultural turnover among galápagos sperm whales |
publisher |
The Royal Society |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160615 https://doaj.org/article/b51ffc5cdf89415182eb5416dd8d5a85 |
geographic |
Pacific |
geographic_facet |
Pacific |
genre |
Physeter macrocephalus Sperm whale |
genre_facet |
Physeter macrocephalus Sperm whale |
op_source |
Royal Society Open Science, Vol 3, Iss 10 (2016) |
op_relation |
https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rsos.160615 https://doaj.org/toc/2054-5703 2054-5703 doi:10.1098/rsos.160615 https://doaj.org/article/b51ffc5cdf89415182eb5416dd8d5a85 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.160615 |
container_title |
Royal Society Open Science |
container_volume |
3 |
container_issue |
10 |
container_start_page |
160615 |
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1766168241348018176 |