14-05-2025
Science sheds light on the mystery of the long life of whales and other marine animals
Photo:Mascarell_Dani Sol
In nature, growing fast and reproducing young is the most common life strategy because it reduces the risk of dying without leaving offspring. However, not all animals follow this rule. Humpback whales, for example, do not mature until they are 10 or 15 years old, and have only one calf every few years. Understanding the evolution of such slow life strategies remains one of the great enigmas of evolutionary biology.
Now, a study published in the journal Nature Communications reveals that when land mammals and birds made the transition from land to sea, they evolved increasingly slower life strategies. This slowing down of life could be explained by the fact that living in the sea requires a series of adaptations that improve the survival of individuals, and therefore, favor a long life. The possibility of having a long reproductive life would make it possible to sustain low fertility and slower development, the conclusions point out. The experts Antonio Hernández-Matías from the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio) of the University of Barcelona, and Antón Prego, from the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences of the Faculty of Biology are participating in this new research work.
Examining the present to understand the past
The work has as its first author the researcher Daniel Sol, from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE) - a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) - and CREAF, and has the participation of researchers from IRBio and CEAB-CSIC.
Since life strategies leave no trace in the fossil record, the authors of the study had to investigate the evolutionary changes of the past using phylogenetic information and evolutionary models. The first step was to reconstruct the transitions from terrestrial and freshwater habitats to marine environments, using phylogenetic information from more than 90% of bird and mammal species currently living on Earth. Combining this information with evolutionary models, the scientists were able to confirm that these transitions have been accompanied by adaptive adjustments in longevity, fecundity and development time, which are related to an increase in body size, an improvement in the efficiency of long-distance travel and an increase in encephalization (a measure of the cognitive capacity of the species).
More information at the CREAF link
In nature, growing fast and reproducing young is the most common life strategy because it reduces the risk of dying without leaving offspring. However, not all animals follow this rule. Humpback whales, for example, do not mature until they are 10 or 15 years old, and have only one calf every few years. Understanding the evolution of such slow life strategies remains one of the great enigmas of evolutionary biology.
Now, a study published in the journal Nature Communications reveals that when land mammals and birds made the transition from land to sea, they evolved increasingly slower life strategies. This slowing down of life could be explained by the fact that living in the sea requires a series of adaptations that improve the survival of individuals, and therefore, favor a long life. The possibility of having a long reproductive life would make it possible to sustain low fertility and slower development, the conclusions point out. The experts Antonio Hernández-Matías from the Biodiversity Research Institute (IRBio) of the University of Barcelona, and Antón Prego, from the Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences of the Faculty of Biology are participating in this new research work.
Examining the present to understand the past
The work has as its first author the researcher Daniel Sol, from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology (IBE) - a joint center of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Pompeu Fabra University (UPF) - and CREAF, and has the participation of researchers from IRBio and CEAB-CSIC.
Since life strategies leave no trace in the fossil record, the authors of the study had to investigate the evolutionary changes of the past using phylogenetic information and evolutionary models. The first step was to reconstruct the transitions from terrestrial and freshwater habitats to marine environments, using phylogenetic information from more than 90% of bird and mammal species currently living on Earth. Combining this information with evolutionary models, the scientists were able to confirm that these transitions have been accompanied by adaptive adjustments in longevity, fecundity and development time, which are related to an increase in body size, an improvement in the efficiency of long-distance travel and an increase in encephalization (a measure of the cognitive capacity of the species).
More information at the CREAF link