Latitudinal gradients in the skull shape and assemblage structure of delphinoid cetaceans

Within delphinoid cetaceans, snout shape is significantly correlated to diet, with long-snouted raptorial-feeding predators preying on smaller and more agile prey than shorter-snouted species. Although there have been several studies into longirostry from a functional perspective there have been no quantitative analyses of spatial variation in skull shape or how the pattern in skull shape morphospace occupation varies between assemblages. Here we analyse the cranial morphological variation of Delphinoidea assemblages. Firstly, we calculate mean and G(i)* hotspot statistics of skull shape across the world's oceans. We find that tropical and subtropical assemblages exhibit higher average measures of longirostry. This pattern is likely caused by differences in the availability of certain prey types in warmer and cooler environments. Secondly, we calculate mean pairwise distance as well as mean nearest taxon distance in functional traits between the members of 119 unique delphinoid assemblages. There was a trend for low latitude assemblages to exhibit greater overdispersion in PC1 (snout length) compared those from high latitudes. Our results suggest that ocean temperature is influential in determining the diversity, range limits and assemblage structure of delphinoid cetaceans.

Automated summary

Snout shape in delphinoid cetaceans is correlated to diet, with long-snouted predators preying on smaller and more agile prey. The study analyzes cranial morphological variation of Delphinoidea assemblages across the world's oceans. It finds that tropical and subtropical assemblages have higher average measures of long-snout shape, likely due to differences in prey availability in different environments. The study also suggests that ocean temperature influences the diversity, range limits, and assemblage structure of delphinoid cetaceans.