The “most lonely whale whale” in the world may be a sterile hybrid – cheap warning

For nearly 40 years, in the depth of the Pacific Ocean, one voice is called a song unlike anything else. The sound echoes the depths in 52 Hzz, confusing those who listen to this resonance individually from the ocean symphony. The frequency was much higher than the blue whale or his cousin, the sole, leaving the scholars to think about a mystery Pisces 52.

Leviathan has heard several times since then, but it has never been unprecedented. Some suspect that he may have some deformation that changes his voice. Others believe that it may simply show a very unusual sound – a Minor between the baritons. But the marine biologist John Calbocukidis from Cascadia Research Collective indicates another possibility: “the most united whale”, as it has been called because there may be no one who responds to his unique call, may not be an anomaly, but an idea.

CAlambokidis, who has spent more than 50 years in studying cytakin, whale 52, may be hybrid: part of the blue whale, the sole whale.

Such a creature, which is often called the chimney whale, is increasing more common as the seas pushes the Blues warming to new education lands, where they are It is likely that you mate with a sole Relatives. A survey of North Atlantic Blues published last year that the DNA of the Pisces Up to 3.5 percent of their genomeA stunning character, given the two types She diverged 8.35 million years ago. If whale 52 is already mixed, its presence indicates a genetic mixing between Balanoptera MusculusAs the blues are known among the scholars, and Balanoptera Physalus It happened for decades, if he did not return. The results of the North Atlantic Ocean indicate their acceleration.

Cetacean compensation has been documented before, especially between Narwhas and Belugas, and between two types of experimental whales, groups are largely attributed to the high temperature of the seas that drive these animals to a new area and their proximity. But hybridization was closely studied between earthquake creatures such as glyzzlies and polar bears. It is rarely understood in marine mammals, and only a little is known about what mixes with inheritance, behavior and survival at all.

“Blue whales are still struggling to recover from hunting whales, while some population remains in less than 5 percent of their historical numbers,” said Calabukukidis. While the number of confirmed hybrids is still low, the continued disruption of habitats may make it more common, which leads to the erosion of its genetic diversity and reduces the elasticity of the population who struggle.

Before the genome arriving 30 years ago, the biologists identified hybrids primarily by forming, or studying material features. If an animal displays two types – the skin covered with a body of heat and brave from the abdomen, For example It may be classified as a hybrid dependent on external properties or structural measurements. Stories may also play a role: Historical whales records Sometimes the blues and fins suggest that this conjugation has not been largely confirmed. But at best, formation cannot only reveal the offspring of the first generation of two distinct types.

Through DNA analysis, marine biologists such as Aimee Lang can now determine the mixing that occurred before generations, and to reveal a more complicated date than it was previously understood. This new level of details holds the image: Does chimneys become more common, or are researchers simply equipped better to find them? While scientists are looking at the genetic signatures of whales all over the world, they hope to distinguish between whether crossbreeding is the emerging trend led by climate change, or a long -term side of the development of cytakin.

However, some marine biologists find this disturbing phenomenon because chimneys are not largely capable of reproduction. Although some females are fertile, males tend to be sterile. This hybrid represents a small part of the world’s blue whales – which is still more than 25,000 – but the non -balanced population indicates that they will scale. There are four times the number of fins like blues all over the world, and an estimate of water around Iceland 37,000 fins to 3000 blues.

“Three thousand are not a very high density of animals,” said Lang, who is studying the inheritance of marine mammals in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “So you can imagine whether the female in blue is looking for a companion and cannot find a blue whale, but there are fins of the soles everywhere, and you will choose one of them.”

This has deep effects on memorization. If the hybrid is not easily defined, this may lead to Inaccurate estimates From the population of blue whale and the difficulty of evaluating the effectiveness of memorization programs. The most disturbing sterile animals cannot contribute to the survival of their types. Simply put, the hybridization represents a threat to their long -term gardens.

“If it becomes frequent enough, the hybrid genotans can eventually eliminate the real blue whale genomics,” Lang said. “The hybrid may not be adapted to the environment such as blue or authentic fin, which means that anything produced is evolutionary clogged ends.”

This can have consequences for the entire ecosystems. Each type of whale plays a specific role in ensuring the health of the marine ecosystem, for example, managing Krill groups or providing basic nutrients such as iron. The hybrid that does not play the role that cost their development, undermines this symbiotic relationship with the sea. “These individuals and their descendants do not fill completely the environmental position of any of the mother species,” said Calabucidis.

All this adds to the uncertainty that the ongoing disorders have already caused. Many marine ecosystems It suffers from regime attacks – Sudden and non -irreversible changes in the structure and function – driven by warming water, acidification, and prey distributions. These adjustments push some types of cytakin to smaller and more insulating reproductive pools.

There is a cause of anxiety behind the blue whales. The continuous outbreak between 76 Orcas from the distinguished southern killer whale and genetically ascetic in the northwest of the Pacific Ocean is Cut their ages almost in halfBy placing it in a greater risk of harmful genetic features, weak immune system, reducing fertility, and high calf deaths. Talkah, the southern resident of Orca, who became known all over the world in 2018 for carrying the dead calf for 17 days, I lost another one in January. 370 or so of the right whales in North Atlantic that still exists Facing similar challenges.

The level of some hybridization and hybridization of cyttasan may be inevitable as the species adapt to climate change. Some of them may prove that it is useful. The real concern is whether these changes will outperform the ability of whales to survive. Small whales may be homosexuality, but their presence is one of the wider symptoms of anthropolic disorders.

“There are examples of the population who are doing a good job, although they have a low genetic diversity, and there are examples that they do not work in,” said Vania River Leon, who is looking at population genetics at the center. Coastal studies In Provincetown, Massachusetts. “They may be fine under the current circumstances, but if the conditions are turning more, it may turn that.”

“The effect can be what we call the bottleneck,” she added. “Full loss of genetic diversity.”

These changes are often very gradually revealed to humans to realize them quickly. Unlike fish, which have quick life cycles and clear population summaries, whales have lived for decades, with overlapping generations that block instant trends. There was only about 30 whale generations since whale hunting has stopped largely. To really understand how these pressures are the formation of whale groups, researchers may need twice this time for a long time to detect what is happening under the waves and what, if anything, whale 52 may say on this topic.

This article was originally appeared in Barrier in https://grist.org/oCeans/what-the-worlds-loniest-hale-may-Be- Telling-us-about-climate-change/. Grist is a non -profit and independent media organization dedicated to the novel of climate solution stories and a just future. Learn more in Grist.org.