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Baleen turnover and gut transit in mysticete whales and its environmental implications

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Abstract

Baleen, a unique oral α-keratin, has flat cortical layers enclosing hollow horn tubules. Baleen grows continuously to replace erosive loss from feeding-related wear. This is essential for maintaining efficient filtration over a whale’s long life history. Baleen fragments are seen in stomach contents and feces. We focused on fin (Balaenoptera physalus) and bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus), but examined eleven mysticete species. Histological features including variably sized tubules plus differential growth along plate axes (growing faster along the medial fringed edge) and between plates of a rack (central plates growing faster than others) relate to baleen strength and flexibility. Sheet-like cortical layers provide strength and probably hinder erosive shedding, whereas medullary (tubular/intertubular) keratin provides flexibility and likely promotes shedding. To calculate amounts of grown/lost baleen, we considered both erosive wear and basal growth, recognizing that each plate represents several years of growth. We estimate average annual loss of 70–100,000 cm2 (20–40,000 cm3) of baleen in balaenids and 25–50,000 cm2 (7–14,000 cm3) in balaenopterids. Baleen growth rates depend on age, size, and other life history parameters; the most reliable calculations come from morphometric data with plate dimensions measured along full racks. We argue that baleen turnover has been under-rated and baleen growth rates underestimated in the published literature. Baleen turnover maintains filter integrity/porosity, while gut passage possibly clears gastrointestinal tracts of endoparasites. Large volumes of shed keratin hold potential ecological consequences by providing food for microbial decomposers and detritivores throughout ocean ecosystems, especially in polar regions where most mysticete feeding occurs.

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All data generated or analyzed for this study are included in the paper or available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

We dedicate this work in memory of Bob Elsner, whose pioneering work on the physiology of Arctic wildlife has inspired and informed countless researchers. We thank the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission and Barrow Whaling Captain’s Association, especially Billy Adams, Harry Brower, Jr., and Qaiyaan Harcharek for providing bowhead baleen; specimens were collected under NMFS Permit No. 21386 issued to the North Slope Borough Department of Wildlife Management, Utqiaġvik, Alaska. Tom Pitchford, Bill McLellan, Kristján Loftsson, and Erin Fougeres gave access to other specimens. We thank Jan Straley and anonymous reviewers for helpful comments that greatly improved this paper. For discussion of baleen growth and shedding, we thank Hans Thewissen, Raphaela Stimmelmayr, Robert Suydam, Tom Ford, Tom Albert, Todd O’Hara, Michael Moore, and John Gosline. We thank Sophia Hohlbauch at Asylum Research (Santa Barbara, CA), an Oxford Instruments Company, for AFM access and assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Hampden-Sydney College, Hampden-Sydney, VA, 23943, USA

    Alexander J. Werth

  2. Department of Wildlife Management, North Slope Borough, Utqiaġvik (Barrow), AK, 99723, USA

    Todd L. Sformo & J. Craig George

  3. Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775, USA

    Todd L. Sformo

  4. Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts-Boston, Boston, MA, 02125, USA

    Nadine S. Lysiak

  5. Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology, and Environmental Science, University of Barcelona, 08028, Barcelona, Spain

    Diego Rita

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All authors contributed ideas, data collection/analysis, and field or tissue access/support. AJW wrote drafts and prepared figures; all authors edited and approved the final version.

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Correspondence to Alexander J. Werth.

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Werth, A.J., Sformo, T.L., Lysiak, N.S. et al. Baleen turnover and gut transit in mysticete whales and its environmental implications. Polar Biol 43, 707–723 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00300-020-02673-8

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