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Do cranial suture age and growth layer groups correlate in South American pinnipeds?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 January 2017

Priscila Audibert ,
César Jaeger Drehmer ,
Daniel Danilewicz Open the ORCID record for Daniel Danilewicz [Opens in a new window]  and
Larissa Rosa de Oliveira
Priscila Audibert
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Ecologia de Mamíferos, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, Av. Unisinos no 950, Centro 2, bloco D, sala 2D221, São Leopoldo, RS, 93022-000, Brazil
César Jaeger Drehmer
Affiliation:
Depto. de Ecologia, Zoologia & Genética, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Campus Capão do Leão, s/no Pelotas, RS 96010-610, Brazil
Daniel Danilewicz
Affiliation:
Grupo de Estudos de Mamíferos Aquáticos do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Machado de Assis, no 1456, Osório, RS 95020-000, Brazil Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas. Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (UESC). Rodovia Jorge Amado, km 16, Ilhéus, BA 45662-900, Brazil
Larissa Rosa de Oliveira*
Affiliation:
Laboratório de Ecologia de Mamíferos, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, Av. Unisinos no 950, Centro 2, bloco D, sala 2D221, São Leopoldo, RS, 93022-000, Brazil Grupo de Estudos de Mamíferos Aquáticos do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Machado de Assis, no 1456, Osório, RS 95020-000, Brazil
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: L.R. de Oliveira, Laboratório de Ecologia de Mamíferos, Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos, Av. Unisinos no 950, Centro 2, bloco D, sala 2D221, São Leopoldo, RS 93022-000, Brazil email: larissaro@unisinos.br/lari.minuano@gmail.com
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Abstract

Age is one of the most important life history parameters required to understand the dynamics of mammalian populations. Growth Layers Groups (GLGs) are incremental units of calcified tissue in the teeth (dentine and cementum), which represent a pattern of cyclical deposition that can be counted. However, the estimation of absolute age in GLGs demands a skull with teeth, the permission to destroy part of a tooth, equipment to cut the teeth, and experienced GLGs readers. In 1954 Sivertsen proposed an alternative method using cranial suture age (CSA) to establish age categories. However, there are no studies validating the CSA in relation to GLGs. Thus, this study examined whether there is a correlation between age categories proposed by the CSA and chronological age in years from GLGs of South American fur seals (Arctocephalus australis) (N = 52) and of South American sea lions (Otaria flavescens) (N = 37). 93% of the skulls of A. australis and 83.8% of O. flavescens corresponded accurately to the age in years estimated by each cranial suture age range. These results indicated the existence of high correspondence between the CSA and the GLGs age (r: 0.491 for A. australis and r: 0.675 for O. flavescens). However, an adaptation to Sivertsen's method is recommended: using only eight sutures (excluding the premaxillary-maxillary suture for CSA analysis, due to its late fusion), and updating the intervals for cranial sutures, that correspond to 16–32 = adults, 11–15 = young and 8–10 = pups.

Keywords

skullage determinationdentineArctocephalus australisOtaria flavescenscementumchronological ageage categoriessutures
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 98 , Issue 3 , May 2018 , pp. 635 - 644
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2017 

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