The role of cultural traditions in ecological niche partitioning in cetaceans

Abstract

Ecological niche partitioning is a process that allows organisms to achieve differences in resource use to reduce competition. Niche partitioning is traditionally viewed as a result of modification of genetically inherited traits through the process of adaptive evolution. However, in social animals with developed cognitive abilities, a significant portion of behavioral patterns is transmitted not genetically, but through social learning. Complex sets of behavioral patterns transmitted through social learning are called cultural traditions. The partitioning of ecological niches in cetaceans is most often considered in the context of morphological adaptations: changes in size, skull shape, and the structure of the filtering apparatus. The role of cultural traditions in niche partitioning is still poorly understood, but it is an important and promising area of research, as it provides a novel approach to the ability of animals to change their behavior in order to exploit the environment more efficiently. The main advantage of traditions over genetically inherited behavioral patterns is the ability to change quickly and spread rapidly in a population. Estimating the role of cultural traditions in ecological niche partitioning would highlight the significance of behavior plasticity and social learning in the evolution of animal intelligence. Ecological niche partitioning through the rapidly changing and rapidly spreading behavioral adaptations in the population, allowing to adapt quickly to changes in the environment, could provide a significant evolutionary advantage, which could lead to the development of a relatively high level of intelligence in cetaceans.