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© 2015 The Authors. Recent studies have reported multiple cases of molecular adaptation in cetaceans related to their aquatic abilities. However, none of these has included the hippopotamus, precluding an understanding of whether molecular adaptations in cetaceans occurred before or after they split from their semi-aquatic sister taxa. Here, we obtained new transcriptomes from the hippopotamus and humpback whale, and analysed these together with available data from eight other cetaceans. We identified more than 11?000 orthologous genes and compiled a genome-wide dataset of 6845 coding DNA sequences among 23 mammals, to our knowledge the largest phylogenomic dataset to date for cetaceans. We found positive selection in nine genes on the branch leading to the common ancestor of hippopotamus and whales, and 461 genes in cetaceans compared to 64 in hippopotamus. Functional annotation revealed adaptations in diverse processes, including lipid metabolism, hypoxia, muscle and brain function. By combining these findings with data on protein–protein interactions, we found evidence suggesting clustering among gene products relating to nervous and muscular systems in cetaceans. We found little support for shared ancestral adaptations in the two taxa; most molecular adaptations in extant cetaceans occurred after their split with hippopotamids.

The Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) is a capability supported by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). NCRIS and 10 operators including Universities and government agencies have provided nearly $100M to develop the capability. It is a nationally distributed set of equipment that collectively will contribute to meeting the needs of marine research in both open oceans and coastal oceans around Australia. The overarching scientific rationale for IMOS is to support research on predicting the role of the oceans in the climate system and on understanding of the impacts of the East Australia Current and the Leeuwin Current on shelf-ecosystems. In particular, if sustained in the long term, IMOS will permit identification and management of climate change in the marine environment. The infrastructure also contributes to Australia’s commitments to international programs of ocean observing and international conventions, such as the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention that established the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. IMOS is made up of nine national facilities that collect data, using different components of infrastructure and instruments, and two facilities that manage and provide access to data and enhanced data products, one that assembles remotely sensed satellite data and the electronic Marine Information Infrastructure that provides access to all IMOS data streams in a web-based, interoperable framework. The observing facilities include three for the open (Bluewater) ocean (Argo Australia, Enhanced Ships of Opportunity and Southern Ocean Time Series), three facilities for coastal currents and water properties (Moorings, Ocean Gliders and HF Radar) and three for coastal ecosystems (Acoustic Tagging and Tracking, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle and a biophysical sensor network on the Great Barrier Reef). Additional information on IMOS is av

The Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) is a capability supported by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). NCRIS and 10 operators including Universities and government agencies have provided nearly $100M to develop the capability. It is a nationally distributed set of equipment that collectively will contribute to meeting the needs of marine research in both open oceans and coastal oceans around Australia. The overarching scientific rationale for IMOS is to support research on predicting the role of the oceans in the climate system and on understanding of the impacts of the East Australia Current and the Leeuwin Current on shelf-ecosystems. In particular, if sustained in the long term, IMOS will permit identification and management of climate change in the marine environment. The infrastructure also contributes to Australia’s commitments to international programs of ocean observing and international conventions, such as the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention that established the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. IMOS is made up of nine national facilities that collect data, using different components of infrastructure and instruments, and two facilities that manage and provide access to data and enhanced data products, one that assembles remotely sensed satellite data and the electronic Marine Information Infrastructure that provides access to all IMOS data streams in a web-based, interoperable framework. The observing facilities include three for the open (Bluewater) ocean (Argo Australia, Enhanced Ships of Opportunity and Southern Ocean Time Series), three facilities for coastal currents and water properties (Moorings, Ocean Gliders and HF Radar) and three for coastal ecosystems (Acoustic Tagging and Tracking, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle and a biophysical sensor network on the Great Barrier Reef). Additional information on IMOS is av

The Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS) is a capability supported by the Australian Government through the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). NCRIS and 10 operators including Universities and government agencies have provided nearly $100M to develop the capability. It is a nationally distributed set of equipment that collectively will contribute to meeting the needs of marine research in both open oceans and coastal oceans around Australia. The overarching scientific rationale for IMOS is to support research on predicting the role of the oceans in the climate system and on understanding of the impacts of the East Australia Current and the Leeuwin Current on shelf-ecosystems. In particular, if sustained in the long term, IMOS will permit identification and management of climate change in the marine environment. The infrastructure also contributes to Australia’s commitments to international programs of ocean observing and international conventions, such as the 1982 Law of the Sea Convention that established the Australian Exclusive Economic Zone and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. IMOS is made up of nine national facilities that collect data, using different components of infrastructure and instruments, and two facilities that manage and provide access to data and enhanced data products, one that assembles remotely sensed satellite data and the electronic Marine Information Infrastructure that provides access to all IMOS data streams in a web-based, interoperable framework. The observing facilities include three for the open (Bluewater) ocean (Argo Australia, Enhanced Ships of Opportunity and Southern Ocean Time Series), three facilities for coastal currents and water properties (Moorings, Ocean Gliders and HF Radar) and three for coastal ecosystems (Acoustic Tagging and Tracking, Autonomous Underwater Vehicle and a biophysical sensor network on the Great Barrier Reef). Additional information on IMOS is av