Links between muscle phenotype and life history: differentiation of myosin heavy chain composition and muscle biochemistry in precocial and altricial pinniped pups

In marine mammals, muscular development has been identified as a rate-limiting factor in achieving adult dive capacities. This study investigates the rate that myosin heavy chain (MHC) composition matures in a postural and locomotor skeletal muscle for four pinniped species with different lactation lengths: hooded seals, Cystophora cristata ; harp seals, Pagophilus groenlandicus ; northern fur seals, Callorhinus ursinus, and Steller sea lions, Eumetopias jubatus . The ontogeny of MHC isoform expression was compared with developmental rates of myoglobin concentrations, and aerobic (citrate synthase, β -hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase) and anaerobic (lactate dehydrogenase) enzyme activities. Within taxonomic families, species with shorter lactation periods had more mature muscles biochemically at birth, and fiber types differentiated earlier during ontogeny (Phocidae: hooded > harp seals, Otariidae: northern fur seals > Steller sea lions). Northern fur seal neonates had the most phenotypically-mature muscles in this study, with no immature MHC isoforms. The relationship between muscle biochemistry and MHC composition became more pronounced with age, and developed to reflect swimming mode and activity levels. In adults, phocids had more slow-twitch oxidative protein in their primary locomotor muscle, the Longissimus dorsi ( LD ), than otariids which likely reflects oxygen-sparing strategies for the phocids’ longer dives. Conversely, northern fur seal muscles had higher proportions of fast-twitch MHCs in the Pectoralis and LD , likely indicative of this species’ smaller size and higher mass-specific metabolic rates. Thus, muscle phenotype is linked with species life history, and a mismatch between muscle biochemistry and MHC composition at weaning has important implications for the first year of independent foraging in pinniped pups.