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Shuert CR, Hussey NE, Marcoux M, Heide-Jørgensen MP, Dietz R, Auger-Méthé M. Divergent migration routes reveal contrasting energy-minimization strategies to deal with differing resource predictability. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2023; 11:31. [PMID: 37280701 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-023-00397-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Seasonal long-distance movements are a common feature in many taxa allowing animals to deal with seasonal habitats and life-history demands. Many species use different strategies to prioritize time- or energy-minimization, sometimes employing stop-over behaviours to offset the physiological burden of the directed movement associated with migratory behaviour. Migratory strategies are often limited by life-history and environmental constraints, but can also be modulated by the predictability of resources en route. While theory on population-wide strategies (e.g. energy-minimization) are well studied, there are increasing evidence for individual-level variation in movement patterns indicative of finer scale differences in migration strategies. METHODS We aimed to explore sources of individual variation in migration strategies for long-distance migrators using satellite telemetry location data from 41 narwhal spanning a 21-year period. Specifically, we aimed to determine and define the long-distance movement strategies adopted and how environmental variables may modulate these movements. Fine-scale movement behaviours were characterized using move-persistence models, where changes in move-persistence, highlighting autocorrelation in a movement trajectory, were evaluated against potential modulating environmental covariates. Areas of low move-persistence, indicative of area-restricted search-type behaviours, were deemed to indicate evidence of stop-overs along the migratory route. RESULTS Here, we demonstrate two divergent migratory tactics to maintain a similar overall energy-minimization strategy within a single population of narwhal. Narwhal migrating offshore exhibited more tortuous movement trajectories overall with no evidence of spatially-consistent stop-over locations across individuals. Nearshore migrating narwhal undertook more directed routes, contrasted by spatially-explicit stop-over behaviour in highly-productive fjord and canyon systems along the coast of Baffin Island for periods of several days to several weeks. CONCLUSIONS Within a single population, divergent migratory tactics can achieve a similar overall energy-minimizing strategy within a species as a response to differing trade-offs between predictable and unpredictable resources. Our methodological approach, which revealed the modulators of fine-scale migratory movements and predicted regional stop-over sites, is widely applicable to a variety of other aquatic and terrestrial species. Quantifying marine migration strategies will be key for adaptive conservation in the face of climate change and ever increasing human pressures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney R Shuert
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, N9B 3P4, Canada.
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Freshwater Institute, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N6, Canada.
| | - Nigel E Hussey
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, N9B 3P4, Canada
| | - Marianne Marcoux
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Freshwater Institute, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N6, Canada
| | | | - Rune Dietz
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Marie Auger-Méthé
- Institute for the Oceans & Fisheries, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Department of Statistics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4, Canada
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First Description of the Underwater Sounds in the Mediterranean Monk Seal Monachus monachus in Greece: Towards Establishing a Vocal Repertoire. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13061048. [PMID: 36978589 PMCID: PMC10044229 DOI: 10.3390/ani13061048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/08/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus is one of the most endangered pinnipeds in the world, and is classified as “Endangered” by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Any additional knowledge about the species is invaluable to its effective conservation. In the present study, we deployed an autonomous underwater recorder in an important reproductive area of the Mediterranean monk seal in Greece to describe its underwater vocal repertoire. Over the 330 h of continuous recordings, 9231 vocalizations were labelled as potentially produced by Mediterranean monk seals, and 1694 good quality calls were analyzed. We defined 18 call types divided into three main call categories: harmonic, noisy, and pulsative calls. We also described the soundscape in which this endangered species lives and found that human activities around the two main pupping caves had a strong impact on the sonic environment of these seals: the noise level produced by boat traffic was high, and occurred on an hourly (25 to 50 min/hour) and daily basis (10.8 to 16.9 h/day). Such high levels of noise might not only impair the communication of the species, but also impact its survival, as chronic noise can induce physiological stress.
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Halliday WD, Barclay D, Barkley AN, Cook E, Dawson J, Hilliard RC, Hussey NE, Jones JM, Juanes F, Marcoux M, Niemi A, Nudds S, Pine MK, Richards C, Scharffenberg K, Westdal K, Insley SJ. Underwater sound levels in the Canadian Arctic, 2014-2019. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 168:112437. [PMID: 33957495 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The Arctic has been a refuge from anthropogenic underwater noise; however, climate change has caused summer sea ice to diminish, allowing for unprecedented access and the potential for increased underwater noise. Baseline underwater sound levels must be quantified to monitor future changes and manage underwater noise in the Arctic. We analyzed 39 passive acoustic datasets collected throughout the Canadian Arctic from 2014 to 2019 using statistical models to examine spatial and temporal trends in daily mean sound pressure levels (SPL) and quantify environmental and anthropogenic drivers of SPL. SPL (50-1000 Hz) ranged from 70 to 127 dB re 1 μPa (median = 91 dB). SPL increased as wind speed increased, but decreased as both ice concentration and air temperature increased, and SPL increased as the number of ships per day increased. This study provides a baseline for underwater sound levels in the Canadian Arctic and fills many geographic gaps on published underwater sound levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- William D Halliday
- Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada; School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
| | - David Barclay
- Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Amanda N Barkley
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
| | - Emmanuelle Cook
- Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Jackie Dawson
- Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - R Casey Hilliard
- Institute for Big Data Analytics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Nigel E Hussey
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
| | - Joshua M Jones
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Francis Juanes
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Marianne Marcoux
- Freshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Andrea Niemi
- Freshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Shannon Nudds
- Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Matthew K Pine
- Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada; Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Clark Richards
- Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Kevin Scharffenberg
- Freshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | | | - Stephen J Insley
- Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada; Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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Cramm MA, Neves BDM, Manning CCM, Oldenburg TBP, Archambault P, Chakraborty A, Cyr-Parent A, Edinger EN, Jaggi A, Mort A, Tortell P, Hubert CRJ. Characterization of marine microbial communities around an Arctic seabed hydrocarbon seep at Scott Inlet, Baffin Bay. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 762:143961. [PMID: 33373752 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.143961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2020] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/15/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Seabed hydrocarbon seeps present natural laboratories for investigating responses of marine ecosystems to petroleum input. A hydrocarbon seep near Scott Inlet, Baffin Bay, was visited for in situ observations and sampling in the summer of 2018. Video evidence of an active hydrocarbon seep was confirmed by methane and hydrocarbon analysis of the overlying water column, which is 260 m at this site. Elevated methane concentrations in bottom water above and down current from the seep decreased to background seawater levels in the mid-water column >150 m above the seafloor. Seafloor microbial mats morphologically resembling sulfide-oxidizing bacteria surrounded areas of bubble ebullition. Calcareous tube worms, brittle stars, shrimp, sponges, sea stars, sea anemones, sea urchins, small fish and soft corals were observed near the seep, with soft corals showing evidence for hydrocarbon incorporation. Sediment microbial communities included putative methane-oxidizing Methyloprofundus, sulfate-reducing Desulfobulbaceae and sulfide-oxidizing Sulfurovum. A metabolic gene diagnostic for aerobic methanotrophs (pmoA) was detected in the sediment and bottom water above the seep epicentre and up to 5 km away. Both 16S rRNA gene and pmoA amplicon sequencing revealed that pelagic microbial communities oriented along the geologic basement rise associated with methane seepage (running SW to NE) differed from communities in off-axis water up to 5 km away. Relative abundances of aerobic methanotrophs and putative hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria were elevated in the bottom water down current from the seep. Detection of bacterial clades typically associated with hydrocarbon and methane oxidation highlights the importance of Arctic marine microbial communities in mitigating hydrocarbon emissions from natural geologic sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret A Cramm
- Geomicrobiology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada.
| | - Bárbara de Moura Neves
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Ecological Sciences Section, 80 East White Hills Road, P.O. Box 5667, St. John's, Newfoundland A1C 5X1, Canada
| | - Cara C M Manning
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Thomas B P Oldenburg
- Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Philippe Archambault
- ArcticNet, Québec Océan, Takuvik Département de Biologie, Université Laval, Québec G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Anirban Chakraborty
- Geomicrobiology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Annie Cyr-Parent
- Department of Economic Development and Transportation, Government of Nunavut, Building 1104A, Inuksugait Plaza, PO Box 1000, Station 1500, Iqaluit, NU X0A 0H0, Canada
| | - Evan N Edinger
- Memorial University of Newfoundland, 230 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John's, Newfoundland A1C 5S7, Canada
| | - Aprami Jaggi
- Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Andrew Mort
- Natural Resources Canada, 3303 33 Street NW, Calgary, Alberta T2L 2A7, Canada
| | - Philippe Tortell
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Casey R J Hubert
- Geomicrobiology Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4, Canada
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Frouin-Mouy H, Mouy X, Berchok CL, Blackwell SB, Stafford KM. Acoustic occurrence and behavior of ribbon seals (Histriophoca fasciata) in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas. Polar Biol 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-019-02462-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Lehnen L, Schorcht W, Karst I, Biedermann M, Kerth G, Puechmaille SJ. Using Approximate Bayesian Computation to infer sex ratios from acoustic data. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0199428. [PMID: 29928036 PMCID: PMC6013104 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0199428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2018] [Accepted: 06/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Population sex ratios are of high ecological relevance, but are challenging to determine in species lacking conspicuous external cues indicating their sex. Acoustic sexing is an option if vocalizations differ between sexes, but is precluded by overlapping distributions of the values of male and female vocalizations in many species. A method allowing the inference of sex ratios despite such an overlap will therefore greatly increase the information extractable from acoustic data. To meet this demand, we developed a novel approach using Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) to infer the sex ratio of populations from acoustic data. Additionally, parameters characterizing the male and female distribution of acoustic values (mean and standard deviation) are inferred. This information is then used to probabilistically assign a sex to a single acoustic signal. We furthermore develop a simpler means of sex ratio estimation based on the exclusion of calls from the overlap zone. Applying our methods to simulated data demonstrates that sex ratio and acoustic parameter characteristics of males and females are reliably inferred by the ABC approach. Applying both the ABC and the exclusion method to empirical datasets (echolocation calls recorded in colonies of lesser horseshoe bats, Rhinolophus hipposideros) provides similar sex ratios as molecular sexing. Our methods aim to facilitate evidence-based conservation, and to benefit scientists investigating ecological or conservation questions related to sex- or group specific behaviour across a wide range of organisms emitting acoustic signals. The developed methodology is non-invasive, low-cost and time-efficient, thus allowing the study of many sites and individuals. We provide an R-script for the easy application of the method and discuss potential future extensions and fields of applications. The script can be easily adapted to account for numerous biological systems by adjusting the type and number of groups to be distinguished (e.g. age, social rank, cryptic species) and the acoustic parameters investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Lehnen
- University of Greifswald, Zoological Institute and Museum, Applied Zoology and Nature Conservation, Greifswald, Germany
| | | | - Inken Karst
- NACHTaktiv – Biologists for Bat research GbR, Erfurt, Germany
| | | | - Gerald Kerth
- University of Greifswald, Zoological Institute and Museum, Applied Zoology and Nature Conservation, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Sebastien J. Puechmaille
- University of Greifswald, Zoological Institute and Museum, Applied Zoology and Nature Conservation, Greifswald, Germany
- * E-mail:
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Barkley AN, Fisk AT, Hedges KJ, Treble MA, Hussey NE. Transient movements of a deep-water flatfish in coastal waters: Implications of inshore-offshore connectivity for fisheries management. J Appl Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.13079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Aaron T. Fisk
- Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research; University of Windsor; Windsor Ontario Canada
| | | | | | - Nigel E. Hussey
- Biological Sciences; University of Windsor; Windsor Ontario Canada
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Ahonen H, Stafford KM, de Steur L, Lydersen C, Wiig Ø, Kovacs KM. The underwater soundscape in western Fram Strait: Breeding ground of Spitsbergen's endangered bowhead whales. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2017; 123:97-112. [PMID: 28938997 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2017] [Revised: 09/07/2017] [Accepted: 09/09/2017] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
In the Arctic, warming and concomitant reductions in sea ice will affect the underwater soundscape, with the greatest changes likely being linked to anthropogenic activities. In this study, an acoustic recorder deployed on an oceanographic mooring in western Fram Strait documented the soundscape of this area, which is important habitat for the Critically Endangered Spitsbergen bowhead whale population. The soundscape was quasi-pristine much of the year, with low numbers of ships traversing the area. However, during summer/autumn, signals from airgun surveys were detected >12h/day. Mean received peak-to-peak SPLs for loud airgun pulses reached 160.46±0.48dB 1μPa when seismic-survey ships were close (at ~57km). Bowhead whales were present almost daily October-April in all years, with singing occurring in almost every hour November-March. Currently, loud anthropogenic sound sources do not temporally overlap the peak period of bowhead singing. This study provides important baseline data for future monitoring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heidi Ahonen
- Norwegian Polar Institute, N-9296 Tromsø, Norway.
| | - Kathleen M Stafford
- Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, 1013 NE 40th St, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
| | | | | | - Øystein Wiig
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1172, 0318 Blindern, Oslo, Norway
| | - Kit M Kovacs
- Norwegian Polar Institute, N-9296 Tromsø, Norway
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