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Hersh TA, Ravignani A, Whitehead H. Cetaceans are the next frontier for vocal rhythm research. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2313093121. [PMID: 38814875 PMCID: PMC11194516 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2313093121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
While rhythm can facilitate and enhance many aspects of behavior, its evolutionary trajectory in vocal communication systems remains enigmatic. We can trace evolutionary processes by investigating rhythmic abilities in different species, but research to date has largely focused on songbirds and primates. We present evidence that cetaceans-whales, dolphins, and porpoises-are a missing piece of the puzzle for understanding why rhythm evolved in vocal communication systems. Cetaceans not only produce rhythmic vocalizations but also exhibit behaviors known or thought to play a role in the evolution of different features of rhythm. These behaviors include vocal learning abilities, advanced breathing control, sexually selected vocal displays, prolonged mother-infant bonds, and behavioral synchronization. The untapped comparative potential of cetaceans is further enhanced by high interspecific diversity, which generates natural ranges of vocal and social complexity for investigating various evolutionary hypotheses. We show that rhythm (particularly isochronous rhythm, when sounds are equally spaced in time) is prevalent in cetacean vocalizations but is used in different contexts by baleen and toothed whales. We also highlight key questions and research areas that will enhance understanding of vocal rhythms across taxa. By coupling an infraorder-level taxonomic assessment of vocal rhythm production with comparisons to other species, we illustrate how broadly comparative research can contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the prevalence, evolution, and possible functions of rhythm in animal communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taylor A. Hersh
- Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, Newport, OR97365
- Comparative Bioacoustics Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen6525 XD, The Netherlands
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, HalifaxNS B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - Andrea Ravignani
- Comparative Bioacoustics Group, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen6525 XD, The Netherlands
- Center for Music in the Brain, Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus8000, Denmark
- Department of Human Neurosciences, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome00185, Italy
| | - Hal Whitehead
- Department of Biology, Dalhousie University, HalifaxNS B3H 4R2, Canada
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Ramp C, Lesage V, Ollier A, Auger-Méthé M, Sears R. Migratory movements of fin whales from the Gulf of St. Lawrence challenge our understanding of the Northwest Atlantic stock structure. Sci Rep 2024; 14:11472. [PMID: 38769407 PMCID: PMC11106244 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-62173-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Fin whales, Balenoptera physalus, are capital breeders, having the potential to separate breeding and feeding both spatially and temporally. Fin whales occur throughout the Northwest Atlantic, but stock structure and seasonal movements remain unclear. By deploying satellite transmitters on 28 individuals, we examine movement patterns within and beyond the Gulf of St. Lawrence (GSL), Canada, and challenge the current understanding of stock structure. Eight individuals left the GSL in autumn, with five tags persisting into January. Migration patterns of these whales showed considerable variation in timing and trajectory, with movements extending south to 24°N, and thus beyond the assumed distribution limit of the species in the Northwest Atlantic. A rapid return to the Scotian Shelf or Gulf of Maine was observed from several whales after incursions in southern waters, suggesting that fin whales in the Northwest Atlantic may not have a common winter destination that fits the definition of a breeding ground. Area-restricted search (ARS) behavior dominated fin whale activities during summer (92%) and fall (72%), with persistence into the winter (56%); ARS occurred at multiple locations in the GSL, Scotian Shelf and Shelf edge, and near seamounts of the North Atlantic, having characteristics consistent with foraging areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Ramp
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Maurice Lamontagne Institute, 850 Route de la mer,, Mont Joli, QC, G5H 3Z4, Canada.
| | - Veronique Lesage
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Maurice Lamontagne Institute, 850 Route de la mer,, Mont Joli, QC, G5H 3Z4, Canada
| | - Angélique Ollier
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Maurice Lamontagne Institute, 850 Route de la mer,, Mont Joli, QC, G5H 3Z4, Canada
| | - Marie Auger-Méthé
- Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, AERL, 2202 Main Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada
- Department of Statistics, ESB, 2207 Main Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Richard Sears
- Mingan Island Cetacean Study, 285 rue Green, St Lambert, QC, J4P 1T3, Canada
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García-Vernet R, Rita D, Bérubé M, Elgueta-Serra J, Pascual Guasch M, Víkingsson G, Ruiz-Sagalés M, Borrell A, Aguilar A. Order within chaos: potential migratory strategies and individual associations in fin whales feeding off Iceland. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2024; 12:36. [PMID: 38725038 PMCID: PMC11080271 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-024-00474-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The life cycle of most baleen whales involves annual migrations from low-latitude breeding grounds to high latitude feeding grounds. In most species, these migrations are traditionally considered to be carried out according to information acquired through vertical social learning during the first months of life and made individually. However, some recent studies have suggested a more complex scenario, particularly for the species of the Balaenoptera genus. METHODS Here, we studied the variation of δ15N and δ13C values along the growth axis of the baleen plate from 24 fin whales feeding off western Iceland to delve into their pattern of movements and to identify potential associations between individuals. The segment of baleen plate analyzed informed about at least two complete migratory cycles. We performed cluster analyses through two different methodologies and, whenever possible, we genotyped 20 microsatellite loci to determine potential existence of kinship. RESULTS Results of the of δ15N and δ13C values agree with a dispersion strategy in the winter breeding grounds. However, and despite the overall large variability, several pairs or groups of individuals with no kinship showed highly similar isotopic patterns for two consecutive years for both δ15N and δ13C values. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that, notably, some whales without kinship share the same migratory regime and destinations. We hypothesize that this could reflect either: (i) the sharing of particularly beneficial migratory regimes, and/or (ii) long-term association between individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel García-Vernet
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
| | - Diego Rita
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
| | - Martine Bérubé
- Marine Evolution and Conservation, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, Groningen, 9747 AG, The Netherlands
- Center for Coastal Studies, 5 Holway Avenue, Provincetown, MA, 02657, USA
| | - Julia Elgueta-Serra
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
| | - Marina Pascual Guasch
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
| | - Gísli Víkingsson
- Marine and Freshwater Research Institute, PO Box 1390, Fornubúðum 5, 220, Hafnarfjörður, Iceland
| | - Marc Ruiz-Sagalés
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
| | - Asunción Borrell
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain
| | - Alex Aguilar
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, and IRBio, Faculty of Biology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, 08028, Spain.
- Reial Acadèmia de Ciències i Arts de Barcelona (RACAB), La Rambla 115, Barcelona, 08001, Spain.
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4
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King-Nolan CD, Rekdahl ML, Murray A, Strindberg S, Baumgartner MF, Rosenbaum HC. Fin whale song characteristics and potential subpopulation identity in the New York Bight. Sci Rep 2024; 14:2931. [PMID: 38351184 PMCID: PMC10864287 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-52228-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) song can follow a highly consistent pattern, and regional differences in song patterns can be a valuable indicator of subpopulation identity and distribution. In the Northwest Atlantic, endangered fin whales are currently managed as a single stock despite previous identification of different regional song patterns, which indicates potential subpopulation structuring and vulnerability to anthropogenic disturbance if not managed accordingly. Here we document fin whale song in the New York Bight (NYB) from 2017 to 2020 using passive acoustic data to identify monthly and yearly trends in song patterns and to explore potential subpopulation structuring. The predominant song pattern observed was highly consistent with the pattern documented almost a decade prior in the NYB, with short inter-note intervals (INI) from fall-winter and long-INIs in the spring. However, in one song year the majority of songs were composed of long-INIs. This change in song pattern could be due to a shift in fin whale behavior or possibly multiple fin whale subpopulations using the NYB. Fin whales in the NYB may be particularly vulnerable to disturbance given the increasing anthropogenic pressures in this region, and further research into subpopulation structuring is needed to ensure adequate management of these endangered whales.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Melinda L Rekdahl
- Ocean Giants Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, 10460, USA
| | - Anita Murray
- Ocean Giants Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, 10460, USA
- Marine Mammal Research, Maine Department of Marine Resources, West Boothbay Harbor, ME, 04575, USA
| | | | - Mark F Baumgartner
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, 02543, USA
| | - Howard C Rosenbaum
- Ocean Giants Program, Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY, 10460, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
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Hilmo R, Wilcock WSD. Estimating distances to baleen whales using multipath arrivals recorded by individual seafloor seismometers at full ocean depth. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2024; 155:930-951. [PMID: 38341731 DOI: 10.1121/10.0024615] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/13/2024]
Abstract
Ocean bottom seismometer networks can record opportunistic data sets of 20-Hz fin whale calls. Because networks are often too sparse for multi-station tracking, single-station methods are needed to estimate call density. We investigated a method to range to singing fin whales at full ocean depths using the spacing of water column multiples. Calls were detected by cross-correlating a spectrogram with a template call. To enhance multipath signals, we considered 20-min windows and either summed the spectrograms of all calls aligned on the strongest detection before measuring the multipath spacing or measured the spacing directly from the autocorrelation of the cross correlation time series. We evaluated the methods at five sites with contrasting seafloor and subsurface properties, bathymetric relief, and water depths of 4000-6000 m, using fin whale songs at four sites and a sei whale song at the fifth. The autocorrelation method works best, and ranges can be obtained to >15 km. Ranging at sedimented sites requires careful accounting for subsurface reflections. Ranges have considerable uncertainty in regions of bathymetric relief. The method requires that the time between calls is different from that of the multipaths and does not work reliably when more than one whale is singing nearby.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rose Hilmo
- School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - William S D Wilcock
- School of Oceanography, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
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Romagosa M, Nieukirk S, Cascão I, Marques TA, Dziak R, Royer JY, O'Brien J, Mellinger DK, Pereira A, Ugalde A, Papale E, Aniceto S, Buscaino G, Rasmussen M, Matias L, Prieto R, Silva MA. Fin whale song evolution in the North Atlantic. eLife 2024; 13:e83750. [PMID: 38192202 PMCID: PMC10776088 DOI: 10.7554/elife.83750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Animal songs can change within and between populations as the result of different evolutionary processes. When these processes include cultural transmission, the social learning of information or behaviours from conspecifics, songs can undergo rapid evolutions because cultural novelties can emerge more frequently than genetic mutations. Understanding these song variations over large temporal and spatial scales can provide insights into the patterns, drivers and limits of song evolution that can ultimately inform on the species' capacity to adapt to rapidly changing acoustic environments. Here, we analysed changes in fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) songs recorded over two decades across the central and eastern North Atlantic Ocean. We document a rapid replacement of song INIs (inter-note intervals) over just four singing seasons, that co-occurred with hybrid songs (with both INIs), and a clear geographic gradient in the occurrence of different song INIs during the transition period. We also found gradual changes in INIs and note frequencies over more than a decade with fin whales adopting song changes. These results provide evidence of vocal learning in fin whales and reveal patterns of song evolution that raise questions on the limits of song variation in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Romagosa
- Institute of Marine Sciences - OKEANOS & Institute of Marine Research - IMAR, University of the AzoresHortaPortugal
| | - Sharon Nieukirk
- Cooperative Institute for Marine Ecosystem and Resources Studies, Oregon State UniversityCorvallisUnited States
| | - Irma Cascão
- Institute of Marine Sciences - OKEANOS & Institute of Marine Research - IMAR, University of the AzoresHortaPortugal
| | - Tiago A Marques
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, University of St AndrewsSt AndrewsUnited Kingdom
- Centro de Estatística e Aplicações, Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de LisboaLisboaPortugal
| | - Robert Dziak
- NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, Hatfield Marine Science CenterCorvallisUnited States
| | - Jean-Yves Royer
- CNRS - UBO - UBS - Ifremer, IUEM - Lab. Geo-OceanPlouzaneFrance
| | - Joanne O'Brien
- Marine and Freshwater Research Centre (MFRC), Atlantic Technological UniversityGalwayIreland
| | - David K Mellinger
- Cooperative Institute for Marine Ecosystem and Resources Studies, Oregon State UniversityCorvallisUnited States
| | - Andreia Pereira
- Instituto Dom Luiz (IDL), Universidade de LisboaLisboaPortugal
| | | | - Elena Papale
- Institute for the Study of Anthropic Impacts and Sustainability in the Marine Environment of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR-IAS)Torretta GranitolaItaly
| | | | - Giuseppa Buscaino
- Institute for the Study of Anthropic Impacts and Sustainability in the Marine Environment of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR-IAS)Torretta GranitolaItaly
| | | | - Luis Matias
- Instituto Dom Luiz (IDL), Universidade de LisboaLisboaPortugal
| | - Rui Prieto
- Institute of Marine Sciences - OKEANOS & Institute of Marine Research - IMAR, University of the AzoresHortaPortugal
| | - Mónica A Silva
- Institute of Marine Sciences - OKEANOS & Institute of Marine Research - IMAR, University of the AzoresHortaPortugal
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7
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Pirotta E, Fernandez Ajó A, Bierlich KC, Bird CN, Buck CL, Haver SM, Haxel JH, Hildebrand L, Hunt KE, Lemos LS, New L, Torres LG. Assessing variation in faecal glucocorticoid concentrations in gray whales exposed to anthropogenic stressors. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 11:coad082. [PMID: 38026800 PMCID: PMC10660368 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coad082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 10/05/2023] [Accepted: 10/10/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how individual animals respond to stressors behaviourally and physiologically is a critical step towards quantifying long-term population consequences and informing management efforts. Glucocorticoid (GC) metabolite accumulation in various matrices provides an integrated measure of adrenal activation in baleen whales and could thus be used to investigate physiological changes following exposure to stressors. In this study, we measured GC concentrations in faecal samples of Pacific Coast Feeding Group (PCFG) gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) collected over seven consecutive years to assess the association between GC content and metrics of exposure to sound levels and vessel traffic at different temporal scales, while controlling for contextual variables such as sex, reproductive status, age, body condition, year, time of year and location. We develop a Bayesian Generalized Additive Modelling approach that accommodates the many complexities of these data, including non-linear variation in hormone concentrations, missing covariate values, repeated samples, sampling variability and some hormone concentrations below the limit of detection. Estimated relationships showed large variability, but emerging patterns indicate a strong context-dependency of physiological variation, depending on sex, body condition and proximity to a port. Our results highlight the need to control for baseline hormone variation related to context, which otherwise can obscure the functional relationship between faecal GCs and stressor exposure. Therefore, extensive data collection to determine sources of baseline variation in well-studied populations, such as PCFG gray whales, could shed light on cetacean stress physiology and be used to extend applicability to less-well-studied taxa. GC analyses may offer greatest utility when employed as part of a suite of markers that, in aggregate, provide a multivariate measure of physiological status, better informing estimates of individuals' health and ultimately the consequences of anthropogenic stressors on populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico Pirotta
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, University of St Andrews, The Observatory, Buchanan Gardens, St Andrews, Fife, Scotland KY16 9LZ, UK
| | - Alejandro Fernandez Ajó
- Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna Lab, Marine Mammal Institute, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, 2030 SE Marine Science Drive, Newport, OR 97365, USA
| | - KC Bierlich
- Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna Lab, Marine Mammal Institute, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, 2030 SE Marine Science Drive, Newport, OR 97365, USA
| | - Clara N Bird
- Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna Lab, Marine Mammal Institute, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, 2030 SE Marine Science Drive, Newport, OR 97365, USA
| | - C Loren Buck
- Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Arizona University, 617 S. Beaver St., Flagstaff, AZ 86011, USA
| | - Samara M Haver
- Cooperative Institute for Marine Ecosystem and Resources Studies, Oregon State University, 2030 SE Marine Science Drive, Newport, OR 97365, USA
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, 104 Nash Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - Joseph H Haxel
- Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Coastal Sciences Division, 1529 W. Sequim Bay Rd., Sequim, WA 98362, USA
| | - Lisa Hildebrand
- Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna Lab, Marine Mammal Institute, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, 2030 SE Marine Science Drive, Newport, OR 97365, USA
| | - Kathleen E Hunt
- Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation & Department of Biology, George Mason University, 1500 Remount Rd, Front Royal, VA 22630, USA
| | - Leila S Lemos
- Institute of Environment, Florida International University, 3000 NE 151st St, North Miami, FL 33181, USA
| | - Leslie New
- Department of Mathematics, Computer Science and Statistics, Ursinus College, 601 E Main St, Collegeville, PA 19426, USA
| | - Leigh G Torres
- Geospatial Ecology of Marine Megafauna Lab, Marine Mammal Institute, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, 2030 SE Marine Science Drive, Newport, OR 97365, USA
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8
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Filún D, van Opzeeland I. Spatial and temporal variability of the acoustic repertoire of Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) in the Weddell Sea. Sci Rep 2023; 13:11861. [PMID: 37481630 PMCID: PMC10363173 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38793-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 07/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Since the attribution of the bio-duck call to Antarctic minke whales (AMW Balaenoptera bonaerensis), different studies have retrospectively identified several bio-duck call types at various sites throughout the Southern Hemisphere. The function of their vocal behavior however, remains largely unknown. Further insights into their repertoire usage may help to reveal the function of their calls. Here, we use passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) data collected across six locations throughout the Weddell Sea (WS) in 2013 and from PALAOA Station (Ekström Ice Shelf, eastern WS) in 2015, 2016 and 2017. In 2013, we detected 11 bio-duck call types throughout the WS between May and December, with additional acoustic activity in February on the western recorder AMW calls fell into four general call clusters. Seasonal patterns of calls showed variability between locations and years. Furthermore, this is the first study to show that similar to other baleen whale species, AMWs also produce songs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Filún
- Ocean Acoustics Lab, Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany.
- Centro FONDAP-de Investigación en Dinámica de Ecosistemas Marinos de Altas Latitudes (IDEAL), Valdivia, Chile.
| | - Ilse van Opzeeland
- Ocean Acoustics Lab, Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research, 27570, Bremerhaven, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB), Carl von Ossietzky University, 26129, Oldenburg, Germany
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Liu J, Li Z, Liang B, Cheng JC, Alù A. Remote Water-to-Air Eavesdropping with a Phase-Engineered Impedance Matching Metasurface. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2023:e2301799. [PMID: 37045589 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202301799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Efficiently receiving underwater sound remotely from air is a long-standing challenge in acoustics hindered by the large impedance mismatch at the water-air interface. Here, a phase-engineered water-air impedance matching metasurface is proposed and experimentally demonstrated for remote and efficient water-to-air eavesdropping. The judiciously designed metasurface with near-unity transmission efficiency, long monitoring distance, and high mechanical stiffness is capable of making the water-air interface acoustically transparent and, at the same time, freewheelingly patterning the transmitted wavefront. This enables efficient control over the effective spatial location of a distant airborne sensor such that it can measure underwater signals with large signal-to-noise ratios as if placed close to the physical underwater source. Such airborne eavesdropping of underwater sound is experimentally demonstrated with a measured sensitivity enhancement of nearly 104 at 8 kHz, far from achievable with the current state-of-the-art methods. Moreover, the opportunities of using the proposed metasurface for cross-media orbital-angular-momentum-multiplexed communication and underwater acoustic window are also demonstrated. This metasurface opens new avenues for communication and sensing in inhomogeneities with totally reflective interfaces, which may be translated to nano-optics and radio frequencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jingjing Liu
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures and Key Laboratory of Modern Acoustics, MOE, Institute of Acoustics, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China
| | - Zhengwei Li
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures and Key Laboratory of Modern Acoustics, MOE, Institute of Acoustics, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China
| | - Bin Liang
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures and Key Laboratory of Modern Acoustics, MOE, Institute of Acoustics, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China
| | - Jian-Chun Cheng
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures and Key Laboratory of Modern Acoustics, MOE, Institute of Acoustics, Department of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing, 210093, China
| | - Andrea Alù
- Photonics Initiative, Advanced Science Research Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, 10031, USA
- Physics Program, Graduate Center of the City University of New York, New York, NY, 10016, USA
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10
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Aulich MG, Miller BS, Samaran F, McCauley RD, Saunders BJ, Erbe C. Diel patterns of fin whale 20 Hz acoustic presence in Eastern Antarctic waters. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:220499. [PMID: 37090960 PMCID: PMC10113811 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
This study presents evidence of diel patterns in fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) 20 Hz acoustic presence in Eastern Antarctic waters. Passive acoustic recordings were collected at four sites in Eastern Antarctica from 2013 to 2019. A generalized linear model fitted by a generalized estimating equation was used to test the hypothesis that fin whale 20 Hz acoustic presence shows significant variation between light regimes dawn, day, dusk and night. In the Indian sector of Antarctica, at the Prydz and Southern Kerguelen Plateau sites, fin whale acoustic presence was significantly more common during the night and dawn before declining during the day and dusk periods. A different diel pattern was observed in the Pacific sector, at the Dumont d'Urville site: fin whale acoustic presence was significantly more common during the day than dusk and night periods. No diel pattern was identified at the Casey site. The identified diel patterns in the Indian sector of Eastern Antarctica correlate with previously identified diel patterns of the fin whales' prey. We suggest an indirect association between fin whale acoustic presence and foraging, with the animals more likely to produce the 20 Hz pulse during the night when not foraging and less likely to vocalize when foraging during the day.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meghan G. Aulich
- Centre for Marine Science and Technology, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
| | - Brian S. Miller
- Australian Antarctic Division, 203 Channel Highway, Kingston, TAS 7050, Australia
| | - Flore Samaran
- Lab-STICC CNRS UMR 6285, ENSTA Bretagne, Brest 29802, France
| | - Robert D. McCauley
- Centre for Marine Science and Technology, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
| | - Benjamin J. Saunders
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
| | - Christine Erbe
- Centre for Marine Science and Technology, Curtin University, Bentley, WA 6102, Australia
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11
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Papale E, Pelagatti M, Pedrazzi G, Buscaino G. Occurrence and patterns of fin whale songs reveal alternative migration strategies in Svalbard Islands, Norway. Sci Rep 2023; 13:4436. [PMID: 36932235 PMCID: PMC10023778 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-31665-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The Arctic marine environment is highly affected by global warming with notable changes in habitat conditions, which have great consequences on migrating species. For example, the timing of their migration can be altered leading to changes in their occurrence in suitable areas, which are critical for their survival. In this study, seven years of acoustic data were analysed in Svalbard Islands from 2014 to 2020, revealing that the occurrence of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) happened all year-round. The sea surface temperature recorded reveals conditions which could be favorable for these species to persist until the Polar Night. The occurrence of songs indicated that certain individuals did not undertake the migratory journey through the southern breeding grounds, possibly using the area for mating purposes. The analyses of the Inter-Note-Interval (INI) demonstrated that over the years songs with different patterns were found. This suggests that either the fin whales are able to switch their INI patterns or that populations with different INIs are visiting during the Winter. Therefore, this study unveils the undertaking of an alternative strategy to migration movements, and the possible potential origin of the fin whales overwintering in Svalbard.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Papale
- Institute for the Study of Anthropic Impacts and Sustainability in the Marine Environment (IAS), Unit of Capo Granitola, National Research Council, Via del Mare 3, 91021, Torretta Granitola, TP, Italy.
- Department of Life Sciences and System Biology, University of Torino, Via Accademia Albertina 13, 10123, Turin, Italy.
| | - M Pelagatti
- Institute for the Study of Anthropic Impacts and Sustainability in the Marine Environment (IAS), Unit of Capo Granitola, National Research Council, Via del Mare 3, 91021, Torretta Granitola, TP, Italy
| | - G Pedrazzi
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, 00185, Rome, Italy
| | - G Buscaino
- Institute for the Study of Anthropic Impacts and Sustainability in the Marine Environment (IAS), Unit of Capo Granitola, National Research Council, Via del Mare 3, 91021, Torretta Granitola, TP, Italy
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12
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Cerchio S, Weir CR. Mid-frequency song and low-frequency calls of sei whales in the Falkland Islands. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220738. [PMID: 36405635 PMCID: PMC9653223 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220738] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Although sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis) are distributed throughout the globe, their behaviour and vocal repertoire are poorly described. We used passive acoustic monitoring to describe the vocal behaviour of sei whales in the Falkland Islands, between December 2018 and April 2019. We isolated more than 2000 low-frequency calls for manual classification, of which 510 calls with high signal-to-noise ratio were quantitatively measured. Five categories of stereotyped call types in the 15-230 Hz range were described, some with multiple subcategories. These included some similar to previously described calls (e.g. downsweeps), but others that were novel in acoustic structure and frequency band. In the mid-frequency range, we documented a highly stereotyped, hierarchically structured and rhythmically repetitive song display. Songs were arranged in phrases with a structure composed of repetitive sub-phrases, and a diverse variety of sounds in the 1-5 kHz range. Singing commenced in late February, despite the presence of whales and calls since early December, and continued through April. These acoustic properties and behavioural characteristics indicate that this is likely a male breeding display similar to songs and singing of other balaenopterids. This is the first detailed description of a song display for sei whales, highlighting the importance of the Falkland Islands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salvatore Cerchio
- African Aquatic Conservation Fund, P.O. Box 366, Chilmark, MA 02535, USA
| | - Caroline R. Weir
- Falklands Conservation, Jubilee Villas, Ross Road, Stanley FIQQ 1ZZ, Falkland Islands
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13
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Fregosi S, Harris DV, Matsumoto H, Mellinger DK, Martin SW, Matsuyama B, Barlow J, Klinck H. Detection probability and density estimation of fin whales by a Seaglider. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 152:2277. [PMID: 36319244 DOI: 10.1121/10.0014793] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2021] [Accepted: 09/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
A single-hydrophone ocean glider was deployed within a cabled hydrophone array to demonstrate a framework for estimating population density of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) from a passive acoustic glider. The array was used to estimate tracks of acoustically active whales. These tracks became detection trials to model the detection function for glider-recorded 360-s windows containing fin whale 20-Hz pulses using a generalized additive model. Detection probability was dependent on both horizontal distance and low-frequency glider flow noise. At the median 40-Hz spectral level of 97 dB re 1 μPa2/Hz, detection probability was near one at horizontal distance zero with an effective detection radius of 17.1 km [coefficient of variation (CV) = 0.13]. Using estimates of acoustic availability and acoustically active group size from tagged and tracked fin whales, respectively, density of fin whales was estimated as 1.8 whales per 1000 km2 (CV = 0.55). A plot sampling density estimate for the same area and time, estimated from array data alone, was 1.3 whales per 1000 km2 (CV = 0.51). While the presented density estimates are from a small demonstration experiment and should be used with caution, the framework presented here advances our understanding of the potential use of gliders for cetacean density estimation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selene Fregosi
- Cooperative Institute for Marine Ecosystem and Resources Studies, Oregon State University and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, 2030 Southeast Marine Science Drive, Newport, Oregon 97365, USA
| | - Danielle V Harris
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9LZ, United Kingdom
| | - Haruyoshi Matsumoto
- Cooperative Institute for Marine Ecosystem and Resources Studies, Oregon State University and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, 2030 Southeast Marine Science Drive, Newport, Oregon 97365, USA
| | - David K Mellinger
- Cooperative Institute for Marine Ecosystem and Resources Studies, Oregon State University and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory, 2030 Southeast Marine Science Drive, Newport, Oregon 97365, USA
| | - Stephen W Martin
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, California 92106, USA
| | - Brian Matsuyama
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, California 92106, USA
| | - Jay Barlow
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration National Marine Fisheries Service, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | - Holger Klinck
- K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14850, USA
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14
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Abstract
We present an analysis of fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) songs on passive acoustic recordings from the Pelagos Sanctuary (Western Mediterranean Basin). The recordings were gathered between 2008 and 2018 using 2 different hydrophone stations. We show how 20 Hz fin whale pulses can be automatically detected using a low complexity convolutional neural network (CNN) despite data variability (different recording devices exposed to diverse noises). The pulses were further classified into the two categories described in past studies and inter pulse intervals (IPI) were measured. The results confirm previous observations on the local relationship between pulse type and IPI with substantially more data. Furthermore we show inter-annual shifts in IPI and an intra-annual trend in pulse center frequency. This study provides new elements of comparison for the understanding of long term fin whale song trends worldwide.
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15
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Casey CB, Weindorf S, Levy E, Linsky JMJ, Cade DE, Goldbogen JA, Nowacek DP, Friedlaender AS. Acoustic signalling and behaviour of Antarctic minke whales ( Balaenoptera bonaerensis). ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:211557. [PMID: 35911199 PMCID: PMC9326272 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Acoustic signalling is the predominant form of communication among cetaceans. Understanding the behavioural state of calling individuals can provide insights into the specific function of sound production; in turn, this information can aid the evaluation of passive monitoring datasets to estimate species presence, density, and behaviour. Antarctic minke whales are the most numerous baleen whale species in the Southern Ocean. However, our knowledge of their vocal behaviour is limited. Using, to our knowledge, the first animal-borne audio-video documentation of underwater behaviour in this species, we characterize Antarctic minke whale sound production and evaluate the association between acoustic behaviour, foraging behaviour, diel patterns and the presence of close conspecifics. In addition to the previously described downsweep call, we find evidence of three novel calls not previously described in their vocal repertoire. Overall, these signals displayed peak frequencies between 90 and 175 Hz and ranged from 0.2 to 0.8 s on average (90% duration). Additionally, each of the four call types was associated with measured behavioural and environmental parameters. Our results represent a significant advancement in understanding of the life history of this species and improve our capacity to acoustically monitor minke whales in a rapidly changing Antarctic region.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. B. Casey
- Institute for Marine Sciences, Long Marine Laboratory, University of California Santa Cruz, 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - S. Weindorf
- Institute for Marine Sciences, Long Marine Laboratory, University of California Santa Cruz, 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - E. Levy
- Institute for Marine Sciences, Long Marine Laboratory, University of California Santa Cruz, 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - J. M. J. Linsky
- Institute for Marine Sciences, Long Marine Laboratory, University of California Santa Cruz, 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - D. E. Cade
- Institute for Marine Sciences, Long Marine Laboratory, University of California Santa Cruz, 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, 120 Ocean View Blvd, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - J. A. Goldbogen
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, 120 Ocean View Blvd, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - D. P. Nowacek
- Nicholas School of the Environment and Pratt School of Engineering, Duke University Marine Laboratory, 135 Duke Marine Lab Road, Beaufort, NC 28516, USA
| | - A. S. Friedlaender
- Institute for Marine Sciences, Long Marine Laboratory, University of California Santa Cruz, 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
- Ocean Sciences Department, University of California Santa Cruz, 115 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
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16
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Soldevilla MS, Ternus K, Cook A, Hildebrand JA, Frasier KE, Martinez A, Garrison LP. Acoustic localization, validation, and characterization of Rice's whale calls. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 151:4264. [PMID: 35778169 DOI: 10.1121/10.0011677] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The recently named Rice's whale in the Gulf of Mexico is one of the most endangered whales in the world, and improved knowledge of spatiotemporal occurrence patterns is needed to support their recovery and conservation. Passive acoustic monitoring methods for determining spatiotemporal occurrence patterns require identifying the species' call repertoire. Rice's whale call repertoire remains unvalidated though several potential call types have been identified. This study uses sonobuoys and passive acoustic tagging to validate the source of potential call types and to characterize Rice's whale calls. During concurrent visual and acoustic surveys, acoustic-directed approaches were conducted to obtain visual verifications of sources of localized sounds. Of 28 acoustic-directed approaches, 79% led to sightings of balaenopterid whales, of which 10 could be positively identified to species as Rice's whales. Long-moan calls, downsweep sequences, and tonal-sequences are attributed to Rice's whales based on these matches, while anthropogenic sources are ruled out. A potential new call type, the low-frequency downsweep sequence, is characterized from tagged Rice's whale recordings. The validation and characterization of the Rice's whale call repertoire provides foundational information needed to use passive acoustic monitoring for better understanding and conservation of these critically endangered whales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melissa S Soldevilla
- Southeast Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 75 Virginia Beach Drive, Miami, Florida 33143, USA
| | - Katrina Ternus
- Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, Florida 33149, USA
| | - Ashley Cook
- Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, Florida 33149, USA
| | - John A Hildebrand
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | - Kaitlin E Frasier
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | - Anthony Martinez
- Southeast Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 75 Virginia Beach Drive, Miami, Florida 33143, USA
| | - Lance P Garrison
- Southeast Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 75 Virginia Beach Drive, Miami, Florida 33143, USA
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17
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Wood M, Širović A. Characterization of fin whale song off the Western Antarctic Peninsula. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0264214. [PMID: 35271610 PMCID: PMC8912240 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0264214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Song is produced by a variety of terrestrial and marine animals and is particularly common among baleen whales. Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) song is comprised of relatively simple 20 Hz pulses produced at regular intervals. The timing of these intervals, in addition to the presence and frequency of overtones, appears to be unique to each population. The purpose of this study was to characterize Western Antarctic Peninsula fin whale song and describe temporal pattern variations in song type and occurrence. Recordings were collected in the area from 2001-2004 and again 2014-2016. One song type was identified with a primary inter-pulse interval (IPI) of approximately 14 s and secondary IPI of 12.5 s. This song occurred in three pattern variants: singlet, doublet, and long triplet. The interval between pulses increased by 1.5 s between recording periods while the frequency of the overtones decreased from 89 Hz to 86 Hz. Song was never recorded in August and while it was recorded at other times in some years, it was consistently present in recordings from April through June across all years. While multiple pattern variants were present each year, singlets were generally the most prevalent variant. Doublets and triplets occurred from February through June, with highest levels of variants in February. In later years the triplet variant presence increased and in 2016 it comprised 53% of recorded song bouts. Further research is needed to understand the reasons why song changes over time and to examine the feasibility of using song to delineate and identify populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan Wood
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX, United States of America
| | - Ana Širović
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX, United States of America
- Biology Department, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway
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18
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Mattmüller RM, Thomisch K, Van Opzeeland I, Laidre KL, Simon M. Passive acoustic monitoring reveals year-round marine mammal community composition off Tasiilaq, Southeast Greenland. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 151:1380. [PMID: 35232073 DOI: 10.1121/10.0009429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Climate-driven changes are affecting sea ice conditions off Tasiilaq, Southeast Greenland, with implications for marine mammal distributions. Knowledge about marine mammal presence, biodiversity, and community composition is key to effective conservation and management but is lacking, especially during winter months. Seasonal patterns of acoustic marine mammal presence were investigated relative to sea ice concentration at two recording sites between 2014 and 2018, with one (65.6°N, 37.4°W) or three years (65.5°N, 38.0°W) of passive acoustic recordings. Seven marine mammal species were recorded. Bearded seals were acoustically dominant during winter and spring, whereas sperm, humpback, and fin whales dominated during the sea ice-free summer and autumn. Narwhals, bowhead, and killer whales were recorded only rarely. Song-fragments of humpback whales and acoustic presence of fin whales in winter suggest mating-associated behavior taking place in the area. Ambient noise levels in 1/3-octave level bands (20, 63, 125, 500, 1000, and 4000 Hz), ranged between 75.6 to 105 dB re 1 μPa. This study provides multi-year insights into the coastal marine mammal community composition off Southeast Greenland and suggests that the Tasiilaq area provides suitable habitat for various marine mammal species year-round.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramona M Mattmüller
- Ocean Acoustics Group, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Karolin Thomisch
- Ocean Acoustics Group, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Ilse Van Opzeeland
- Ocean Acoustics Group, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Kristin L Laidre
- Polar Science Center, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, 1013 Northeast 40th Street, Seattle, Washington 98105, USA
| | - Malene Simon
- Greenland Climate Research Centre, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 570, Kivioq 2, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland
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19
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Wingfield JE, Rubin B, Xu J, Stanistreet JE, Moors-Murphy HB. Annual, seasonal, and diel patterns in blue whale call occurrence off eastern Canada. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2022. [DOI: 10.3354/esr01204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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20
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Delarue JJY, Moors-Murphy H, Kowarski KA, Davis GE, Urazghildiiev IR, Martin SB. Acoustic occurrence of baleen whales, particularly blue, fin, and humpback whales, off eastern Canada, 2015–2017. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2022. [DOI: 10.3354/esr01176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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21
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Niu F, Xue R, Yang Y, Chen B, Ruan H, Luo K. Baseline assessment of ocean ambient noise in the western Clarion Clipperton Zone, Pacific Ocean. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 173:113057. [PMID: 34673428 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.113057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2021] [Revised: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Ocean noise in the western Clarion Clipperton Zone, Pacific Ocean was recorded for 5 min every hour during 2017 and 2018, at a depth of 300 m. The monthly and hourly mean spectrum levels in the 20-1000 Hz band were calculated, along with their skewness, kurtosis, percentile distributions, and spectral probability densities. The high noise levels at low frequencies generated from distant shipping and vocalizations of whales were found to range between 70 and 100 dB (<100 Hz) and 64-93 dB (100-200 Hz), respectively. The noise levels at high frequencies (>200 Hz), which are typically dominated by wind, were found to be low, ranging from 53 to 75 dB. At frequencies above 200 Hz, noise levels in winter were approximately 5 dB higher than those in summer, consistent with the seasonal variations in wind speed. Fin whales, blue whales, and fishes also potentially contributed to variations in the baseline of ambient noise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fuqiang Niu
- Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, China; Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem in Beibu Gulf, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beihai 536015, China
| | - Ruichao Xue
- Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Yanming Yang
- Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, China.
| | - Benqing Chen
- Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, China; Observation and Research Station of Coastal Wetland Ecosystem in Beibu Gulf, Ministry of Natural Resources, Beihai 536015, China
| | - Hailin Ruan
- Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, China
| | - Kai Luo
- Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen 361005, China
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22
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Huang Z, Zhao Z, Zhao S, Cai X, Zhang Y, Cai Z, Li H, Li Z, Su M, Zhang C, Pan Y, Song Y, Yang J. Lotus Metasurface for Wide-Angle Intermediate-Frequency Water-Air Acoustic Transmission. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:53242-53251. [PMID: 34704730 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c16043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Only 0.1% of the acoustic energy can transmit across the water-air interface because of the huge acoustic impedance mismatch. Enhancing acoustic transmission across the water-air interface is of great significance for sonar communications and sensing. However, due to the interface instability and subwavelength characteristics of acoustic metamaterials, wide-angle intermediate-frequency (10 kHz-100 kHz) water-air acoustic transmission remains a great challenge. Here, we demonstrate that the lotus leaf is a natural low-cost acoustic transmission metasurface, namely, the lotus acoustic metasurface (LAM). Experiments demonstrate the LAM can enhance the acoustic transmission across the water-air interface, with an energy transmission coefficient of about 40% at 28 kHz. Furthermore, by fabricating artificial LAMs, the operating frequencies can be flexibly adjusted. Also, the LAM allows a wide-angle water-to-air acoustic transmission. It will enable various promising applications, such as detecting and imaging underwater objects from the air, communicating between ocean and atmosphere, reducing ocean noises, etc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhandong Huang
- Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B9, Canada
| | - Zhipeng Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS), Beijing Engineering Research Center of Nanomaterials for Green Printing Technology, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Beijing 100190, P. R. China
| | - Shengdong Zhao
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, P. R. China
- Institute of Mechanics for Multifunctional Materials and Structures, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, P. R. China
| | - Xiaobing Cai
- Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B9, Canada
| | - Yiyuan Zhang
- Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B9, Canada
| | - Zheren Cai
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS), Beijing Engineering Research Center of Nanomaterials for Green Printing Technology, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Beijing 100190, P. R. China
| | - Huizeng Li
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS), Beijing Engineering Research Center of Nanomaterials for Green Printing Technology, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Beijing 100190, P. R. China
| | - Zheng Li
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS), Beijing Engineering Research Center of Nanomaterials for Green Printing Technology, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Beijing 100190, P. R. China
| | - Meng Su
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS), Beijing Engineering Research Center of Nanomaterials for Green Printing Technology, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Beijing 100190, P. R. China
| | - Chuanzeng Zhang
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Siegen, D-57068 Siegen, Germany
| | - Yaozong Pan
- Qingdao Branch of Institute of Acoustics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266114, P. R. China
| | - Yanlin Song
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS), Beijing Engineering Research Center of Nanomaterials for Green Printing Technology, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Beijing 100190, P. R. China
| | - Jun Yang
- Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 5B9, Canada
- Shenzhen Institute for Advanced Study, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Shenzhen 518000, P. R. China
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23
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Kiehbadroudinezhad S, Bruce Martin S, Mills Flemming J. Estimating minke whale relative abundance in the North Atlantic using passive acoustic sensors. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2021; 150:3569. [PMID: 34852576 DOI: 10.1121/10.0007063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Estimates of abundance and their changes through time are key elements of marine mammal conservation and management. Absolute marine mammal abundance in a region of the open ocean is often difficult to attain. However, methods of estimating their abundance based on passive acoustic recordings are becoming increasingly employed. This study shows that passive acoustic monitoring of North Atlantic minke whales with a single hydrophone provides sufficient information to estimate relative population abundance. An automated detector was developed for minke whale pulse trains and an approach for converting its output into a relative abundance index is proposed by accounting for detectability as well as false positives and negatives. To demonstrate this technique, a 2 y dataset from the seven sites of the Atlantic Deepwater Ecosystem Observatory Network project on the U.S. east coast was analyzed. Resulting relative abundance indices confirm pulse train-calling minke whale presence in the deep waters of the outer continental shelf. The minkes are present December through April annually with the highest abundance near the site offshore of Savannah, Georgia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shahideh Kiehbadroudinezhad
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Dalhousie University, 6299 South Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada
| | - S Bruce Martin
- JASCO Applied Sciences, 32 Troop Avenue, Suite 202, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B3B 1Z1, Canada
| | - Joanna Mills Flemming
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Dalhousie University, 6299 South Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4R2, Canada
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24
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Huang Z, Zhao S, Zhang Y, Cai Z, Li Z, Xiao J, Su M, Guo Q, Zhang C, Pan Y, Cai X, Song Y, Yang J. Tunable Fluid-Type Metasurface for Wide-Angle and Multifrequency Water-Air Acoustic Transmission. RESEARCH (WASHINGTON, D.C.) 2021; 2021:9757943. [PMID: 34671744 PMCID: PMC8501414 DOI: 10.34133/2021/9757943] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/15/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Efficient acoustic communication across the water-air interface remains a great challenge owing to the extreme acoustic impedance mismatch. Few present acoustic metamaterials can be constructed on the free air-water interface for enhancing the acoustic transmission because of the interface instability. Previous strategies overcoming this difficulty were limited in practical usage, as well as the wide-angle and multifrequency acoustic transmission. Here, we report a simple and practical way to obtain the wide-angle and multifrequency water-air acoustic transmission with a tunable fluid-type acoustic metasurface (FAM). The FAM has a transmission enhancement of acoustic energy over 200 times, with a thickness less than the wavelength in water by three orders of magnitude. The FAM can work at an almost arbitrary water-to-air incident angle, and the operating frequencies can be flexibly adjusted. Multifrequency transmissions can be obtained with multilayer FAMs. In experiments, the FAM is demonstrated to be stable enough for practical applications and has the transmission enhancement of over 20 dB for wide frequencies. The transmission enhancement of music signal across the water-air interface was performed to demonstrate the applications in acoustic communications. The FAM will benefit various applications in hydroacoustics and oceanography.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhandong Huang
- Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B9
| | - Shengdong Zhao
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
- Institute of Mechanics for Multifunctional Materials and Structures, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, China
| | - Yiyuan Zhang
- Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B9
| | - Zheren Cai
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS), Beijing Engineering Research Center of Nanomaterials for Green Printing Technology, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Beijing 100190, China
| | - Zheng Li
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS), Beijing Engineering Research Center of Nanomaterials for Green Printing Technology, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Beijing 100190, China
| | - Junfeng Xiao
- Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B9
| | - Meng Su
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS), Beijing Engineering Research Center of Nanomaterials for Green Printing Technology, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Beijing 100190, China
| | - Qiuquan Guo
- Shenzhen Institute for Advanced Study, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Shenzhen 518000, China
| | - Chuanzeng Zhang
- Department of Civil Engineering, University of Siegen, D-57068 Siegen, Germany
| | - Yaozong Pan
- Qingdao Branch of Institute of Acoustics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266114, China
| | - Xiaobing Cai
- Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B9
| | - Yanlin Song
- Key Laboratory of Green Printing, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (ICCAS), Beijing Engineering Research Center of Nanomaterials for Green Printing Technology, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences (BNLMS), Beijing 100190, China
| | - Jun Yang
- Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada N6A 5B9
- Shenzhen Institute for Advanced Study, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Shenzhen 518000, China
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Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) in the Ligurian Sea: Preliminary Study on Acoustics Demonstrates Their Regular Occurrence in Autumn. JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/jmse9090966] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The patterns of movement of the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758)) in the Mediterranean Sea are still a matter of debate. Feeding aggregations are well known in the Corso-Liguro-Provençal Basin from July to September, but little is known for the autumn and winter seasons. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) was implemented in the Ligurian Sea to overcome this gap and to investigate the temporal and spatial variation of fin whale acoustic presence. From July to December 2011, five autonomous recorders were deployed at between 700 and 900 m depths. Fin whale calls were automatically detected almost every day, with higher vocalization rates in October, November, and December. Furthermore, daily vocalization rates were higher during light hours, and closer to the coast. These outcomes suggest that not all the individuals migrate, staying in the area also during autumn for feeding or breeding purposes. The dial cycle of vocalization might be related to feeding activities and zooplankton vertical migration, whereas the proximity to the coast can be explained by the morphology of the area that promotes the upwelling system. Although this work only represents a six-month period, certainly it suggests the need for a larger spatial and temporal PAM effort, crucial for species management and for mitigating possible impact of anthropogenic activities at the basin level.
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Madhusudhana S, Shiu Y, Klinck H, Fleishman E, Liu X, Nosal EM, Helble T, Cholewiak D, Gillespie D, Širović A, Roch MA. Improve automatic detection of animal call sequences with temporal context. J R Soc Interface 2021; 18:20210297. [PMID: 34283944 PMCID: PMC8292017 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2021.0297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Many animals rely on long-form communication, in the form of songs, for vital functions such as mate attraction and territorial defence. We explored the prospect of improving automatic recognition performance by using the temporal context inherent in song. The ability to accurately detect sequences of calls has implications for conservation and biological studies. We show that the performance of a convolutional neural network (CNN), designed to detect song notes (calls) in short-duration audio segments, can be improved by combining it with a recurrent network designed to process sequences of learned representations from the CNN on a longer time scale. The combined system of independently trained CNN and long short-term memory (LSTM) network models exploits the temporal patterns between song notes. We demonstrate the technique using recordings of fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) songs, which comprise patterned sequences of characteristic notes. We evaluated several variants of the CNN + LSTM network. Relative to the baseline CNN model, the CNN + LSTM models reduced performance variance, offering a 9–17% increase in area under the precision–recall curve and a 9–18% increase in peak F1-scores. These results show that the inclusion of temporal information may offer a valuable pathway for improving the automatic recognition and transcription of wildlife recordings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shyam Madhusudhana
- K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Yu Shiu
- K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Holger Klinck
- K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.,Marine Mammal Institute, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Erica Fleishman
- College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Xiaobai Liu
- Department of Computer Science, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Eva-Marie Nosal
- Department of Ocean and Resources Engineering, University of Hawai'i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USA
| | - Tyler Helble
- US Navy, Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, CA, USA
| | - Danielle Cholewiak
- Northeast Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Woods Hole, MA, USA
| | - Douglas Gillespie
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Ana Širović
- Marine Biology Department, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA
| | - Marie A Roch
- Department of Computer Science, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, USA
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27
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Constaratas AN, McDonald MA, Goetz KT, Giorli G. Fin whale acoustic populations present in New Zealand waters: Description of song types, occurrence and seasonality using passive acoustic monitoring. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0253737. [PMID: 34260603 PMCID: PMC8279366 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253737] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Southern fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) are known to migrate from the Antarctic to mid-latitudes during winter for breeding, but the occurrence and distribution of this species is not well known in the waters around New Zealand. The 'doublet' calls are one of the main calls emitted specifically by fin whales and repeated in a regular pattern, which make the acoustic detection of these calls relevant to detect the presence of fin whales. Using a signal processing algorithm to detect 'doublet' calls emitted by fin whales, we studied the occurrence, characteristics and seasonality of these 'doublet' calls in two regions around New Zealand; Cook Strait in 2016/2017 and offshore Gisborne in 2014/2015. The call detection procedure consisted of binarization of the spectrogram and a cross-correlation between the binarized spectrogram and a template of binarized 'doublet' calls spectrogram. A binarization threshold for the data spectrograms and a cross correlation threshold were then determined through multiple trials on a training dataset and a Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve. Fin whale 'doublet' calls occurred on the east side of New Zealand's Cook Strait during austral winter, specifically in June 2017 and offshore Gisborne in June-August 2014. No 'doublet' calls were detected on the west side of Cook Strait. The 'doublet' calls' Inter-Note Interval (INI) was similar in both datasets. However, there was a difference in alternation of the mean frequency for both HF components of 'doublet' calls in Cook Strait and Gisborne. As the song types were compared with those previously described in the literature, our findings suggest that some fin whales wintering in New Zealand waters may be part of a broader 'acoustic population' whose range extends west to southern Australia and south to Antarctica.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra N. Constaratas
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Greta Point, Wellington, New Zealand
- * E-mail:
| | | | - Kimberly T. Goetz
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Greta Point, Wellington, New Zealand
- Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Seattle, Washington, United States of America
| | - Giacomo Giorli
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Greta Point, Wellington, New Zealand
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28
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Romagosa M, Pérez-Jorge S, Cascão I, Mouriño H, Lehodey P, Pereira A, Marques TA, Matias L, Silva MA. Food talk: 40-Hz fin whale calls are associated with prey biomass. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211156. [PMID: 34229495 PMCID: PMC8261222 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1156] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2021] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals use varied acoustic signals that play critical roles in their lives. Understanding the function of these signals may inform about key life-history processes relevant for conservation. In the case of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus), that produce different call types associated with different behaviours, several hypotheses have emerged regarding call function, but the topic still remains in its infancy. Here, we investigate the potential function of two fin whale vocalizations, the song-forming 20-Hz call and the 40-Hz call, by examining their production in relation to season, year and prey biomass. Our results showed that the production of 20-Hz calls was strongly influenced by season, with a clear peak during the breeding months, and secondarily by year, likely due to changes in whale abundance. These results support the reproductive function of the 20-Hz song used as an acoustic display. Conversely, season and year had no effect on variation in 40-Hz calling rates, but prey biomass did. This is the first study linking 40-Hz call activity to prey biomass, supporting the previously suggested food-associated function of this call. Understanding the functions of animal signals can help identifying functional habitats and predict the negative effects of human activities with important implications for conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miriam Romagosa
- Okeanos – Instituto de Investigação em Ciências do Mar, Universidade dos Açores & IMAR – Instituto do Mar, Horta, Portugal
| | - Sergi Pérez-Jorge
- Okeanos – Instituto de Investigação em Ciências do Mar, Universidade dos Açores & IMAR – Instituto do Mar, Horta, Portugal
| | - Irma Cascão
- Okeanos – Instituto de Investigação em Ciências do Mar, Universidade dos Açores & IMAR – Instituto do Mar, Horta, Portugal
| | - Helena Mouriño
- Centro de Matemática, Aplicações Fundamentais e Investigação Operacional, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Patrick Lehodey
- Collecte Localisation Satellite (CLS), Ramonville St Agne, France
| | - Andreia Pereira
- Instituto Dom Luiz (IDL), Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Tiago A. Marques
- Centro de Estatística e Aplicações, Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Luís Matias
- Instituto Dom Luiz (IDL), Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Mónica A. Silva
- Okeanos – Instituto de Investigação em Ciências do Mar, Universidade dos Açores & IMAR – Instituto do Mar, Horta, Portugal
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29
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Hendricks B, Keen EM, Shine C, Wray JL, Alidina HM, Picard CR. Acoustic tracking of fin whales: Habitat use and movement patterns within a Canadian Pacific fjord system. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2021; 149:4264. [PMID: 34241431 DOI: 10.1121/10.0005044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Fin whale 20 Hz calls were detected, localized, and tracked using a 10 km aperture network of three acoustic receivers deployed for 11 months in a Pacific Canadian fjord system. The area has been historically important for fin whales and is located along a route that tankers will begin using in 2024. A total of 6712 calls were localized, and trajectories were fitted for 55 acoustic tracks. Fin whale tracks occurred throughout the monitoring site. Call activity peaked in September and was low during winter months. Swimming characteristics varied significantly between day- and nighttime: at night, whales swam faster (7.1 vs 4.0 km/h median, +75.2%), which resulted in longer (+34.7%), less predictable (-70.6%) tracks as compared to daylight hours. Call frequencies varied between 16 and 32 Hz. Beside stereotypical song frequencies, fin whales also used irregular frequency components, which contributed the majority of calls in the summer but did not occur in the winter. The results suggest that the area is primarily used as a summer feeding ground, where fin whales follow a diel behavioral cycle. The observed activity patterns will aid in the assessment of strike risk and harassment mitigation and provide a baseline to document behavioral change.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Eric M Keen
- Marine Ecology and Telemetry Research, 2468 Camp McKenzie Trail Northwest, Seabeck, Washington 98380, USA
| | - Chenoah Shine
- North Coast Cetacean Society, 26 Cottonwood Road, Alert Bay, British Columbia V0N 1A0, Canada
| | - Janie L Wray
- North Coast Cetacean Society, 26 Cottonwood Road, Alert Bay, British Columbia V0N 1A0, Canada
| | - Hussein M Alidina
- Oceans Program, World Wildlife Fund-Canada, 259-560 Johnston Street, Victoria, British Columbia V8W 3C6, Canada
| | - Chris R Picard
- Gitga'at Oceans and Lands Department, 445 Hayimiisaxaa Way, Hartley Bay, British Columbia V0V 1A0, Canada
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30
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Burkhardt E, Van Opzeeland I, Cisewski B, Mattmüller R, Meister M, Schall E, Spiesecke S, Thomisch K, Zwicker S, Boebel O. Seasonal and diel cycles of fin whale acoustic occurrence near Elephant Island, Antarctica. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:201142. [PMID: 34084537 PMCID: PMC8150045 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201142] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2020] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
This study investigates the relevance of the Elephant Island (EI) region for Southern Hemisphere fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) in their annual life cycle. We collected 3 years of passive acoustic recordings (January 2013 to February 2016) northwest of EI to calculate time series of fin whale acoustic indices, daily acoustic occurrence, spectrograms, as well as the abundance of their 20 Hz pulses. Acoustic backscatter strength, sea ice concentration and chlorophyll-a composites provided concurrent environmental information for graphic comparisons. Acoustic interannual, seasonal and diel patterns together with visual information and literature resources were used to define the period of occupancy and to infer potential drivers for their behaviour. Spectral results suggest that these fin whales migrate annually to and from offshore central Chile. Acoustic data and visual information reveal their arrival at EI in December to feed without producing their typical 20 Hz pulse. For all 3 years, acoustic activity commences in February, peaks in May and decreases in August, in phase with the onset of their breeding season. Our results emphasize the importance of EI for fin whales throughout most of the year. Our recommendation is to consider EI for establishing a marine protected area to expedite the recovery of this vulnerable species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elke Burkhardt
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Ilse Van Opzeeland
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
- Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB), Carl von Ossietzky University, Ammerländer Heerstraße 231, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Boris Cisewski
- Thünen Institute of Sea Fisheries, Herwigstraße 31, 27572 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Ramona Mattmüller
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Marlene Meister
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Elena Schall
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Stefanie Spiesecke
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Karolin Thomisch
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Sarah Zwicker
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
| | - Olaf Boebel
- Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany
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31
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Rasmussen JH, Širović A. Automatic detection and classification of baleen whale social calls using convolutional neural networks. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2021; 149:3635. [PMID: 34241118 DOI: 10.1121/10.0005047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Passive acoustic monitoring has proven to be an indispensable tool for many aspects of baleen whale research. Manual detection of whale calls on these large data sets demands extensive manual labor. Automated whale call detectors offer a more efficient approach and have been developed for many species and call types. However, calls with a large level of variability such as fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) 40 Hz call and blue whale (B. musculus) D call have been challenging to detect automatically and hence no practical automated detector exists for these two call types. Using a modular approach consisting of faster region-based convolutional neural network followed by a convolutional neural network, we have created automated detectors for 40 Hz calls and D calls. Both detectors were tested on recordings with high- and low density of calls and, when selecting for detections with high classification scores, they were shown to have precision ranging from 54% to 57% with recall ranging from 72% to 78% for 40 Hz and precision ranging from 62% to 64% with recall ranging from 70 to 73% for D calls. As these two call types are produced by both sexes, using them in long-term studies would remove sex-bias in estimates of temporal presence and movement patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeppe Have Rasmussen
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, Texas 77554, USA
| | - Ana Širović
- Department of Marine Biology, Texas A&M University at Galveston, Galveston, Texas 77554, USA
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32
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Furumaki S, Tsujii K, Mitani Y. Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) song pattern in the southern Chukchi Sea. Polar Biol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00300-021-02855-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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33
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Warren VE, McPherson C, Giorli G, Goetz KT, Radford CA. Marine soundscape variation reveals insights into baleen whales and their environment: a case study in central New Zealand. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:201503. [PMID: 33959320 PMCID: PMC8074962 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Baleen whales reliably produce stereotyped vocalizations, enabling their spatio-temporal distributions to be inferred from acoustic detections. Soundscape analysis provides an integrated approach whereby vocal species, such as baleen whales, are sampled holistically with other acoustic contributors to their environment. Acoustic elements that occur concurrently in space, time and/or frequency can indicate overlaps between free-ranging species and potential stressors. Such information can inform risk assessment framework models. Here, we demonstrate the utility of soundscape monitoring in central New Zealand, an area of high cetacean diversity where potential threats are poorly understood. Pygmy blue whale calls were abundant in the South Taranaki Bight (STB) throughout recording periods and were also detected near Kaikōura during autumn. Humpback, Antarctic blue and Antarctic minke whales were detected in winter and spring, during migration. Wind, rain, tidal and wave activity increased ambient sound levels in both deep- and shallow-water environments across a broad range of frequencies, including those used by baleen whales, and sound from shipping, seismic surveys and earthquakes overlapped in time, space and frequency with whale calls. The results highlight the feasibility of soundscape analysis to quantify and understand potential stressors to free-ranging species, which is essential for conservation and management decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria E. Warren
- Institute of Marine Science, Leigh Marine Laboratory, University of Auckland, 160 Goat Island Road, Leigh 0985, New Zealand
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, 301 Evans Bay Parade, Hataitai, Wellington 6021, New Zealand
| | - Craig McPherson
- JASCO Applied Sciences (Australia) Pty Ltd, 14 Hook Street, Unit 1, Capalaba QLD 4157, Australia
| | - Giacomo Giorli
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, 301 Evans Bay Parade, Hataitai, Wellington 6021, New Zealand
| | - Kimberly T. Goetz
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, 301 Evans Bay Parade, Hataitai, Wellington 6021, New Zealand
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Mammal Laboratory, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115, USA
| | - Craig A. Radford
- Institute of Marine Science, Leigh Marine Laboratory, University of Auckland, 160 Goat Island Road, Leigh 0985, New Zealand
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34
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Pereira A, Harris D, Tyack P, Matias L. On the use of the Lloyd's Mirror effect to infer the depth of vocalizing fin whales. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 148:3086. [PMID: 33261404 DOI: 10.1121/10.0002426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 10/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The interference between the direct path and the sea surface reflection of a signal as measured by a receiver is called Lloyd's Mirror effect (LME). It results in a frequency-dependent interference pattern that can be observed in a spectrogram. LME depends on the receiver depth, signal source depth, signal frequency, and slant range between source and receiver. Knowing three of these parameters a priori, LME can be used to estimate the third parameter, such as source depth. Here, the work in Pereira et al. (2016) was expanded to estimate the depth of a vocalizing fin whale recorded by an ocean-bottom seismometer (OBS). In Pereira et al. (2016), the depth of a vocalizing fin whale was inferred by manually comparing spectrograms of LME transmission loss models with observed LME. This study developed an automated procedure to perform the same task using the LME interference pattern observed in the spectrograms of the hydrophone and the vertical channel of the OBS. The results show that the joint use of the two channels was the best approach to estimate a source depth using LME. LME provides a non-intrusive approach for estimating the depth at which a fin whale was vocalizing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreia Pereira
- Instituto Dom Luiz, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Danielle Harris
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Tyack
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife, United Kingdom
| | - Luis Matias
- Instituto Dom Luiz, Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
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35
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Shabangu FW, Andrew RK, Yemane D, Findlay KP. Acoustic seasonality, behaviour and detection ranges of Antarctic blue and fin whales under different sea ice conditions off Antarctica. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2020. [DOI: 10.3354/esr01050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Descriptions of seasonal occurrence and behaviour of Antarctic blue and fin whales in the Southern Ocean are of pivotal importance for the effective conservation and management of these endangered species. We used an autonomous acoustic recorder to collect bioacoustic data from January through September 2014 to describe the seasonal occurrence, behaviour and detection ranges of Antarctic blue and fin whale calls off the Maud Rise, Antarctica. From 2479 h of recordings, we detected D- and Z-calls plus the 27 Hz chorus of blue whales, the 20 and 99 Hz pulses of fin whales and the 18-28 Hz chorus of blue and fin whales. Blue whale calls were detected throughout the hydrophone deployment period with a peak occurrence in February, indicating continuous presence of whales in a broad Southern Ocean area (given the modelled detection ranges). Fin whale calls were detected from January through July when sea ice was present on the latter dates. No temporal segregation in peaks of diel calling rates of blue and fin whales was observed in autumn, but a clear temporal segregation was apparent in summer. Acoustic propagation models suggest that blue and fin whale calls can be heard as far as 1700 km from the hydrophone position in spring. Random forest models ranked month of the year as the most important predictor of call occurrence and call rates (i.e. behaviour) for these whales. Our work highlights areas around the Maud Rise as important habitats for blue and fin whales in the Southern Ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- FW Shabangu
- Fisheries Management Branch, Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Foreshore, Cape Town 8001, South Africa
- Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
| | - RK Andrew
- Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA
| | - D Yemane
- Fisheries Management Branch, Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, Foreshore, Cape Town 8001, South Africa
| | - KP Findlay
- Mammal Research Institute Whale Unit, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X20, Hatfield, Pretoria 0028, South Africa
- Cape Peninsula University of Technology, PO Box 652, Cape Town 8000, South Africa
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36
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Davis GE, Baumgartner MF, Corkeron PJ, Bell J, Berchok C, Bonnell JM, Bort Thornton J, Brault S, Buchanan GA, Cholewiak DM, Clark CW, Delarue J, Hatch LT, Klinck H, Kraus SD, Martin B, Mellinger DK, Moors‐Murphy H, Nieukirk S, Nowacek DP, Parks SE, Parry D, Pegg N, Read AJ, Rice AN, Risch D, Scott A, Soldevilla MS, Stafford KM, Stanistreet JE, Summers E, Todd S, Van Parijs SM. Exploring movement patterns and changing distributions of baleen whales in the western North Atlantic using a decade of passive acoustic data. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2020; 26:4812-4840. [PMID: 32450009 PMCID: PMC7496396 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Six baleen whale species are found in the temperate western North Atlantic Ocean, with limited information existing on the distribution and movement patterns for most. There is mounting evidence of distributional shifts in many species, including marine mammals, likely because of climate-driven changes in ocean temperature and circulation. Previous acoustic studies examined the occurrence of minke (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) and North Atlantic right whales (NARW; Eubalaena glacialis). This study assesses the acoustic presence of humpback (Megaptera novaeangliae), sei (B. borealis), fin (B. physalus), and blue whales (B. musculus) over a decade, based on daily detections of their vocalizations. Data collected from 2004 to 2014 on 281 bottom-mounted recorders, totaling 35,033 days, were processed using automated detection software and screened for each species' presence. A published study on NARW acoustics revealed significant changes in occurrence patterns between the periods of 2004-2010 and 2011-2014; therefore, these same time periods were examined here. All four species were present from the Southeast United States to Greenland; humpback whales were also present in the Caribbean. All species occurred throughout all regions in the winter, suggesting that baleen whales are widely distributed during these months. Each of the species showed significant changes in acoustic occurrence after 2010. Similar to NARWs, sei whales had higher acoustic occurrence in mid-Atlantic regions after 2010. Fin, blue, and sei whales were more frequently detected in the northern latitudes of the study area after 2010. Despite this general northward shift, all four species were detected less on the Scotian Shelf area after 2010, matching documented shifts in prey availability in this region. A decade of acoustic observations have shown important distributional changes over the range of baleen whales, mirroring known climatic shifts and identifying new habitats that will require further protection from anthropogenic threats like fixed fishing gear, shipping, and noise pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Genevieve E. Davis
- NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science CenterWoods HoleMAUSA
- University of Massachusetts BostonBostonMAUSA
| | | | | | - Joel Bell
- Naval Facilities Engineering Command AtlanticNorfolkVAUSA
| | | | - Julianne M. Bonnell
- Integrated Statistics, Under contract to the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science CenterWoods HoleMAUSA
| | | | | | | | | | - Christopher W. Clark
- Center for Conservation BioacousticsCornell Lab of OrnithologyCornell UniversityIthacaNYUSA
| | | | - Leila T. Hatch
- NOAA Stellwagen Bank National Marine SanctuaryScituateMAUSA
| | - Holger Klinck
- Center for Conservation BioacousticsCornell Lab of OrnithologyCornell UniversityIthacaNYUSA
| | - Scott D. Kraus
- Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean LifeNew England AquariumBostonMAUSA
| | | | - David K. Mellinger
- Oregon State University and NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental LaboratoryNewportORUSA
| | - Hilary Moors‐Murphy
- Fisheries and Oceans CanadaBedford Institute of OceanographyDartmouthNSCanada
| | - Sharon Nieukirk
- Oregon State University and NOAA Pacific Marine Environmental LaboratoryNewportORUSA
| | - Douglas P. Nowacek
- Nicholas School of the EnvironmentDuke University Marine LaboratoryBeaufortNCUSA
- Pratt School of EngineeringDuke UniversityDurhamNCUSA
| | | | - Dawn Parry
- Center for Conservation BioacousticsCornell Lab of OrnithologyCornell UniversityIthacaNYUSA
| | - Nicole Pegg
- Integrated Statistics, Under contract to the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science CenterWoods HoleMAUSA
| | - Andrew J. Read
- Nicholas School of the EnvironmentDuke University Marine LaboratoryBeaufortNCUSA
| | - Aaron N. Rice
- Center for Conservation BioacousticsCornell Lab of OrnithologyCornell UniversityIthacaNYUSA
| | - Denise Risch
- The Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS)ObanUK
| | - Alyssa Scott
- Integrated Statistics, Under contract to the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science CenterWoods HoleMAUSA
| | | | | | - Joy E. Stanistreet
- Fisheries and Oceans CanadaBedford Institute of OceanographyDartmouthNSCanada
| | - Erin Summers
- Maine Department of Marine ResourcesWest Boothbay HarborMEUSA
| | - Sean Todd
- Allied WhaleCollege of the AtlanticBar HarborMEUSA
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Pereira A, Harris D, Tyack P, Matias L. Fin whale acoustic presence and song characteristics in seas to the southwest of Portugal. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 147:2235. [PMID: 32359319 DOI: 10.1121/10.0001066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Fin whales were once abundant in the seas to the southwest of Portugal, but whaling activities decreased their numbers considerably. Acoustic data from ocean bottom seismometers provide an opportunity to detect fin whales from their notes, data that would otherwise be logistically challenging and expensive to obtain. Based on inter-note interval and frequency bandwidth, two acoustic patterns produced by fin whales were detected in the study area: pattern 1, described from fin whales in the Mediterranean Sea, and pattern 2, associated with fin whales from the northeast North Atlantic Ocean (NENA). NENA fin whales travel into the western Mediterranean Sea, but the Mediterranean population has not been documented to travel regularly into the NENA. In this study, 11 months of acoustic data recorded southwest of Portugal in the NENA were used to characterize 20-Hz fin whale notes into these patterns. Pattern 2 was the most common and occurred mostly in November-January. Pattern 1 occurred less frequently and mostly in September-December, February and April, which suggested a limited excursion of whales from the Mediterranean Sea. There were also occasions when the two patterns were recorded simultaneously. Results suggest that fin whales from the NENA and Mediterranean Sea might mix in the area during part of the year.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreia Pereira
- Instituto Dom Luiz, Faculty of Sciences of University of Lisbon, Campo Grande Edifício C1, Piso 1, Lisbon, 1749-016, Portugal
| | - Danielle Harris
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, The Observatory, Buchanan Gardens, University of Saint Andrews, Saint Andrews, Fife KY16 9LZ, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Peter Tyack
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of Saint Andrews, Saint Andrews Fife KY16 8LB, United Kingdom
| | - Luis Matias
- Instituto Dom Luiz, Faculty of Sciences of University of Lisbon, Campo Grande Edifício C1, Piso 1, Lisbon, 1749-016, Portugal
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38
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Baleen whale acoustic presence and behaviour at a Mid-Atlantic migratory habitat, the Azores Archipelago. Sci Rep 2020; 10:4766. [PMID: 32179826 PMCID: PMC7075977 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-61849-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The identification of important areas during the annual life cycle of migratory animals, such as baleen whales, is vital for their conservation. In boreal springtime, fin and blue whales feed in the Azores on their way to northern latitudes while sei whales migrate through the archipelago with only occasional feeding. Little is known about their autumn or winter presence or their acoustic behaviour in temperate migratory habitats. This study used a 5-year acoustic data set collected by autonomous recorders in the Azores that were processed and analysed using an automated call detection and classification system. Fin and blue whales were acoustically present in the archipelago from autumn to spring with marked seasonal differences in the use of different call types. Diel patterns of calling activity were only found for fin whales with more calls during the day than night. Sei whales showed a bimodal distribution of acoustic presence in spring and autumn, corresponding to their expected migration patterns. Diel differences in sei whale calling varied with season and location. This work highlights the importance of the Azores as a migratory and wintering habitat for three species of baleen whales and provides novel information on their acoustic behaviour in a mid-Atlantic region.
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39
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Interpretation of detections of volcanic activity at Ioto Island obtained from in situ seismometers and remote hydrophones of the International Monitoring System. Sci Rep 2019; 9:19519. [PMID: 31863059 PMCID: PMC6925123 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-55918-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 12/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
In-situ seismic observations identified that volcanic activity of Ioto (formerly Iwojima), a volcanic island offshore Japan, increased in early September 2018. Observations of discolored nearshore waters and a splash reported by a local flyover provided evidence for a connection between undersea eruptions and recorded seismic activity. However there remain uncertainties as to when the undersea eruption series commenced and how much of the in-situ seismic activity recorded on the island was associated with volcanic earthquakes versus undersea eruptions. During this period, a large number of underwater acoustic (hydroacoustic) signals were recorded by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) International Monitoring System (IMS) hydroacoustic station HA11, at Wake Island (U.S. Territory), in the northwestern Pacific Ocean with signals with directions of arrival consistent with sources located at Ioto. The analysis presented here interprets signal features of the remote hydroacoustic recordings provided by HA11 in order to attempt to distinguish between volcanic earthquake signals and undersea eruption signals originating from Ioto. Histograms of hydroacoustic events interpreted as originating from Ioto correlate well with the in-situ seismic observations at Ioto in the early stage of volcanic activity. The results presented suggest that around 75% of the signals detected at HA11 with directions of arrival consistent with Ioto as their origin could be associated with undersea eruptions, supporting the conclusion that the IMS hydroacoustic stations can contribute to volcanic event remote monitoring.
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40
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Affiliation(s)
- Joachim G. Frommen
- Division of Behavioural Ecology Institute of Ecology and Evolution University of Bern Hinterkappelen Switzerland
- Department of Natural Sciences Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester UK
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41
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Vazquez C, Rowcliffe JM, Spoelstra K, Jansen PA. Comparing diel activity patterns of wildlife across latitudes and seasons: Time transformations using day length. Methods Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Vazquez
- Department of Environmental Sciences Wageningen University Wageningen The Netherlands
| | | | - Kamiel Spoelstra
- Department of Environmental Sciences Wageningen University Wageningen The Netherlands
- Netherlands Institute of Ecology Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Patrick A. Jansen
- Department of Environmental Sciences Wageningen University Wageningen The Netherlands
- Center for Tropical Forest Science Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Balboa Ancon Panama
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42
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Irvine LM, Palacios DM, Lagerquist BA, Mate BR. Scales of Blue and Fin Whale Feeding Behavior off California, USA, With Implications for Prey Patchiness. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
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Rivera-León VE, Urbán J, Mizroch S, Brownell RL, Oosting T, Hao W, Palsbøll PJ, Bérubé M. Long-term isolation at a low effective population size greatly reduced genetic diversity in Gulf of California fin whales. Sci Rep 2019; 9:12391. [PMID: 31455830 PMCID: PMC6712047 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-48700-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2018] [Accepted: 08/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The Gulf of California, Mexico is home to many cetacean species, including a presumed resident population of fin whales, Balaenoptera physalus. Past studies reported very low levels of genetic diversity among Gulf of California fin whales and a significant level of genetic differentiation from con-specifics in the eastern North Pacific. The aim of the present study was to assess the degree and timing of the isolation of Gulf of California fin whales in a population genetic analysis of 18 nuclear microsatellite genotypes from 402 samples and 565 mitochondrial control region DNA sequences (including mitochondrial sequences retrieved from NCBI). The analyses revealed that the Gulf of California fin whale population was founded ~2.3 thousand years ago and has since remained at a low effective population size (~360) and isolated from the eastern North Pacific (Nem between 0.89-1.4). The low effective population size and high degree of isolation implied that Gulf of California fin whales are vulnerable to the negative effects of genetic drift, human-caused mortality and habitat change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vania E Rivera-León
- Marine Evolution and Conservation, Groningen Institute of Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Jorge Urbán
- Departamento de Ciencias Marinas y Costeras, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur, Km 5.5 Carretera al Sur, 23081, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
| | - Sally Mizroch
- Blue Sea Research PO Box 15805, Seattle, WA, 98115, United States of America
| | - Robert L Brownell
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, NOAA Fisheries, 34500 Highway 1, Monterey, CA, 93940, United States of America
| | - Tom Oosting
- Marine Evolution and Conservation, Groningen Institute of Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Wensi Hao
- Marine Evolution and Conservation, Groningen Institute of Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Per J Palsbøll
- Marine Evolution and Conservation, Groningen Institute of Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands. .,Centre for Coastal Studies, 5 Holway Avenue, Provincetown, Massachusetts, 02657, United States of America.
| | - Martine Bérubé
- Marine Evolution and Conservation, Groningen Institute of Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands. .,Centre for Coastal Studies, 5 Holway Avenue, Provincetown, Massachusetts, 02657, United States of America.
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44
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Baumgartner MF, Bonnell J, Van Parijs SM, Corkeron PJ, Hotchkin C, Ball K, Pelletier L, Partan J, Peters D, Kemp J, Pietro J, Newhall K, Stokes A, Cole TVN, Quintana E, Kraus SD. Persistent near real‐time passive acoustic monitoring for baleen whales from a moored buoy: System description and evaluation. Methods Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mark F. Baumgartner
- Biology Department Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole Massachusetts
| | - Julianne Bonnell
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center Woods Hole Massachusetts
| | - Sofie M. Van Parijs
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center Woods Hole Massachusetts
| | - Peter J. Corkeron
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center Woods Hole Massachusetts
| | - Cara Hotchkin
- Naval Facilities Engineering Command Atlantic Norfolk Virginia
| | - Keenan Ball
- Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole Massachusetts
| | - Léo‐Paul Pelletier
- Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole Massachusetts
| | - Jim Partan
- Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole Massachusetts
| | - Don Peters
- Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole Massachusetts
| | - John Kemp
- Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole Massachusetts
| | - Jeff Pietro
- Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole Massachusetts
| | - Kris Newhall
- Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering Department Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Woods Hole Massachusetts
| | - Andrew Stokes
- Sector Southeastern New England United States Coast Guard Woods Hole Massachusetts
| | - Tim V. N. Cole
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center Woods Hole Massachusetts
| | - Ester Quintana
- Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life New England Aquarium, Central Wharf Boston Massachusetts
| | - Scott D. Kraus
- Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life New England Aquarium, Central Wharf Boston Massachusetts
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45
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Buchan SJ, Gutierrez L, Balcazar-Cabrera N, Stafford KM. Seasonal occurrence of fin whale song off Juan Fernandez, Chile. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2019. [DOI: 10.3354/esr00956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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46
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Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) migration in Australian waters using passive acoustic monitoring. Sci Rep 2019; 9:8840. [PMID: 31222147 PMCID: PMC6586899 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-45321-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2018] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The fin whale is a globally endangered species and is listed as threatened in Australia, however no peer-reviewed studies are available to indicate the migratory movements of the species in Australian waters. This study uses passive acoustic monitoring as a tool to identify the migratory movements of fin whales in Australian waters. Sampling was conducted from eight locations around Australia between 2009 and 2017, providing a total of 37 annual migratory records. Taken together, our observations provide evidence of fin whale migration through Australian waters, with earliest arrival of the animals recorded on the Western Australian coast, at Cape Leeuwin in April. The whales travel through Cape Leeuwin, migrating northward along the Western Australian coast to the Perth Canyon (May to October), which likely acts as a way-station for feeding. Some whales continue migrating as far north as Dampier (19°S). On Australia’s east coast, at Tuncurry, fin whale seasonal presence each year occurred later, from June to late September/October. A total of only 8,024 fin whale pulses were recorded on the east coast, compared to 177,328 pulses recorded at the Perth Canyon. We suggest these differences, as well as the spatial separation between coasts, provide preliminary evidence that the fin whales present on the east and west coasts constitute separate sub-populations.
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47
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Crance JL, Berchok CL, Wright DL, Brewer AM, Woodrich DF. Song production by the North Pacific right whale, Eubalaena japonica. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2019; 145:3467. [PMID: 31255101 DOI: 10.1121/1.5111338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2018] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
This paper describes song production by the eastern North Pacific right whale (NPRW, Eubalaena japonica) in the southeastern Bering Sea. Songs were localized in real-time to individuals using sonobuoys. Singers whose sex could be determined were all males. Autonomous recorder data from 17 year-long deployments were analyzed to document and characterize song types. Four distinct song types were documented over eight years (2009-2017) at five distinct locations. Each song type consists of a hierarchical structure of 1-3 different repeating phrases comprised predominantly of gunshot sounds; three of the four songs contained additional sound types (downsweep, moan, and low-frequency pulsive call). Songs were detected annually (July-January); all song types remained consistent over eight years. Two different songs often occurred simultaneously, produced by different individuals; the same song was never detected simultaneously at the same location. The same song type was detected on the same day and time at two distant locations, indicating multiple individuals can produce the same song. These findings provide support that males produce song; it remains unknown if females also sing. NPRW is the first right whale species documented to produce song. Based on current knowledge about song in mysticetes, it is hypothesized that these songs are reproductive displays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L Crance
- Marine Mammal Laboratory, AFSC/NMFS/NOAA, 7600 Sand Point Way Northeast, Seattle, Washington 98115, USA
| | - Catherine L Berchok
- Marine Mammal Laboratory, AFSC/NMFS/NOAA, 7600 Sand Point Way Northeast, Seattle, Washington 98115, USA
| | - Dana L Wright
- Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Oceans, University of Washington, 3737 Brooklyn Avenue Northeast, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Arial M Brewer
- Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Oceans, University of Washington, 3737 Brooklyn Avenue Northeast, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
| | - Daniel F Woodrich
- Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Oceans, University of Washington, 3737 Brooklyn Avenue Northeast, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
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48
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Clark CW, Gagnon GJ, Frankel AS. Fin whale singing decreases with increased swimming speed. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:180525. [PMID: 31312464 PMCID: PMC6599786 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.180525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2019] [Accepted: 05/07/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The attributes of male acoustic advertisement displays are often related to a performer's age, breeding condition and motivation, but these relationships are particularly difficult to study in free-ranging marine mammals. For fin whale singers, we examined the relationships between a singer's swimming speed, song duration and amount of singing. We used a unique set of fin whale singing and swimming data collected in support of the US Navy's marine mammal monitoring programme associated with the Navy's Integrated Undersea Surveillance System. A goal of the programme is to improve understanding of the potential effects of anthropogenic sound sources on baleen whale behaviours and populations. We found that as whales swam faster, some continued to sing, while others did not. If swimming speed is an indication of male stamina, then singing while swimming faster could be a display by which females and/or other males assess a singer's physical fitness and potential reproductive quality. Results have implications for interpreting fin whale singing behaviour and the possible influences of anthropogenic sounds on fin whale mating strategies and breeding success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher W. Clark
- Bioacoustics Research Program, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
- Marine Acoustics, Inc., 2417 Camino Real South, Virginia Beach, VA 23456, USA
| | - George J. Gagnon
- Marine Acoustics, Inc., 2417 Camino Real South, Virginia Beach, VA 23456, USA
| | - Adam S. Frankel
- Marine Acoustics, Inc., 2417 Camino Real South, Virginia Beach, VA 23456, USA
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49
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Burnham RE. Fin Whale Call Presence and Type Used to Describe Temporal Distribution and Possible Area Use of Clayoquot Sound. NORTHWEST SCIENCE 2019. [DOI: 10.3955/046.093.0106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rianna E. Burnham
- Whale Research Lab, Department of Geography, University of Victoria, PO Box 3060 STN CSC, Victoria, British Columbia, V8W 3P5, Canada
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50
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Leroy EC, Samaran F, Stafford KM, Bonnel J, Royer JY. Broad-scale study of the seasonal and geographic occurrence of blue and fin whales in the Southern Indian Ocean. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2018. [DOI: 10.3354/esr00927] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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