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Thorne LH, Wiley DN. Evaluating drivers of recent large whale strandings on the East Coast of the United States. CONSERVATION BIOLOGY : THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR CONSERVATION BIOLOGY 2024:e14302. [PMID: 38808391 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2023] [Revised: 02/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/30/2024]
Abstract
Anthropogenic stressors threaten large whales globally. Effective management requires an understanding of where, when, and why threats are occurring. Strandings data provide key information on geographic hotspots of risk and the relative importance of various threats. There is currently considerable public interest in the increased frequency of large whale strandings occurring along the US East Coast of the United States since 2016. Interest is accentuated due to a purported link with offshore wind energy development. We reviewed spatiotemporal patterns of strandings, mortalities, and serious injuries of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), the species most frequently involved, for which the US government has declared an "unusual mortality event" (UME). Our analysis highlights the role of vessel strikes, exacerbated by recent changes in humpback whale distribution and vessel traffic. Humpback whales have expanded into new foraging grounds in recent years. Mortalities due to vessel strikes have increased significantly in these newly occupied regions, which show high vessel traffic that also increased markedly during the UME. Surface feeding and feeding in shallow waters may have been contributing factors. We found no evidence that offshore wind development contributed to strandings or mortalities. This work highlights the need to consider behavioral, ecological, and anthropogenic factors to determine the drivers of mortality and serious injury in large whales and to provide informed guidance to decision-makers.
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Affiliation(s)
- L H Thorne
- School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York, USA
| | - D N Wiley
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Ocean Service, Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, Scituate, Massachusetts, USA
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2
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Casey C, Fregosi S, Oswald JN, Janik VM, Visser F, Southall B. Common dolphin whistle responses to experimental mid-frequency sonar. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0302035. [PMID: 38669257 PMCID: PMC11051594 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0302035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Oceanic delphinids that occur in and around Navy operational areas are regularly exposed to intense military sonar broadcast within the frequency range of their hearing. However, empirically measuring the impact of sonar on the behavior of highly social, free-ranging dolphins is challenging. Additionally, baseline variability or the frequency of vocal state-switching among social oceanic dolphins during undisturbed conditions is lacking, making it difficult to attribute changes in vocal behavior to anthropogenic disturbance. Using a network of drifting acoustic buoys in controlled exposure experiments, we investigated the effects of mid-frequency (3-4 kHz) active sonar (MFAS) on whistle production in short-beaked (Delphinus delphis delphis) and long-beaked common dolphins (Delphinus delphis bairdii) in southern California. Given the complexity of acoustic behavior exhibited by these group-living animals, we conducted our response analysis over varying temporal windows (10 min- 5 s) to describe both longer-term and instantaneous changes in sound production. We found that common dolphins exhibited acute and pronounced changes in whistle rate in the 5 s following exposure to simulated Navy MFAS. This response was sustained throughout sequential MFAS exposures within experiments simulating operational conditions, suggesting that dolphins may not habituate to this disturbance. These results indicate that common dolphins exhibit brief yet clearly detectable acoustic responses to MFAS. They also highlight how variable temporal analysis windows-tuned to key aspects of baseline vocal behavior as well as experimental parameters related to MFAS exposure-enable the detection of behavioral responses. We suggest future work with oceanic delphinids explore baseline vocal rates a-priori and use information on the rate of change in vocal behavior to inform the analysis time window over which behavioral responses are measured.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caroline Casey
- Southall Environmental Associates, Inc., Aptos, California, United States of America
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
| | - Selene Fregosi
- Southall Environmental Associates, Inc., Aptos, California, United States of America
| | - Julie N. Oswald
- Scottish Oceans Institute, Sea Mammal Research Unit, School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - Vincent M. Janik
- Scottish Oceans Institute, Sea Mammal Research Unit, School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, United Kingdom
| | - Fleur Visser
- Kelp Marine Research, Hoorn, The Netherlands
- Department of Coastal Systems, Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, Den Burg, Texel, The Netherlands
| | - Brandon Southall
- Southall Environmental Associates, Inc., Aptos, California, United States of America
- Institute of Marine Sciences, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America
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3
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Johnston ST, Painter KJ. Avoidance, confusion or solitude? Modelling how noise pollution affects whale migration. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2024; 12:17. [PMID: 38374001 PMCID: PMC10875784 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-024-00458-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
Many baleen whales are renowned for their acoustic communication. Under pristine conditions, this communication can plausibly occur across hundreds of kilometres. Frequent vocalisations may allow a dispersed migrating group to maintain contact, and therefore benefit from improved navigation via the "wisdom of the crowd". Human activities have considerably inflated ocean noise levels. Here we develop a data-driven mathematical model to investigate how ambient noise levels may inhibit whale migration. Mathematical models allow us to simultaneously simulate collective whale migration behaviour, auditory cue detection, and noise propagation. Rising ambient noise levels are hypothesised to influence navigation through three mechanisms: (i) diminished communication space; (ii) reduced ability to hear external sound cues and; (iii) triggering noise avoidance behaviour. Comparing pristine and current soundscapes, we observe navigation impairment that ranges from mild (increased journey time) to extreme (failed navigation). Notably, the three mechanisms induce qualitatively different impacts on migration behaviour. We demonstrate the model's potential predictive power, exploring the extent to which migration may be altered under future shipping and construction scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart T Johnston
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.
| | - Kevin J Painter
- Dipartimento Interateneo di Scienze, Progetto e Politiche del Territorio (DIST), Politecnico di Torino, 39, 10125, Turin, Italy
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4
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Tu Z, Tang L, Abo-Raya MH, Sun M, Shen H, Wang Y. Cloning and characterization of heat shock transcription factor 1 and its functional role for Hsp70 production in the sea slug Onchidium reevesii. Gene 2024; 893:147945. [PMID: 38381511 DOI: 10.1016/j.gene.2023.147945] [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: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2024]
Abstract
To investigate the regulatory role of heat shock transcription factor 1 of sea slug Onchidium reevesii (OrHSF1) on Hsp70 expression in the sea slug under stress , the OrHSF1 gene was cloned and bioinformatics analysis was performed, then the gene and protein expressions by RNA interference (RNAi) mediated knockdown of OrHSF1 expression were measured to clarify the regulatory relationship between OrHSF1 and Hsp70 under low-frequency noise (LFN) stress. Our study was the first to clone a 1572 bp sequence of the OrHSF1 gene, with the sequence coding for amino acids (CDS) being 729 bp, encoding 243 amino acids. O. reevesii shared a close evolutionary relationship with mollusks such as the Aplysia californica. OrHSF1 gene is widely expressed in different tissues of sea slugs, with the highest expression in the intestine and the lowest in the reproductive glands. Furthermore, we used RNA interference (RNAi) as a tool to silence the OrHSF1 gene in the central nervous system (CNS) and the results indicated that gene silencing was occurring systematically in the CNS and the suppression of OrHSF1 expression by RNAi-mediated gene silencing altered the expression of Hsp70; besides, the expression trends of OrHSF1 gene and Hsp70 were consistent in the 3 and 5-day RNAi experiment. Moreover, in sea slugs injected with siHSF1 and exposed to LFN, the mRNA expression and protein expression of Hsp70 in the CNS were significantly decreased compared to the low-frequency noise group (P < 0.05). This study demonstrated that OrHSF1 regulates Hsp70 expression in marine mollusks under low-frequency noise, and HSF1-Hsp70 axis plays a key role in stress response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhihan Tu
- International Research Center for Marine Biosciences, Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, College of Fisheries and Life Science, Shanghai 201306, China; Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China
| | - Liusiqiao Tang
- International Research Center for Marine Biosciences, Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, College of Fisheries and Life Science, Shanghai 201306, China; Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China
| | - Mohamed H Abo-Raya
- International Research Center for Marine Biosciences, Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, College of Fisheries and Life Science, Shanghai 201306, China; Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China; Department of Aquaculture, Faculty of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt
| | - Mengying Sun
- International Research Center for Marine Biosciences, Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, College of Fisheries and Life Science, Shanghai 201306, China; Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China
| | - Heding Shen
- International Research Center for Marine Biosciences, Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, College of Fisheries and Life Science, Shanghai 201306, China; Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China.
| | - Youji Wang
- International Research Center for Marine Biosciences, Shanghai Ocean University, Ministry of Science and Technology, College of Fisheries and Life Science, Shanghai 201306, China; Key Laboratory of Exploration and Utilization of Aquatic Genetic Resources, Ministry of Education, Shanghai Ocean University, Shanghai 201306, China.
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5
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Díaz MP, Kunc HP, Houghton JDR. Anthropogenic noise predicts sea turtle behavioural responses. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2024; 198:115907. [PMID: 38061147 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 12/03/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Anthropogenic noise is a pollutant of global concern. While the effects of underwater noise pollution have been frequently studied in fish and mammals, our understanding of how this anthropogenic stressor affects marine reptiles is scant. Using a multichannel data logger equipped with a camera and hydrophone, we quantified behavioural responses of a free-ranging green turtle (Chelonia mydas) to vessel noise in the Galapagos Archipelago, an important nesting site in the eastern Pacific. We found that while travelling the turtle increased its vigilance with increasing vessel noise. However, when on the seabed the turtle did not increase its vigilance with increasing noise levels. Our findings illustrate that noise pollution has the potential to alter overall time budgets of animals. Identifying real-time responses of wild animals illustrate how in situ approaches allow to assess the effects of human activities on marine systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Macarena Parra Díaz
- Charles Darwin Research Station, Charles Darwin Foundation, Puerto Ayora, Galapagos, Ecuador; School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Co. Antrim BT9 5DL, UK
| | - Hansjoerg P Kunc
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Co. Antrim BT9 5DL, UK.
| | - Jonathan D R Houghton
- School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, 19 Chlorine Gardens, Co. Antrim BT9 5DL, UK; Queen's University Belfast Marine Laboratory, 12-13 The Strand, Portaferry, Co. Down BT22 1PF, UK
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6
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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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7
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Staniewicz A, Sokołowska E, Muszyńska A, Budka M. Competition for acoustic space in a temperate-forest bird community. Behav Ecol 2023; 34:1043-1054. [PMID: 37969554 PMCID: PMC10636732 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arad075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2022] [Revised: 04/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Animals that communicate by acoustic signaling share a common acoustic environment. Birds are particularly vocal examples, using a wide repertoire of broadcast signals for mate attraction and territorial defense. However, interference caused by sounds that overlap in frequency and time can disrupt signal detection and reduce reproductive success. Here, we investigated competition avoidance mechanisms used by the bird community inhabiting a primeval lowland temperate forest in Białowieża, Eastern Poland. We recorded the dawn chorus at 84 locations in early and late spring and calculated dissimilarity indices of the broadcast signals to examine how species with greater song similarities use spatial and temporal partitioning to avoid competition for acoustic space throughout the breeding season. The bird community changed its use of acoustic space throughout the day and season. Birds did not use spatial partitioning of signal space when we looked at recording locations over the whole study period, but they did in a seasonal context, with species more acoustically different than expected by chance recorded at the same point in the same part of the season. Our results also indicate that daily temporal niche partitioning may only occur at certain times before sunrise, with no evidence of large-scale temporal partitioning between species vocalizing during the same 1-min recordings in daytime. These results contribute toward our understanding of the evolution of bird communication and highlight the strategies employed by different species to improve their signal transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agata Staniewicz
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
| | - Emilia Sokołowska
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
| | - Adrianna Muszyńska
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
| | - Michał Budka
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 6, 61-614 Poznań, Poland
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Merkel FR, Labansen AL, Autzen TF, Simon M, Hermannsen L. Quantifying marine traffic intensity in Northwest Greenland and the potential disturbance of two seabird colonies. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 194:115398. [PMID: 37657192 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 08/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
Marine traffic poses a growing threat to wildlife in the marine environment, including Arctic seabirds, which are exposed to high vessel densities when breeding in coastal areas. However, little is known about the magnitude of the problem. Here, we utilized underwater acoustic monitoring to quantify marine traffic and above-water disturbances at two thick-billed murre colonies in Greenland in 2016. We detected a total of 307 vessels, and only 4 % was known from automatic monitoring systems. Based on proximity, noise emission, and boating behavior, we classified 11 vessels as disturbing and an additional 12 as potentially disturbing for the seabirds. One colony facing population decline was located closest to the main boating route and experienced 2-5 times more disturbances than the other (increasing) colony, suggesting a negative impact of marine traffic. Our study shows that underwater acoustics can be a useful method to quantify above-water disturbances of seabird colonies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Flemming Ravn Merkel
- Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Kivioq 2, PO Box 570, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland; Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
| | - Aili Lage Labansen
- Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Kivioq 2, PO Box 570, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland
| | - Thyge Feldskou Autzen
- Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Kivioq 2, PO Box 570, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland
| | - Malene Simon
- Greenland Climate Research Centre, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Kivioq 2, PO Box 570, 3900 Nuuk, Greenland
| | - Line Hermannsen
- Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
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9
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Somogyi NA, Rountree RA. The sound production of Aplodinotus grunniens in the presence of boat sounds. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 154:831-840. [PMID: 37563830 DOI: 10.1121/10.0020542] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
Archived soundscape data from Lake Champlain, New York, were used to examine the effect of anthropogenic sounds produced by recreational boating on freshwater drum (Aplodinotus grunniens) soniferous behavior. Drum progressed from sporadic calling during the day to calls that increasingly overlapped culminating in a chorus in the late afternoon and evening. The response of drum to boat noise appeared to differ among these states, perhaps reflecting differences in the underlying behaviors. In response to boat noise, freshwater drum spawning choruses occurred later in the day, thus avoiding the noisiest periods. The peak frequency and knock rate of calls also increased in the presence of boat noise. Of the acoustical adjustments observed, the most strongly shown were those which increased the likelihood of signal reception, suggesting a Lombard effect response. Therefore, these data suggest freshwater drum have plasticity in their acoustical behavior, potentially shifting chorusing time, and altering sound characteristics to optimize communication in the presence of anthropogenic noise. However, additional work is needed to further clarify the response of freshwater drum to anthropogenic noise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas A Somogyi
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331, USA
| | - Rodney A Rountree
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, V8P 5C2, Canada
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10
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Escajeda ED, Stafford KM, Woodgate RA, Laidre KL. Quantifying the effect of ship noise on the acoustic environment of the Bering Strait. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2023; 187:114557. [PMID: 36640494 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114557] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
The narrow Bering Strait provides the only gateway between the Pacific Ocean and the Arctic, bringing migrating marine mammals in close proximity to ships transiting the strait. We characterized ship activity in the Bering Strait during the open-water season (July-November) for 2013-2015 and quantified the impact of ship noise on third-octave sound levels (TOLs) for bands used by baleen whales (25-1000 Hz). Peak ship activity occurred in July-September with the greatest overlap in ship noise and whale vocalizations observed in October. Ships elevated sound levels by ∼4 dB on average for all TOL bands combined, and 250-Hz TOLs exceeding 100 dB re 1 μPa were recorded from two large vessels over 11 km away from the hydrophones. Our results show that ship noise has the potential to impact baleen whales in the Bering Strait and serve as a baseline for measuring future changes in ship activity in the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erica D Escajeda
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, 1122 NE Boat St, Seattle, Washington 98105, USA.
| | - Kathleen M Stafford
- Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, 2030 SE Marine Science Dr, Newport, Oregon 97365, USA.
| | - Rebecca A Woodgate
- Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, 1013 NE 40th St, Seattle, Washington 98105, USA.
| | - Kristin L Laidre
- Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, 1013 NE 40th St, Seattle, Washington 98105, USA.
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11
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Cheng Z, Li Y, Pine MK, Zuo T, Niu M, Wang J. Association between porpoise presence and fish choruses: implications for feeding strategies and ecosystem-based conservation of the East Asian finless porpoise. Integr Zool 2023; 18:169-182. [PMID: 35267235 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The associations between feeding activities and environmental variables inform animal feeding tactics that maximize energetic gains by minimizing energy costs while maximizing feeding success. Relevant studies in aquatic animals, particularly marine mammals, are scarce due to difficulties in the observation of feeding behaviors in aquatic environments. This data scarcity concurrently hinders ecosystem-based fishery management in the context of small toothed-cetacean conservation. In the present study, a passive acoustic monitoring station was deployed in an East Asian finless porpoise habitat in Laizhou Bay to investigate potential relationships between East Asian finless porpoises and their prey. The data revealed that porpoises were acoustically present nearly every day during the survey period. Porpoise detection rates differed between spring and autumn in concert with activities of fish choruses. During spring, fish choruses were present throughout the afternoon, and this was the time when porpoise vocalizations were the most frequently detected. During autumn, when fish choruses were absent, porpoise detection rates decreased, and diurnal patterns were not detected. The close association between fish choruses and finless porpoise activities implies an "eavesdropping" feeding strategy to maximize energetic gains, similar to other toothed cetaceans that are known to engage similar feeding strategies. Underwater noise pollution, particularly those masking fish choruses, could interrupt finless porpoises' feeding success. Fisheries competing soniferous fishes with finless porpoise could impact finless porpoise viability through ecosystem disruption, in addition to fishing gear entanglement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhaolong Cheng
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao, China
| | - Yongtao Li
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao, China
| | - Matthew Keith Pine
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Tao Zuo
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao, China
| | - Mingxiang Niu
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao, China
| | - Jun Wang
- Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Qingdao, China.,Laboratory for Marine Ecology and Environmental Science, Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao), Qingdao, China
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12
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Longden EG, Gillespie D, Mann DA, McHugh KA, Rycyk AM, Wells RS, Tyack PL. Comparison of the marine soundscape before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in dolphin habitat in Sarasota Bay, FL. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 152:3170. [PMID: 36586823 DOI: 10.1121/10.0015366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 11/06/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
During the COVID-19 pandemic, changes in vessel activity and associated noise have been reported globally. Sarasota Bay is home to a large and increasing number of recreational vessels as well as a long-term resident community of bottlenose dolphins, Tursiops truncatus. Data were analyzed from two hydrophones to compare the soundscape during the COVID-19 pandemic to previous years (March-May 2020 and 2018/2019). Hourly metrics were calculated: vessel passes, 95th percentile sound levels [125 Hz and 16 kHz third octave bands (TOBs), and two broader bands: 88-1122 Hz and 1781-17 959 Hz], and dolphin whistle detection to understand changes in vessel activity and the effect on wildlife. Vessel activity increased during COVID-19 restrictions by almost 80% at one site and remained the same at the other site. Of the four sound level measures, only the 125 Hz TOB and 88-1122 Hz band increased with vessel activity at both sites, suggesting that these may be appropriate measures of noise from rapid pass-bys of small vessels in very shallow (<10 m) habitats. Dolphin whistle detection decreased during COVID-19 restrictions at one site but remained the same at the site that experienced increased vessel activity. The results suggest that pandemic effects on wildlife should not be viewed as homogeneous globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- E G Longden
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 8LB, United Kingdom
| | - D Gillespie
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 8LB, United Kingdom
| | - D A Mann
- Loggerhead Instruments, Inc., Sarasota, Florida 34238, USA
| | - K A McHugh
- Chicago Zoological Society's Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, c/o Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, Florida 34236, USA
| | - A M Rycyk
- Division of Natural Sciences, New College of Florida, Sarasota, Florida 34243, USA
| | - R S Wells
- Chicago Zoological Society's Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, c/o Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, Florida 34236, USA
| | - P L Tyack
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 8LB, United Kingdom
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13
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Bossley MI, Steiner A, Parra GJ, Saltré F, Peters KJ. Dredging activity in a highly urbanised estuary did not affect the long-term occurrence of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins and long-nosed fur seals. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2022; 184:114183. [PMID: 36307952 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2022] [Revised: 09/18/2022] [Accepted: 09/24/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Dredging is an excavation activity used worldwide in marine and freshwater environments to create, deepen, and maintain waterways, harbours, channels, locks, docks, berths, river entrances, and approaches to ports and boat ramps. However, dredging impacts on marine life, including marine mammals (cetaceans, pinnipeds, and sirenians), remain largely unknown. Here we quantified the effect of dredging operations in 2005 and 2019 on the occurrence of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) and long-nosed fur seals (Arctocephalus forsteri) in the Port River estuary, a highly urbanized estuary in Adelaide, South Australia. We applied generalised linear models to two long-term sighting datasets (dolphins: 1992-2020, fur seals: 2010-2020), to analyse changes in sighting rates as a function of dredging operations, season, rainfall, and sea surface temperature. We showed that the fluctuations in both dolphin and fur seal occurrences were not correlated with dredging operations, whereas sea surface temperature and season were stronger predictors of both species sighting rates (with seals more prevalent during the colder months, and dolphins in summer). Given the highly industrial environment of the Port River estuary, it is possible that animals in this area are habituated to high noise levels and therefore were not disturbed by dredging operations. Future research would benefit from analysing short-term effects of dredging operations on behaviour, movement patterns and habitat use to determine effects of possible habitat alteration caused by dredging.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mike I Bossley
- WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation Australasia, PO Box 720, Port Adelaide Business Centre, South Australia, 5015, Australia
| | - Aude Steiner
- Les Brussattes 1, 2904 Bressaucourt, Switzerland
| | - Guido J Parra
- Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Lab, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
| | - Frédérik Saltré
- Global Ecology, College of Science and Engineering, ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia
| | - Katharina J Peters
- Global Ecology, College of Science and Engineering, ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia 5001, Australia; Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; School of Earth and Environment, University of Canterbury, 8041 Christchurch, New Zealand; Cetacean Ecology Research Group, School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, 0745 Auckland, New Zealand.
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14
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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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15
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Trickey JS, Cárdenas-Hinojosa G, Rojas-Bracho L, Schorr GS, Rone BK, Hidalgo-Pla E, Rice A, Baumann-Pickering S. Ultrasonic antifouling devices negatively impact Cuvier's beaked whales near Guadalupe Island, México. Commun Biol 2022; 5:1005. [PMID: 36138086 PMCID: PMC9499979 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03959-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Widespread use of unregulated acoustic technologies in maritime industries raises concerns about effects on acoustically sensitive marine fauna worldwide. Anthropogenic noise can disrupt behavior and may cause short- to long-term disturbance with possible population-level consequences, particularly for animals with a limited geographic range. Ultrasonic antifouling devices are commercially available, installed globally on a variety of vessel types, and are marketed as an environmentally-friendly method for biofouling control. Here we show that they can be an acoustic disturbance to marine wildlife, as seasonal operation of these hull-mounted systems by tourist vessels in the marine protected area of Guadalupe Island, México resulted in the reduced presence of a potentially resident population of Cuvier's beaked whales (Ziphius cavirostris). Human activities are rapidly altering soundscapes on local and global scales, and these findings highlight the need to identify key noise sources and assess their impacts on marine life to effectively manage oceanic ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer S Trickey
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
| | | | - Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho
- Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas, SEMARNAT, Ensenada, México.,Ocean Wise, Vancouver, Canada
| | | | - Brenda K Rone
- Marine Ecology and Telemetry Research, Seabeck, WA, USA
| | - Eva Hidalgo-Pla
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.,Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Alexandria, VA, USA
| | - Ally Rice
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
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16
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Merchant ND, Putland RL, André M, Baudin E, Felli M, Slabbekoorn H, Dekeling R. A decade of underwater noise research in support of the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive. OCEAN & COASTAL MANAGEMENT 2022; 228:None. [PMID: 36133796 PMCID: PMC9472084 DOI: 10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2022.106299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Underwater noise from human activities is now widely recognised as a threat to marine life. Nevertheless, legislation which directly addresses this source of pollution is lacking. The first (and currently only) example globally is Descriptor 11 of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), adopted by the European Union in 2008, which requires that levels of underwater noise pollution do not adversely affect marine ecosystems. The MSFD has stimulated a concerted research effort across Europe to develop noise monitoring programmes and to conduct research towards specifying threshold values which would define 'Good Environmental Status' (GES) for underwater noise. Here, we chart the progress made during the first decade of Descriptor 11's implementation: 2010-2020. Several international joint monitoring programmes have been established for impulsive and continuous noise, enabling ecosystem-scale assessment for the first time. Research into the impact of noise on individual animals has grown exponentially, demonstrating a range of adverse effects at various trophic levels. However, threshold values for GES must be defined for 'populations of marine animals.' Population-level consequences of noise exposure can be modelled, but data to parameterise such models are currently unavailable for most species, suggesting that alternative approaches to defining GES thresholds will be necessary. To date, the application of measures to reduce noise levels (quieting/noise abatement) has been limited. To address this, the EU in 2021 identified an explicit need to reduce underwater noise pollution in its waters. Delivering on this ambition will require further research focused on the development and implementation of quieting measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan D. Merchant
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Lowestoft, UK
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Rosalyn L. Putland
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Lowestoft, UK
| | - Michel André
- Laboratory of Applied Bioacoustics, Technical University of Catalonia, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Mario Felli
- Institute of Marine Engineering (INM), National Research Council (CNR), Rome, Italy
| | - Hans Slabbekoorn
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands
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17
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Lunn RB, Blackwell BF, DeVault TL, Fernández-Juricic E. Can we use antipredator behavior theory to predict wildlife responses to high-speed vehicles? PLoS One 2022; 17:e0267774. [PMID: 35551549 PMCID: PMC9098083 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals seem to rely on antipredator behavior to avoid vehicle collisions. There is an extensive body of antipredator behavior theory that have been used to predict the distance/time animals should escape from predators. These models have also been used to guide empirical research on escape behavior from vehicles. However, little is known as to whether antipredator behavior models are appropriate to apply to an approaching high-speed vehicle scenario. We addressed this gap by (a) providing an overview of the main hypotheses and predictions of different antipredator behavior models via a literature review, (b) exploring whether these models can generate quantitative predictions on escape distance when parameterized with empirical data from the literature, and (c) evaluating their sensitivity to vehicle approach speed using a simulation approach wherein we assessed model performance based on changes in effect size with variations in the slope of the flight initiation distance (FID) vs. approach speed relationship. The slope of the FID vs. approach speed relationship was then related back to three different behavioral rules animals may rely on to avoid approaching threats: the spatial, temporal, or delayed margin of safety. We used literature on birds for goals (b) and (c). Our review considered the following eight models: the economic escape model, Blumstein's economic escape model, the optimal escape model, the perceptual limit hypothesis, the visual cue model, the flush early and avoid the rush (FEAR) hypothesis, the looming stimulus hypothesis, and the Bayesian model of escape behavior. We were able to generate quantitative predictions about escape distance with the last five models. However, we were only able to assess sensitivity to vehicle approach speed for the last three models. The FEAR hypothesis is most sensitive to high-speed vehicles when the species follows the spatial (FID remains constant as speed increases) and the temporal margin of safety (FID increases with an increase in speed) rules of escape. The looming stimulus effect hypothesis reached small to intermediate levels of sensitivity to high-speed vehicles when a species follows the delayed margin of safety (FID decreases with an increase in speed). The Bayesian optimal escape model reached intermediate levels of sensitivity to approach speed across all escape rules (spatial, temporal, delayed margins of safety) but only for larger (> 1 kg) species, but was not sensitive to speed for smaller species. Overall, no single antipredator behavior model could characterize all different types of escape responses relative to vehicle approach speed but some models showed some levels of sensitivity for certain rules of escape behavior. We derive some applied applications of our findings by suggesting the estimation of critical vehicle approach speeds for managing populations that are especially susceptible to road mortality. Overall, we recommend that new escape behavior models specifically tailored to high-speeds vehicles should be developed to better predict quantitatively the responses of animals to an increase in the frequency of cars, airplanes, drones, etc. they will face in the next decade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan B. Lunn
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States of America
| | - Bradley F. Blackwell
- USDA, APHIS, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Sandusky, OH, United States of America
| | - Travis L. DeVault
- Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia, Jackson, SC, United States of America
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18
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Pirotta E, Booth CG, Calambokidis J, Costa DP, Fahlbusch JA, Friedlaender AS, Goldbogen JA, Harwood J, Hazen EL, New L, Santora JA, Watwood SL, Wertman C, Southall BL. From individual responses to population effects: Integrating a decade of multidisciplinary research on blue whales and sonar. Anim Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12785] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- E. Pirotta
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling University of St Andrews St Andrews UK
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University College Cork Cork Ireland
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics Washington State University Vancouver WA USA
| | - C. G. Booth
- SMRU Consulting, Scottish Oceans Institute University of St Andrews St Andrews UK
| | | | - D. P. Costa
- Institute of Marine Sciences University of California Santa Cruz CA USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Santa Cruz CA USA
| | - J. A. Fahlbusch
- Cascadia Research Collective Olympia WA USA
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
| | - A. S. Friedlaender
- Institute of Marine Sciences University of California Santa Cruz CA USA
- Southall Environmental Associates, Inc. Aptos CA USA
| | - J. A. Goldbogen
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
| | - J. Harwood
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling University of St Andrews St Andrews UK
- SMRU Consulting, Scottish Oceans Institute University of St Andrews St Andrews UK
| | - E. L. Hazen
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of California Santa Cruz CA USA
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station Stanford University Pacific Grove CA USA
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center Environmental Research Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Monterey CA USA
| | - L. New
- Ursinus College Collegeville PA USA
| | - J. A. Santora
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center Fisheries Ecology Division, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Santa Cruz CA USA
- Department of Applied Math University of California Santa Cruz Santa Cruz CA USA
| | - S. L. Watwood
- Ranges, Engineering and Analysis Department Naval Undersea Warfare Center Newport RI USA
| | - C. Wertman
- Ranges, Engineering and Analysis Department Naval Undersea Warfare Center Newport RI USA
| | - B. L. Southall
- Institute of Marine Sciences University of California Santa Cruz CA USA
- Southall Environmental Associates, Inc. Aptos CA USA
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19
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Sweeney SO, Terhune JM, Frouin-Mouy H, Rouget PA. Assessing potential perception of shipping noise by marine mammals in an arctic inlet. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 151:2310. [PMID: 35461473 DOI: 10.1121/10.0009956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Shipping is increasing in Arctic regions, exposing marine mammals to increased underwater noise. Noise analyses often use unweighted broadband sound pressure levels (SPL) to assess noise impacts, but this does not account for the animals' hearing abilities at different frequencies. In 2018 and 2019, noise levels were recorded at five and three sites, respectively, along a shipping route in an inlet of Northern Baffin Island, Canada. Broadband SPLs (10 Hz-25 kHz), unweighted and with auditory weighing functions from three marine mammal groups, were compared between times ore carriers (travelling < 9 knots) were present or absent. Clearly audible distances of shipping noise and exposure durations were estimated for each weighting function relative to vessel direction, orientation, and year. Auditory weighting functions had significant effects on the potential perception of shipping noise. Bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) experienced similar SPLs to unweighted levels. Narwhals (Monodon monoceros) and ringed seals (Pusa hispida) experienced lower SPLs. Narwhals were unlikely to clearly perceive shipping noise unless ships were in close proximity (<3 km) and ambient noise levels were low. Detectability propagation models of presumed noise exposure from shipping must be based on the hearing sensitivities of each species group when assessing noise impacts on marine mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel O Sweeney
- Golder Associates Ltd., Victoria, British Columbia, V9A 0B7, Canada
| | - John M Terhune
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Brunswick, Saint John, New Brunswick, E2L 4L5, Canada
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20
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Behavioral responses to predatory sounds predict sensitivity of cetaceans to anthropogenic noise within a soundscape of fear. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2114932119. [PMID: 35312354 PMCID: PMC9060435 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2114932119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Acoustic signals travel efficiently in the marine environment, allowing soniferous predators and prey to eavesdrop on each other. Our results with four cetacean species indicate that they use acoustic information to assess predation risk and have evolved mechanisms to reduce predation risk by ceasing foraging. Species that more readily gave up foraging in response to predatory sounds of killer whales also decreased foraging more during 1- to 4-kHz sonar exposures, indicating that species exhibiting costly antipredator responses also have stronger behavioral reactions to anthropogenic noise. This advance in our understanding of the drivers of disturbance helps us to predict what species and habitats are likely to be most severely impacted by underwater noise pollution in oceans undergoing increasing anthropogenic activities. As human activities impact virtually every animal habitat on the planet, identifying species at-risk from disturbance is a priority. Cetaceans are an example taxon where responsiveness to anthropogenic noise can be severe but highly species and context specific, with source–receiver characteristics such as hearing sensitivity only partially explaining this variability. Here, we predicted that ecoevolutionary factors that increase species responsiveness to predation risk also increase responsiveness to anthropogenic noise. We found that reductions in intense-foraging time during exposure to 1- to 4-kHz naval sonar and predatory killer whale sounds were highly correlated (r = 0.92) across four cetacean species. Northern bottlenose whales ceased foraging completely during killer whale and sonar exposures, followed by humpback, long-finned pilot, and sperm whales, which reduced intense foraging by 48 to 97%. Individual responses to sonar were partly predicted by species-level responses to killer whale playbacks, implying a similar level of perceived risk. The correlation cannot be solely explained by hearing sensitivity, indicating that species- and context-specific antipredator adaptations also shape cetacean responses to human-made noise. Species that are more responsive to predator presence are predicted to be more disturbance sensitive, implying a looming double whammy for Arctic cetaceans facing increased anthropogenic and predator activity with reduced ice cover.
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21
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Chahouri A, Elouahmani N, Ouchene H. Recent progress in marine noise pollution: A thorough review. CHEMOSPHERE 2022; 291:132983. [PMID: 34801565 DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.132983] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The increase in urbanization and the progressive development of marine industries have led to the appearance of a new kind of pollution called "noise pollution". This pollution exerts an increasing pressure on marine mammals, fish species, and invertebrates, which constitutes a new debate that must be controlled in a sustainable way by environmental and noise approaches with the objective of preserving marine and human life. Despite, noise pollution can travel long distances underwater, cover large areas, and have secondary effects on marine animals; by masking their ability to hear their prey or predators, finding their way, or connecting group members. During the COVID-19 pandemic, except for the transportation of essential goods and emergency services, all the public transport services were suspended including aircraft and ships. This lockdown has impacted positively on the marine environment through reduction of the noise sources. In this article, we are interested in noise pollution in general, its sources, impacts, and the management and future actions to follow. And since this pollution is not studied in Morocco, we focused on the different sources that can generate it on the Moroccan coasts. This is the first review article, which focuses on the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on this type of pollution in the marine environment; which we aim to identify the impact of this pandemic on underwater noise and marine species. Finally, and given the increase in noise levels, preventive management, both at the national and international level, is required before irreversible damage is caused to biodiversity and the marine ecosystem.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abir Chahouri
- Aquatic System Laboratory: Marine and Continental Environment, Faculty of Sciences Agadir, Department of Biology, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir, Morocco.
| | - Nadia Elouahmani
- Aquatic System Laboratory: Marine and Continental Environment, Faculty of Sciences Agadir, Department of Biology, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir, Morocco
| | - Hanan Ouchene
- Aquatic System Laboratory: Marine and Continental Environment, Faculty of Sciences Agadir, Department of Biology, Ibn Zohr University, Agadir, Morocco
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22
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Marwah M, Agrawala PK. COVID-19 lockdown and environmental pollution: an Indian multi-state investigation. ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING AND ASSESSMENT 2022; 194:49. [PMID: 34978634 PMCID: PMC8721483 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09693-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2021] [Accepted: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Originating from China, COVID-19 became the first-ever coronavirus pandemic, wreaking havoc in 218 nations. The lack of a potential treatment exacerbated by the inability of the healthcare infrastructure to contain the viral trajectory led to a worldwide lockdown. The anthropogenic halt presented an unprecedented background to quantify the effect of the anthroposphere on environmental pollution. Consequently, we analyzed the variations in the air (PM10, PM2.5, NO2, SO2) and water pollutants (BOD, COD, DO, coliform) using real-time monitoring data in the majorly hit Indian metropolitan states during the lockdown in contrast to 2019 levels. The overall AQI (air quality index) de-escalated by -31.35%, -34.35%, -32.63%, -29.25% in Delhi, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Karnataka, respectively, from the 2019 levels. The daily concentrations of NO2, PM2.5, and PM10 plunged tremendously. The exact pre-disposing factors responsible for higher COVID-19 transmission in some geographical centers remain elusive. Investigations have corroborated putative links between air pollutants and COVID-19 mortalities. Therefore, we further mapped PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and SO2 to co-relate with COVID-19 infectivity and mortality across the study states. Significant (P < 0.001) positive correlation between COVID-19 transmission was established for all pollutants with maximum co-relation with AQI followed by NO2. River Ganga water in Uttarakhand was deemed "fit for drinking" for the first time in two decades. An aggregate of -71.94, -61.32, and -77.94 decrease in BOD, COD, total coliform levels, and an 11.75 rise in the average DO levels from 2019 data. This study will better assist the future framework of health and environment restoration policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mansi Marwah
- University School of Biotechnology, Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi, India
- Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences, DRDO, Brig SK Mazumdar Marg, Timarpur, Delhi, 110054, India
| | - Paban K Agrawala
- Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences, DRDO, Brig SK Mazumdar Marg, Timarpur, Delhi, 110054, India.
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23
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Jones‐Todd CM, Pirotta E, Durban JW, Claridge DE, Baird RW, Falcone EA, Schorr GS, Watwood S, Thomas L. Discrete-space continuous-time models of marine mammal exposure to Navy sonar. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e02475. [PMID: 34653299 PMCID: PMC9786920 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2475] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Assessing the patterns of wildlife attendance to specific areas is relevant across many fundamental and applied ecological studies, particularly when animals are at risk of being exposed to stressors within or outside the boundaries of those areas. Marine mammals are increasingly being exposed to human activities that may cause behavioral and physiological changes, including military exercises using active sonars. Assessment of the population-level consequences of anthropogenic disturbance requires robust and efficient tools to quantify the levels of aggregate exposure for individuals in a population over biologically relevant time frames. We propose a discrete-space, continuous-time approach to estimate individual transition rates across the boundaries of an area of interest, informed by telemetry data collected with uncertainty. The approach allows inferring the effect of stressors on transition rates, the progressive return to baseline movement patterns, and any difference among individuals. We apply the modeling framework to telemetry data from Blainville's beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris) tagged in the Bahamas at the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC), an area used by the U.S. Navy for fleet readiness training. We show that transition rates changed as a result of exposure to sonar exercises in the area, reflecting an avoidance response. Our approach supports the assessment of the aggregate exposure of individuals to sonar and the resulting population-level consequences. The approach has potential applications across many applied and fundamental problems where telemetry data are used to characterize animal occurrence within specific areas.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Enrico Pirotta
- Department of Mathematics and StatisticsWashington State University14204 NE Salmon Creek AvenueVancouverWashington98686USA
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity College CorkNorth MallDistillery FieldsCorkT23 N73KIreland
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental ModellingThe ObservatoryUniversity of St AndrewsSt AndrewsKY16 9LZUK
| | - John W. Durban
- Southall Environmental Associates Inc.9099 Soquel Drive, Suite 8AptosCalifornia95003USA
| | - Diane E. Claridge
- Bahamas Marine Mammal Research OrganizationMarsh HarbourAbacoBahamas
| | - Robin W. Baird
- Cascadia Research Collective218 ½ W. 4th AvenueOlympiaWashington98501USA
| | - Erin A. Falcone
- Marine Ecology and Telemetry Research2420 Nellita Road NWSeabeckWashington98380USA
| | - Gregory S. Schorr
- Marine Ecology and Telemetry Research2420 Nellita Road NWSeabeckWashington98380USA
| | - Stephanie Watwood
- Naval Undersea Warfare Center DivisionCode 70TNewportRhode Island02841USA
| | - Len Thomas
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental ModellingThe ObservatoryUniversity of St AndrewsSt AndrewsKY16 9LZUK
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24
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Farina A, Mullet TC, Bazarbayeva TA, Tazhibayeva T, Bulatova D, Li P. Perspectives on the Ecological Role of Geophysical Sounds. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.748398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans categorize unwanted sounds in the environment as noise. Consequently, noise is associated with negative human and ecological values, especially when it is derived from an anthropogenic source. Although evidence confirms that many machine-generated anthropogenic sounds have negative impacts on animal behavior and communication, natural sources of non-biological sound, such as wind, rain, running water, and sea waves (geophonies) have also been categorized as noise and are frequently dismissed or mischaracterized in acoustic studies as an outside factor of acoustic habitats rather than an integrated sonic component of ecological processes and species adaptations. While the proliferation of machine-generated sound in the Biosphere has become an intrusive phenomenon in recent history, geophony has shaped the Earth’s sonic landscapes for billions of years. Therefore, geophonies have very important sonic implications to the evolution and adaptation of soniferous species, forming essential ecological and semiotical relationships. This creates a need to distinguish geophonies from machine-generated sounds and how species respond to each accordingly, especially given their acoustic similarities in the frequency spectrum. Here, we introduce concepts and terminology that address these differences in the context of ecoacoustics. We also discuss how Acoustic Complexity Indices (ACIs) can offer new possibilities to quantifiably evaluate geophony in relation to their sonic contest.
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25
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Ladegaard M, Macaulay J, Simon M, Laidre KL, Mitseva A, Videsen S, Pedersen MB, Tougaard J, Madsen PT. Soundscape and ambient noise levels of the Arctic waters around Greenland. Sci Rep 2021; 11:23360. [PMID: 34862381 PMCID: PMC8642542 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02255-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
A longer Arctic open water season is expected to increase underwater noise levels due to anthropogenic activities such as shipping, seismic surveys, sonar, and construction. Many Arctic marine mammal species depend on sound for communication, navigation, and foraging, therefore quantifying underwater noise levels is critical for documenting change and providing input to management and legislation. Here we present long-term underwater sound recordings from 26 deployments around Greenland from 2011 to 2020. Ambient noise was analysed in third octave and decade bands and further investigated using generic detectors searching for tonal and transient sounds. Ambient noise levels partly overlap with previous Arctic observations, however we report much lower noise levels than previously documented, specifically for Melville Bay and the Greenland Sea. Consistent seasonal noise patterns occur in Melville Bay, Baffin Bay and Greenland Sea, with noise levels peaking in late summer and autumn correlating with open water periods and seismic surveys. These three regions also had similar tonal detection patterns that peaked in May/June, likely due to bearded seal vocalisations. Biological activity was more readily identified using detectors rather than band levels. We encourage additional research to quantify proportional noise contributions from geophysical, biological, and anthropogenic sources in Arctic waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Ladegaard
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
| | - Jamie Macaulay
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Malene Simon
- Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk, Greenland
- Greenland Climate Research Centre, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk, Greenland
| | - Kristin L Laidre
- Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Nuuk, Greenland
- Polar Science Center, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Simone Videsen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | | | - Jakob Tougaard
- Marine Mammal Research, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
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26
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Gomes DGE, Toth CA, Bateman CC, Francis CD, Kawahara AY, Barber JR. Experimental river noise alters arthropod abundance. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Dylan G. E. Gomes
- Dept of Biological Sciences, Boise State Univ. Boise ID USA
- Cooperative Inst. for Marine Resources Studies – Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State Univ. Newport OR USA
| | - Cory A. Toth
- Dept of Biological Sciences, Boise State Univ. Boise ID USA
| | - Craig C. Bateman
- Florida Museum of Natural History, McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Univ. of Florida Gainesville FL USA
| | - Clinton D. Francis
- Dept of Biological Sciences, California Polytechnic State Univ. San Luis Obispo CA USA
| | - Akito Y. Kawahara
- Florida Museum of Natural History, McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity, Univ. of Florida Gainesville FL USA
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27
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Pine MK, Wilson L, Jeffs AG, McWhinnie L, Juanes F, Scuderi A, Radford CA. A Gulf in lockdown: How an enforced ban on recreational vessels increased dolphin and fish communication ranges. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2021; 27:4839-4848. [PMID: 34254409 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Revised: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 07/01/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
From midnight of 26 March 2020, New Zealand became one of the first countries to enter a strict lockdown to combat the spread of COVID-19. The lockdown banned all non-essential services and travel both on land and sea. Overnight, the country's busiest coastal waterway, the Hauraki Gulf Marine Park, became devoid of almost all recreational and non-essential commercial vessels. An almost instant change in the marine soundscape ensued, with ambient sound levels in busy channels dropping nearly threefold the first 12 h. This sudden drop led fish and dolphins to experience an immediate increase in their communication ranges by up to an estimated 65%. Very low vessel activity during the lockdown (indicated by the presence of vessel noise over the day) revealed new insights into cumulative noise effects from vessels on auditory masking. For example, at sites nearer Auckland City, communication ranges increased approximately 18 m (22%) or 50 m (11%) for every 10% decrease in vessel activity for fish and dolphins, respectively. However, further from the city and in deeper water, these communication ranges were increased by approximately 13 m (31%) or 510 m (20%). These new data demonstrate how noise from small vessels can impact underwater soundscapes and how marine animals will have to adapt to ever-growing noise pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew K Pine
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Louise Wilson
- Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Andrew G Jeffs
- Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Lauren McWhinnie
- School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
- Department of Geography, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Francis Juanes
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - Alessia Scuderi
- Marine and Environmental Science Faculty, University of Cádiz, Cádiz, Spain
- Association Nereide, Cádiz, Spain
| | - Craig A Radford
- Institute of Marine Science, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
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28
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Aimon C, Simpson SD, Hazelwood RA, Bruintjes R, Urbina MA. Anthropogenic underwater vibrations are sensed and stressful for the shore crab Carcinus maenas. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2021; 285:117148. [PMID: 33962309 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.117148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2020] [Revised: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/10/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Acoustic pollution in aquatic environments has increased with adverse effects on many aquatic organisms. However, little work has been done considering the effects of the vibratory component of acoustic stimuli, which can be transmitted in the substrate and propagated into the aquatic medium. Benthic marine organisms, including many invertebrates, are capable of sensing seabed vibration, yet the responses they trigger on organism have received little attention. This study investigates the impact of underwater vibration on the physiology and behaviour of a ubiquitous inhabitant of coastal areas of the northern hemisphere, the shore crab Carcinus maenas. We developed a novel vibratory apparatus with geophones supported on a softly sprung frame to induce a seabed vibration of 20 Hz frequency, as observed during dredging, piling and other anthropogenic activities. The geophone internal mass caused the frame to vibrate in a controlled manner. Our results show that transition from ambient to anthropogenic vibrations induced an increase in activity and antennae beats in shore crabs, indicating perception of the vibratory stimulus and a higher stress level. There was also a trend on sex-specific responses to anthropogenic vibration, with males showing a higher activity level than females. However, no effect of anthropogenic vibrations was found upon oxygen consumption. These results show that anthropogenic underwater vibration induces behavioural responses in Carcinus maenas. This highlights the importance of evaluating man-made vibratory activities on coastal invertebrates and the necessity of evaluating anthropogenic effects on both sexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandre Aimon
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hatherly Laboratories, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4PS, UK.
| | - Stephen D Simpson
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hatherly Laboratories, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4PS, UK.
| | | | - Rick Bruintjes
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hatherly Laboratories, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4PS, UK.
| | - Mauricio A Urbina
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Hatherly Laboratories, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4PS, UK; Departamento de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográficas, Universidad de Concepción, Casilla 160-C, Concepción, Chile; Instituto Milenio de Oceanografía (IMO), Universidad de Concepción, Chile.
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29
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Deoniziak K, Osiejuk TS. Seasonality and social factors, but not noise pollution, influence the song characteristics of two leaf warbler species. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0257074. [PMID: 34473797 PMCID: PMC8412285 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Accepted: 08/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Changes in the acoustic signalling of animals occupying urban ecosystems is often associated with the masking effects of noise pollution, but the way in which they respond to noise pollution is not straightforward. An increasing number of studies indicate that responses can be case specific, and some species have been found to respond differently to high levels of natural versus anthropogenic noise, as well as different levels of the latter. While the perception of noise between species may vary with its source, amplitude and temporal features, some species may possess broader environmental tolerance to noise pollution, as they use higher frequency vocalizations that are less masked by low-frequency urban noise. In this study, we explored the song variation of two closely related leaf warblers, the Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita and the Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus, inhabiting urban green spaces and nonurban forests. The main goal of our study was to evaluate the impact of moderate levels of noise pollution on the songs of species which use higher frequency vocalizations and large frequency bandwidth. Previous studies found that the Common Chiffchaff modified their song in response to intense noise pollution, while no such data is available for the Willow Warbler. However, the majority of urban green spaces, which serve as wildlife hot spots in urban environments are usually polluted with moderate noise levels, which may not mask the acoustic signals of species that communicate with higher frequency. We analysed the spectral and temporal song parameters of both warblers and described the ambient noise present in males’ territories. Additionally, we looked at the social and seasonal aspects of bird song, since there is more than just noise in urban ecosystems which may affect acoustic communication. We found no evidence for noise-related bird song divergence in either species, however, we showed that social factors, time of day and season influence certain Common Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler song characteristics. Lack of noise-related bird song divergence may be due to the relatively low variation in its amplitude or other noise features present within the song frequency range of the studied species. Similar results have previously been shown for a few songbird species inhabiting urban ecosystems. Although in many cases such results remain in the shadow of the positive ones, they all contribute to a better understanding of animal communication in urban ecosystems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krzysztof Deoniziak
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
- Laboratory of Insect Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Faculty of Biology, University of Bialystok, Białystok, Poland
- * E-mail:
| | - Tomasz S. Osiejuk
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
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30
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Lauderdale LK, Shorter KA, Zhang D, Gabaldon J, Mellen JD, Walsh MT, Granger DA, Miller LJ. Bottlenose dolphin habitat and management factors related to activity and distance traveled in zoos and aquariums. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0250687. [PMID: 34460858 PMCID: PMC8405030 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250687] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
High-resolution non-invasive cetacean tagging systems can be used to investigate the influence of habitat characteristics and management factors on behavior by quantifying activity levels and distance traveled by bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus and Tursiops aduncus) in accredited zoos and aquariums. Movement Tags (MTags), a bio-logging device, were used to record a suite of kinematic and environmental information outside of formal training sessions as part of a larger study titled "Towards understanding the welfare of cetaceans in zoos and aquariums" (colloquially called the Cetacean Welfare Study). The purpose of the present study was to explore if and how habitat characteristics, environmental enrichment programs, and training programs were related to the distance traveled and energy expenditure of dolphins in accredited zoos and aquariums. Bottlenose dolphins in accredited zoos and aquariums wore MTags one day per week for two five-week data collection periods. Overall dynamic body acceleration (ODBA), a proxy for energy expenditure, and average distance traveled per hour (ADT) of 60 dolphins in 31 habitats were examined in relation to demographic, habitat, and management factors. Participating facilities were accredited by the Alliance for Marine Mammal Parks and/or Aquariums and the Association of Zoos & Aquariums. Two factors were found to be related to ADT while six factors were associated with ODBA. The results showed that enrichment programs were strongly related to both ODBA and ADT. Scheduling predictable training session times was also positively associated with ADT. The findings suggested that habitat characteristics had a relatively weak association with ODBA and were not related to ADT. In combination, the results suggested that management practices were more strongly related to activity levels than habitat characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa K. Lauderdale
- Conservation Science and Animal Welfare Research, Chicago Zoological Society – Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, Illinois, United States of America
| | - K. Alex Shorter
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Ding Zhang
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Joaquin Gabaldon
- Robotics Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America
| | - Jill D. Mellen
- Biology Department, Portland State University, Portland, Oregon, United States of America
| | - Michael T. Walsh
- Department of Comparative, Diagnostic & Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, United States of America
| | - Douglas A. Granger
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Salivary Bioscience Research, University of California, Irvine, California, United States of America
| | - Lance J. Miller
- Conservation Science and Animal Welfare Research, Chicago Zoological Society – Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, Illinois, United States of America
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31
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Drackett L, Dragićević S. Suitability Analysis of Acoustic Refugia for Endangered Killer Whales (Orcinus orca) Using the GIS-based Logic Scoring of Preference Method. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT 2021; 68:262-278. [PMID: 34019115 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-021-01481-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
An emerging priority in marine noise pollution research is identifying marine "acoustic refugia" where noise levels are relatively low and good-quality habitat is available to acoustically sensitive species. The endangered Southern Resident population of killer whales (Orcinus orca) that inhabits the transboundary Salish Sea in Canada and the USA are affected by noise pollution. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial multicriteria evaluation (MCE) methods have been used to operationalize suitability analysis in ecology and conservation for site selection problems. However, commonly used methods lack the ability to represent complex logical relationships between input criteria. Therefore, the objective of this study is to apply a more advanced MCE method, known as Logic Scoring of Preference (LSP), to identify acoustic refugia for killer whales in the Salish Sea. This GIS-based LSP-MCE approach considers multiple input criteria by combining input data representing killer whale habitat requirements with noise pollution and other factors to identify suitable acoustic refugia. The results indicate the locations of suitable acoustic refugia and how they are affected by noise pollution from marine vessels in three scenarios developed to represent different levels of vessel traffic. Identifying acoustic refugia can contribute to efforts to reduce the effect of marine noise pollution on killer whale populations by highlighting high-priority areas in which to implement policies such as traffic-limiting measures or marine protected areas. Moreover, the proposed LSP-MCE procedure combines criteria in a stepwise manner that can support environmental management decision-making processes and can be applied to other marine suitability analysis contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Logan Drackett
- Spatial Analysis and Modeling Laboratory, Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
| | - Suzana Dragićević
- Spatial Analysis and Modeling Laboratory, Department of Geography, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada.
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32
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Fisher DN, Kilgour RJ, Siracusa ER, Foote JR, Hobson EA, Montiglio PO, Saltz JB, Wey TW, Wice EW. Anticipated effects of abiotic environmental change on intraspecific social interactions. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:2661-2693. [PMID: 34212487 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2019] [Revised: 06/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Social interactions are ubiquitous across the animal kingdom. A variety of ecological and evolutionary processes are dependent on social interactions, such as movement, disease spread, information transmission, and density-dependent reproduction and survival. Social interactions, like any behaviour, are context dependent, varying with environmental conditions. Currently, environments are changing rapidly across multiple dimensions, becoming warmer and more variable, while habitats are increasingly fragmented and contaminated with pollutants. Social interactions are expected to change in response to these stressors and to continue to change into the future. However, a comprehensive understanding of the form and magnitude of the effects of these environmental changes on social interactions is currently lacking. Focusing on four major forms of rapid environmental change currently occurring, we review how these changing environmental gradients are expected to have immediate effects on social interactions such as communication, agonistic behaviours, and group formation, which will thereby induce changes in social organisation including mating systems, dominance hierarchies, and collective behaviour. Our review covers intraspecific variation in social interactions across environments, including studies in both the wild and in laboratory settings, and across a range of taxa. The expected responses of social behaviour to environmental change are diverse, but we identify several general themes. First, very dry, variable, fragmented, or polluted environments are likely to destabilise existing social systems. This occurs as these conditions limit the energy available for complex social interactions and affect dissimilar phenotypes differently. Second, a given environmental change can lead to opposite responses in social behaviour, and the direction of the response often hinges on the natural history of the organism in question. Third, our review highlights the fact that changes in environmental factors are not occurring in isolation: multiple factors are changing simultaneously, which may have antagonistic or synergistic effects, and more work should be done to understand these combined effects. We close by identifying methodological and analytical techniques that might help to study the response of social interactions to changing environments, highlight consistent patterns among taxa, and predict subsequent evolutionary change. We expect that the changes in social interactions that we document here will have consequences for individuals, groups, and for the ecology and evolution of populations, and therefore warrant a central place in the study of animal populations, particularly in an era of rapid environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- David N Fisher
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, King's College, Aberdeen, AB24 3FX, U.K
| | - R Julia Kilgour
- Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, U.S.A
| | - Erin R Siracusa
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, School of Psychology, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter, EX4 4PY, U.K
| | - Jennifer R Foote
- Department of Biology, Algoma University, 1520 Queen Street East, Sault Ste. Marie, ON, P6A 2G4, Canada
| | - Elizabeth A Hobson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, 318 College Drive, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, U.S.A
| | - Pierre-Olivier Montiglio
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, 141 Avenue Président-Kennedy, Montréal, QC, H2X 3X8, Canada
| | - Julia B Saltz
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX, 77005-1827, U.S.A
| | - Tina W Wey
- Maelstrom Research, The Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Montreal General Hospital, 1650 Cedar Avenue, Montréal, QC, H3G 1A4, Canada
| | - Eric W Wice
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, TX, 77005-1827, U.S.A
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33
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Halliday WD, Barclay D, Barkley AN, Cook E, Dawson J, Hilliard RC, Hussey NE, Jones JM, Juanes F, Marcoux M, Niemi A, Nudds S, Pine MK, Richards C, Scharffenberg K, Westdal K, Insley SJ. Underwater sound levels in the Canadian Arctic, 2014-2019. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2021; 168:112437. [PMID: 33957495 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The Arctic has been a refuge from anthropogenic underwater noise; however, climate change has caused summer sea ice to diminish, allowing for unprecedented access and the potential for increased underwater noise. Baseline underwater sound levels must be quantified to monitor future changes and manage underwater noise in the Arctic. We analyzed 39 passive acoustic datasets collected throughout the Canadian Arctic from 2014 to 2019 using statistical models to examine spatial and temporal trends in daily mean sound pressure levels (SPL) and quantify environmental and anthropogenic drivers of SPL. SPL (50-1000 Hz) ranged from 70 to 127 dB re 1 μPa (median = 91 dB). SPL increased as wind speed increased, but decreased as both ice concentration and air temperature increased, and SPL increased as the number of ships per day increased. This study provides a baseline for underwater sound levels in the Canadian Arctic and fills many geographic gaps on published underwater sound levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- William D Halliday
- Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada; School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada; Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
| | - David Barclay
- Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Amanda N Barkley
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
| | - Emmanuelle Cook
- Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Jackie Dawson
- Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - R Casey Hilliard
- Institute for Big Data Analytics, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Nigel E Hussey
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
| | - Joshua M Jones
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Francis Juanes
- Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Marianne Marcoux
- Freshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Andrea Niemi
- Freshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Shannon Nudds
- Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Matthew K Pine
- Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada; Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Clark Richards
- Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Kevin Scharffenberg
- Freshwater Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | | | - Stephen J Insley
- Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada; Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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34
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Deconto LS, Freitas TC, Guaraldo AC, Leão DT, Silva FJL, Monteiro-Filho ELA. Propagation of Guiana dolphin sounds in their habitat: measured transmission loss and influence of environmental factors. BIOACOUSTICS 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2021.1929488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lucimary S. Deconto
- Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia, Departmento de Zoologia, Centro Politécnico, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - Thiago C. Freitas
- Setor de Educação Profissional Tecnológica, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, Brazil
| | - André C. Guaraldo
- Laboratório de Ecologia Comportamental e Ornitologia (LECO), Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Juiz de Fora, Brazil
| | - Dalila T. Leão
- Instituto Federal de Santa Catarina, Abelardo Luz Campus Avançado, Abelardo Luz, Brazil
| | - Flávio J. L. Silva
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual do Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil
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35
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Animal Harms and Food Production: Informing Ethical Choices. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11051225. [PMID: 33922738 PMCID: PMC8146968 DOI: 10.3390/ani11051225] [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] [Received: 03/24/2021] [Revised: 04/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Consideration of animal welfare in food choices has become an influential contemporary theme. Traditional animal welfare views about food have been largely restricted to direct and intentional harms to livestock in intensive animal agriculture settings. However, many harms to animals arising from diverse food production practices in the world are exerted indirectly and unintentionally and often affect wildlife. Here we apply a qualitative analysis of food production by considering the breadth of harms caused by different food production systems to wild as well as domestic animals. Production systems are identified that produce relatively few and relatively many harms. The ethical implications of these findings are discussed for consumers concerned with the broad animal welfare impacts of their food choices. Abstract Ethical food choices have become an important societal theme in post-industrial countries. Many consumers are particularly interested in the animal welfare implications of the various foods they may choose to consume. However, concepts in animal welfare are rapidly evolving towards consideration of all animals (including wildlife) in contemporary approaches such as “One Welfare”. This approach requires recognition that negative impacts (harms) may be intentional and obvious (e.g., slaughter of livestock) but also include the under-appreciated indirect or unintentional harms that often impact wildlife (e.g., land clearing). This is especially true in the Anthropocene, where impacts on non-human life are almost ubiquitous across all human activities. We applied the “harms” model of animal welfare assessment to several common food production systems and provide a framework for assessing the breadth (not intensity) of harms imposed. We considered all harms caused to wild as well as domestic animals, both direct effects and indirect effects. We described 21 forms of harm and considered how they applied to 16 forms of food production. Our analysis suggests that all food production systems harm animals to some degree and that the majority of these harms affect wildlife, not livestock. We conclude that the food production systems likely to impose the greatest overall breadth of harms to animals are intensive animal agriculture industries (e.g., dairy) that rely on a secondary food production system (e.g., cropping), while harvesting of locally available wild plants, mushrooms or seaweed is likely to impose the least harms. We present this conceptual analysis as a resource for those who want to begin considering the complex animal welfare trade-offs involved in their food choices.
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Cross SL, Cross AT, Tomlinson S, Clark-Ioannou SM, Nevill PG, Bateman PW. Mitigation and management plans should consider all anthropogenic disturbances to fauna. Glob Ecol Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2021.e01500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
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Fournet MEH, Silvestri M, Clark CW, Klinck H, Rice AN. Limited vocal compensation for elevated ambient noise in bearded seals: implications for an industrializing Arctic Ocean. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20202712. [PMID: 33622137 PMCID: PMC7934916 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Vocalizing animals have several strategies to compensate for elevated ambient noise. These behaviours evolved under historical conditions, but compensation limits are quickly being reached in the Anthropocene. Acoustic communication is essential to male bearded seals that vocalize for courtship and defending territories. As Arctic sea ice declines, industrial activities and associated anthropogenic noise are likely to increase. Documenting how seals respond to noise and identifying naturally occurring behavioural thresholds would indicate either their resilience or vulnerability to changing soundscapes. We investigated whether male bearded seals modified call amplitudes in response to changing ambient noise levels. Vocalizing seals increased their call amplitudes until ambient noise levels reached an observable threshold, above which call source levels stopped increasing. The presence of a threshold indicates limited noise compensation for seals, which still renders them vulnerable to acoustic masking of vocal signals. This behavioural threshold and response to noise is critical for developing management plans for an industrializing Arctic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle E. H. Fournet
- Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Margherita Silvestri
- Department of Environmental Biology, Marine Ecology Lab, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale dell'Università 32, 00185 Rome, Italy
| | - Christopher W. Clark
- Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
| | - Holger Klinck
- Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
- Marine Mammal Institute, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Newport, OR 97365, USA
| | - Aaron N. Rice
- Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
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Serres A, Xu C, Hao Y, Wang D. The Click Production of Captive Yangtze Finless Porpoises ( Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaorientalis) Is Influenced by Social and Environmental Factors. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11020511. [PMID: 33669231 PMCID: PMC7919832 DOI: 10.3390/ani11020511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Revised: 02/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Yangtze finless porpoises’ high-frequency clicks have often been studied and used for wild population surveys. However, the influence of captive environmental and social variables on Yangtze finless porpoises’ production of such signals has never been investigated. In the present study, the click production of a group of captive Yangtze finless porpoises was analyzed across various contexts. This click production was significantly impacted by temporal factors (season), social factors (social separation), and environmental factors (training sessions, presence of enrichment, noise, presence of visitors). The patterns found in this study may be useful for further monitoring of the welfare of captive groups of Yangtze finless porpoises (e.g., welfare assessments) as well as for improving wild surveys (e.g., more accurate interpretation of click density). Abstract Yangtze finless porpoises use high-frequency clicks to navigate, forage, and communicate. The way in which click production may vary depending on social or environmental context has never been investigated. A group of five captive Yangtze finless porpoises was monitored for one year, and 107 h of audio recordings was collected under different conditions. Using a MATLAB-generated interface, we extracted click density (i.e., number of clicks per minute) from these recordings and analyzed its variation depending on the context. As expected, click density increased as the number of animals present increased. The click density did not exhibit diurnal variations but did have seasonal variations, with click density being highest in summer and fall. Yangtze finless porpoises produced more clicks when socially separated than when not (136% more), during training/feeding sessions than outside of such sessions (312% more), when enrichment was provided (265% more on average), and when noisy events occurred rather than when no unusual event occurred (22% more). The click density decreased when many visitors were present in the facility (up to 35% less). These results show that Yangtze finless porpoises modulate their click production depending on the context and suggest that their echolocation activity and their emotional state may be linked to these changes. Such context-dependent variations also indicate the potential usefulness of monitoring acoustical activity as part of a welfare assessment tool in this species. Additionally, the click density variation found in captivity could be useful for understanding click rate variations of wild populations that are hardly visible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agathe Serres
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430000, China;
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100864, China
- Correspondence: (A.S.); (Y.H.)
| | - Chen Xu
- School of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430000, China;
| | - Yujiang Hao
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430000, China;
- Correspondence: (A.S.); (Y.H.)
| | - Ding Wang
- Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430000, China;
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Gallagher CA, Grimm V, Kyhn LA, Kinze CC, Nabe-Nielsen J. Movement and Seasonal Energetics Mediate Vulnerability to Disturbance in Marine Mammal Populations. Am Nat 2021; 197:296-311. [PMID: 33625969 DOI: 10.1086/712798] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
AbstractIn marine environments, noise from human activities is increasing dramatically, causing animals to alter their behavior and forage less efficiently. These alterations incur energetic costs that can result in reproductive failure and death and may ultimately influence population viability, yet the link between population dynamics and individual energetics is poorly understood. We present an energy budget model for simulating effects of acoustic disturbance on populations. It accounts for environmental variability and individual state, while incorporating realistic animal movements. Using harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) as a case study, we evaluated population consequences of disturbance from seismic surveys and investigated underlying drivers of vulnerability. The framework reproduced empirical estimates of population structure and seasonal variations in energetics. The largest effects predicted for seismic surveys were in late summer and fall and were unrelated to local abundance, but instead were related to lactation costs, water temperature, and body fat. Our results demonstrate that consideration of temporal variation in individual energetics and their link to costs associated with disturbances is imperative when predicting disturbance impacts. These mechanisms are general to animal species, and the framework presented here can be used for gaining new insights into the spatiotemporal variability of animal movements and energetics that control population dynamics.
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de Vincenzi G, Micarelli P, Viola S, Buffa G, Sciacca V, Maccarrone V, Corrias V, Reinero FR, Giacoma C, Filiciotto F. Biological Sound vs. Anthropogenic Noise: Assessment of Behavioural Changes in Scyliorhinus canicula Exposed to Boats Noise. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11010174. [PMID: 33451005 PMCID: PMC7828510 DOI: 10.3390/ani11010174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2020] [Revised: 01/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite the growing interest in human-made noise effects on marine wildlife, few studies have investigated the potential role of underwater noise on elasmobranch species. In this study, twelve specimens of small-spotted catshark (Scyliorhinus canicula) were exposed to biological and anthropogenic sounds in order to assess their behavioural changes in response to prey acoustic stimuli and to different amplitude levels of shipping noise. The sharks, individually held in aquariums, were exposed to four experimental acoustic conditions characterized by different spectral (Hz) components and amplitude (dB re 1 µPa) levels. The swimming behaviour and spatial distribution of sharks were observed. The results highlighted significant differences in swimming time and in the spatial use of the aquarium among the experimental conditions. When the amplitude levels of biological sources were higher than those of anthropogenic sources, the sharks' swimming behaviour was concentrated in the bottom sections of the aquarium; when the amplitude levels of anthropogenic sources were higher than biological ones, the specimens increased the time spent swimming. Moreover, their spatial distribution highlighted a tendency to occupy the least noisy sections of the aquarium. In conclusion, this study highlighted that anthropogenic noise is able to affect behaviour of catshark specimens and the impact depends on acoustic amplitude levels.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni de Vincenzi
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche—Istituto per le Risorse Biologiche e le Biotecnologie Marine, Messina (IRBIM-CNR)—Spianata S. Raineri, 86, 98122 Messina (ME), Italy; (V.S.); (F.F.)
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei Sistemi, Università degli Studi di Torino, 10123 Torino (TO), Italy;
- eConscience—Art of Soundscape, No-Profit Organization, via Provinciale 610, 90046 Monreale (PA), Italy
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +39-339-328-5855
| | - Primo Micarelli
- Centro Studi Squali—Istituto Scientifico presso Aquarium Mondo Marino—Loc. Valpiana, 58024 Massa Marittima (GR), Italy;
| | - Salvatore Viola
- Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN)—Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, 95100 Catania (CT), Italy;
| | - Gaspare Buffa
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche—Istituto per lo studio degli impatti Antropici e Sostenibilità in ambiente marino, Capo Granitola (IAS-CNR)—Via del Mare, 3, 91021 T.G. Campobello di Mazara (TP), Italy; (G.B.); (V.M.)
| | - Virginia Sciacca
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche—Istituto per le Risorse Biologiche e le Biotecnologie Marine, Messina (IRBIM-CNR)—Spianata S. Raineri, 86, 98122 Messina (ME), Italy; (V.S.); (F.F.)
- eConscience—Art of Soundscape, No-Profit Organization, via Provinciale 610, 90046 Monreale (PA), Italy
| | - Vincenzo Maccarrone
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche—Istituto per lo studio degli impatti Antropici e Sostenibilità in ambiente marino, Capo Granitola (IAS-CNR)—Via del Mare, 3, 91021 T.G. Campobello di Mazara (TP), Italy; (G.B.); (V.M.)
| | - Valentina Corrias
- Dipartimento di Scienze Marine, Ecologia e Biologia—Università degli Studi della Tuscia—Largo delle Università, 01100 Viterbo (VT), Italy;
| | | | - Cristina Giacoma
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei Sistemi, Università degli Studi di Torino, 10123 Torino (TO), Italy;
| | - Francesco Filiciotto
- Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche—Istituto per le Risorse Biologiche e le Biotecnologie Marine, Messina (IRBIM-CNR)—Spianata S. Raineri, 86, 98122 Messina (ME), Italy; (V.S.); (F.F.)
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A Modeling Comparison of the Potential Effects on Marine Mammals from Sounds Produced by Marine Vibroseis and Air Gun Seismic Sources. JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/jmse9010012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Concerns about the potential environmental impacts of geophysical surveys using air gun sources, coupled with advances in geophysical surveying technology and data processing, are driving research and development of commercially viable alternative technologies such as marine vibroseis (MV). MV systems produce controllable acoustic signals through volume displacement of water using a vibrating plate or shell. MV sources generally produce lower acoustic pressure and reduced bandwidth (spectral content) compared to air gun sources, but to be effective sources for geophysical surveys they typically produce longer duration signals with short inter-signal periods. Few studies have evaluated the potential effects of MV system use on marine fauna. In this desktop study, potential acoustic exposure of marine mammals was estimated for MV and air gun arrays by modeling the source signal, sound propagation, and animal movement in representative survey scenarios. In the scenarios, few marine mammals could be expected to be exposed to potentially injurious sound levels for either source type, but fewer were predicted for MV arrays than air gun arrays. The estimated number of marine mammals exposed to sound levels associated with behavioral disturbance depended on the selection of evaluation criteria. More behavioral disturbance was predicted for MV arrays compared to air gun arrays using a single threshold sound pressure level (SPL), while the opposite result was found when using frequency-weighted sound fields and a multiple-step, probabilistic, threshold function.
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Hernani Lineros LM, Chimènes A, Maille A, Dingess K, Rumiz DI, Adret P. Response of Bolivian gray titi monkeys ( Plecturocebus donacophilus) to an anthropogenic noise gradient: behavioral and hormonal correlates. PeerJ 2020; 8:e10417. [PMID: 33240684 PMCID: PMC7682439 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Worldwide urban expansion and deforestation have caused a rapid decline of non-human primates in recent decades. Yet, little is known to what extent these animals can tolerate anthropogenic noise arising from roadway traffic and human presence in their habitat. We studied six family groups of titis residing at increasing distances from a busy highway, in a park promoting ecotourism near Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. We mapped group movements, sampled the titis’ behavior, collected fecal samples from each study group and conducted experiments in which we used a mannequin simulating a human intrusion in their home range. We hypothesized that groups of titi monkeys exposed to higher levels of anthropogenic noise and human presence would react weakly to the mannequin and show higher concentrations of fecal cortisol compared with groups in least perturbed areas. Sound pressure measurements and systematic monitoring of soundscape inside the titis’ home ranges confirmed the presence of a noise gradient, best characterized by the root-mean-square (RMS) and median amplitude (M) acoustic indices; importantly, both anthropogenic noise and human presence co-varied. Study groups resided in small, overlapping home ranges and they spent most of their time resting and preferentially used the lower forest stratum for traveling and the higher levels for foraging. Focal sampling analysis revealed that the time spent moving by adult pairs was inversely correlated with noise, the behavioral change occurring within a gradient of minimum sound pressures ranging from 44 dB(A) to 52 dB(A). Validated enzyme-immunoassays of fecal samples however detected surprisingly low cortisol concentrations, unrelated to the changes observed in the RMS and M indices. Finally, titis’ response to the mannequin varied according to our expectation, with alarm calling being greater in distant groups relative to highway. Our study thus indicates reduced alarm calling through habituation to human presence and suggests a titis’ resilience to anthropogenic noise with little evidence of physiological stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucero M Hernani Lineros
- Zoología Vertebrados, Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.,Carrera de Biología, Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La Paz, Bolivia
| | - Amélie Chimènes
- Unité Eco-anthropologie UMR 7206, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Audrey Maille
- Unité Eco-anthropologie UMR 7206, Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | | | - Damián I Rumiz
- Zoología Vertebrados, Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.,Fundación Simón I. Patiño, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
| | - Patrice Adret
- Zoología Vertebrados, Museo de Historia Natural Noel Kempff Mercado, Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia
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Mooney TA, Castellote M, Jones I, Rouse N, Rowles T, Mahoney B, Goertz CEC. Audiogram of a Cook Inlet beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas). THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 148:3141. [PMID: 33261390 DOI: 10.1121/10.0002351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Noise is a stressor to wildlife, yet the precise sound sensitivity of individuals and populations is often unknown or unmeasured. Cook Inlet, Alaska belugas (CIBs) are a critically endangered and declining marine mammal population. Anthropogenic noise is a primary threat to these animals. Auditory evoked potentials were used to measure the hearing of a wild, stranded CIB as part of its rehabilitation assessment. The beluga showed broadband (4-128 kHz) and sensitive hearing (<80 dB) for a wide-range of frequencies (16-80 kHz), reflective of a healthy odontocete auditory system. Data were similar to healthy, adult belugas from the comparative Bristol Bay population (the only other published data set of healthy, wild marine mammal hearing). Repeated October and December 2017 measurements were similar, showing continued auditory health of the animal throughout the rehabilitation period. Hearing data were compared to pile-driving and container-ship noise measurements made in Cook Inlet, two sources of concern, suggesting masking is likely at ecologically relevant distances. These data provide the first empirical hearing data for a CIB allowing for estimations of sound-sensitivity in this population. The beluga's sensitive hearing and likelihood of masking show noise is a clear concern for this population struggling to recover.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Aran Mooney
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA
| | - Manuel Castellote
- Cooperative Institute for Climate, Ocean, and Ecosystem Studies, University of Washington, 3737 Brooklyn Avenue Northeast, Seattle, Washington 98105, USA
| | - Ian Jones
- Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA
| | | | - Teri Rowles
- Marine Mammal Health and Stranding Response Program, Office of Protected Resources, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, USA
| | - Barbara Mahoney
- Protected Resources Division, Alaska Regional Office, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Anchorage, Alaska 99513, USA
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Doyle R, Kim J, Pe A, Blumstein DT. Are giant clams ( Tridacna maxima) distractible? A multi-modal study. PeerJ 2020; 8:e10050. [PMID: 33083126 PMCID: PMC7543721 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 09/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
To properly assess risk, an animal must focus its attention on relevant external stimuli; however, attention can be reallocated when distracting stimuli are present. This reallocation of attention may interfere with an individual’s ability to effectively assess risk and may impede its response. Multiple stimuli presented together can have additive effects as distractors, and these include stimuli in different modalities. Although changes in noise and water flow are detectable by some bivalves, this has not been studied in the context of risk assessment or distraction. We experimentally exposed giant clams (Tridacna maxima) to changes in water particle movement through underwater sound (motorboat noise) and increased water flow to determine whether these stimuli, individually or together, modified risk assessment or caused distraction. We found that clams responded to sound, flow, and their combination by increasing frequency of mantle retractions (a potential anti-predator response) when exposed to a stimulus. Sound alone did not change risk assessment in either the latency to close or to reemerge following closure. However, when exposed to both stimuli simultaneously, clams increased their latency to close. We suggest that clams perceive sound and flow in an additive way, and are thus distracted. Interestingly, and uniquely, clams discriminate these multimodal stimuli through a single sensory modality. For sessile clams, anthropogenic noise is detectable, yet unavoidable, suggesting that they be especially vulnerable to marine noise pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Doyle
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | - Jonathan Kim
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | - Angelika Pe
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
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Di Franco E, Pierson P, Di Iorio L, Calò A, Cottalorda JM, Derijard B, Di Franco A, Galvé A, Guibbolini M, Lebrun J, Micheli F, Priouzeau F, Risso-de Faverney C, Rossi F, Sabourault C, Spennato G, Verrando P, Guidetti P. Effects of marine noise pollution on Mediterranean fishes and invertebrates: A review. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2020; 159:111450. [PMID: 32892911 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2020] [Revised: 07/06/2020] [Accepted: 07/06/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Marine noise pollution (MNP) can cause a multitude of impacts on many organisms, but information is often scattered and general outcomes difficult to assess. We have reviewed the literature on MNP impacts on Mediterranean fish and invertebrates. Both chronic and acute MNP produced by various human activities - e.g. maritime traffic, pile driving, air guns - were found to cause detectable effects on intra-specific communication, vital processes, physiology, behavioral patterns, health status and survival. These effects on individuals can extend to inducing population- and ecosystem-wide alterations, especially when MNP impacts functionally important species, such as keystone predators and habitat forming species. Curbing the threats of MNP in the Mediterranean Sea is a challenging task, but a variety of measures could be adopted to mitigate MNP impacts. Successful measures will require more accurate information on impacts and that effective management of MNP really becomes a priority in the policy makers' agenda.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Di Franco
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7035 ECOSEAS, Nice, France.
| | - P Pierson
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7035 ECOSEAS, Nice, France
| | - L Di Iorio
- CHORUS Institute, Phelma Minatec, 38016 Grenoble, France; Foundation of the Grenoble Institute of Technology, 38031 Grenoble, France
| | - A Calò
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7035 ECOSEAS, Nice, France; Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra e del Mare (DiSTeM), Università di Palermo, Via Archirafi 20-22, 90123 Palermo, Italy
| | - J M Cottalorda
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7035 ECOSEAS, Nice, France
| | - B Derijard
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7035 ECOSEAS, Nice, France
| | - A Di Franco
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7035 ECOSEAS, Nice, France; Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Sicily, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo (complesso Roosevelt), 90149 Palermo, Italy
| | - A Galvé
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, IRD, Observatoire de la Côte d'Azur, Géoazur, Sophia-Antipolis, France
| | - M Guibbolini
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7035 ECOSEAS, Nice, France
| | - J Lebrun
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7271 I3S, Sophia Antipolis, France
| | - F Micheli
- Hopkins Marine Station and Stanford Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA 93950, USA
| | - F Priouzeau
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7035 ECOSEAS, Nice, France
| | | | - F Rossi
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7035 ECOSEAS, Nice, France
| | - C Sabourault
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7035 ECOSEAS, Nice, France
| | - G Spennato
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7035 ECOSEAS, Nice, France
| | - P Verrando
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, INSERM, Institut de Biologie Valrose (iBV, INSERM U1091 - CNRS UMR7277), Nice, France
| | - P Guidetti
- Université Côte d'Azur, CNRS, UMR 7035 ECOSEAS, Nice, France; CoNISMa (National Interuniversitary Consortium of Marine Sciences), P.le Flaminio 9, 00196 Rome, Italy; Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn - National Institute of Marine Biology, Ecology and Biotechnology, Villa Comunale, 80121 Naples, Italy
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Farcas A, Powell CF, Brookes KL, Merchant ND. Validated shipping noise maps of the Northeast Atlantic. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2020; 735:139509. [PMID: 32485453 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2020] [Revised: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/16/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Underwater noise pollution from shipping is globally pervasive and has a range of adverse impacts on species which depend on sound, including marine mammals, sea turtles, fish, and many invertebrates. International bodies including United Nations agencies, the Arctic Council, and the European Union are beginning to address the issue at the policy level, but better evidence is needed to map levels of underwater noise pollution and the potential benefits of management measures such as ship-quieting regulations. Crucially, corroboration of noise maps with field measurements is presently lacking, which undermines confidence in their application to policymaking. We construct a computational model of underwater noise levels in the Northeast Atlantic using Automatic Identification System (AIS) ship-tracking data, wind speed data, and other environmental parameters, and validate this model against field measurements at 4 sites in the North Sea. Overall, model predictions of the median sound level were within ±3 dB for 93% of the field measurements for one-third octave frequency bands in the range 125 Hz-5 kHz. Areas with median noise levels exceeding 120 dB re 1 μPa and 20 dB above modelled natural background sound were predicted to occur in the Dover Strait, the Norwegian trench, near to several major ports, and around offshore infrastructure sites in the North Sea. To our knowledge, this is the first study to quantitatively validate large-scale modelled noise maps with field measurements at multiple sites. Further validation will increase confidence in deeper waters and during winter months. Our results highlight areas where anthropogenic pressure from shipping noise is greatest and will inform the management of shipping noise in the Northeast Atlantic. The good agreement between measurements and model gives confidence that models of shipping noise can be used to inform future policy and management decisions to address shipping noise pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian Farcas
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Lowestoft, Suffolk, UK.
| | - Claire F Powell
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Lowestoft, Suffolk, UK
| | | | - Nathan D Merchant
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Lowestoft, Suffolk, UK
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Xu W, Dong L, Caruso F, Gong Z, Li S. Long-term and large-scale spatiotemporal patterns of soundscape in a tropical habitat of the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis). PLoS One 2020; 15:e0236938. [PMID: 32785235 PMCID: PMC7423153 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0236938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Little is known about the characteristics of ambient sound in shallow waters southwest of Hainan Island, China, a tropical habitat of the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin. The spatiotemporal patterns of soundscape in this area were thus studied and described here. Acoustic data collected from February 2018 to February 2019 at ten monitoring sites, spanning ~200 km of the coastline, were analyzed. The ambient sound characteristics in the investigated area showed significant spatiotemporal variations. Sound levels centered at 0.5 and 1 kHz were higher during dusk and night than other times of the day at all monitoring sites except for one. Higher sound levels at frequencies above 8 kHz were documented during autumn and winter at all sites except for three of them. Biological and anthropogenic sound sources including soniferous fishes, snapping shrimps, dolphins, ships, pile-driving activities, and explosions were identified during spectrogram analyses of a subsample of the dataset. The shipping noise was frequently detected throughout the monitoring sites. Spatiotemporal variations of the soundscape in the investigated waters provided baseline information on the local marine environment, which will be beneficial to the protection of the vulnerable Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin population recently discovered in the investigated waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanxue Xu
- Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lijun Dong
- Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
| | - Francesco Caruso
- Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
| | - Zining Gong
- Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Songhai Li
- Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
- Tropical Marine Science Institute, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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Wang ZT, Akamatsu T, Duan PX, Zhou L, Yuan J, Li J, Lei PY, Chen YW, Yang YN, Wang KX, Wang D. Underwater noise pollution in China's Yangtze River critically endangers Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis). ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2020; 262:114310. [PMID: 32155559 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2019] [Revised: 02/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Underwater sound plays an important role in some critical life functions of many aquatic animals. Underwater noise pollution has received relatively more attention in ocean systems. However, little attention has been paid to freshwater systems, such as the Yangtze River which is the habitat of critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis). In 2012, the underwater noise levels in 25 sites along the middle and lower sections of the Yangtze River were measured. The root mean square sound pressure level (SPL) and unweighted sound exposure level (SEL) at each site ranged between 105 ± 2.4 (median ± quartile deviation) and 150 ± 5.5 dB. Obvious spatial and temporal variations in the SPL were detected among the 25 sites. The SPL and SEL in the middle section of the Yangtze River were smaller (approximately 15 dB) and fluctuated more compared to those in the lower section. The power spectrum in the mainstem was site specific. However, all the spectra levels were higher than the audiogram of Yangtze finless porpoises. Majority of the sites had an averaged cumulative unweighted SEL (72%) and cumulative weighted SEL (68%) that surpassed the underwater acoustic thresholds for onset of hearing temporal threshold shifts for finless porpoise. Porpoise bio-sonars were detected in 89% of sonar monitoring sites indicating that noise pollution in the Yangtze River greatly threatened porpoise survival. In 8% of the sites, the averaged cumulative weighted SEL exceeded that of underwater acoustic thresholds causing non-recoverable permanent threshold shifts of finless porpoises auditory system whereas it was less than 1 dB below the underwater acoustic thresholds in other 8% of the sites. These sites urgently needed noise mitigation and management strategies. These results will facilitate the evaluation of the impacts of anthropogenic noise pollution on local finless porpoises and give further guidelines on its effective conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhi-Tao Wang
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, PR China
| | - Tomonari Akamatsu
- National Research Institute of Fisheries Science, Fisheries Research and Development Agency, Fukuura, Kanagawa, 236-8648, Japan
| | - Peng-Xiang Duan
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, PR China
| | - Lu Zhou
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100039, PR China
| | - Jing Yuan
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100039, PR China
| | - Jiao Li
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100039, PR China
| | - Pei-Yu Lei
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, PR China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100039, PR China
| | - Yu-Wei Chen
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, PR China
| | - Yi-Ning Yang
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, PR China
| | - Ke-Xiong Wang
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, PR China.
| | - Ding Wang
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, PR China
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Lewandowski J, Staaterman E. International management of underwater noise: Transforming conflict into effective action. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 147:3160. [PMID: 32486808 DOI: 10.1121/10.0001173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 04/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Underwater noise and its effects on the environment now sit squarely on the international stage and are being addressed by high-level international bodies, such as the European Union and United Nations. This is in addition to the many governments of coastal nations also working to address concerns under their own national laws and requirements. At the same time, the issue's intractability in reaching solutions continues to grow. Initial concerns in the 1990s over impacts of certain naval sonars on marine mammals have now expanded to a broader range of species, geographies, sound sources, stakeholder groups, and political and regulatory interests. In addition, there are now concerns over impacts to fishery catch rates and, for some, how reduced catch rates may affect available food for people. This paper examines how the international community can work to find solutions to this seemingly intractable problem. It reviews ten major international agreements and identifies "what" major topical areas are ripe for collaboration and then ties these findings to "how" collaborative processes should be designed to reach effective and lasting solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jill Lewandowski
- Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, United States Department of the Interior, 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, Virginia 20166, USA
| | - Erica Staaterman
- Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, United States Department of the Interior, 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, Virginia 20166, USA
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Soares C, Pacheco A, Zabel F, González-Goberña E, Sequeira C. Baseline assessment of underwater noise in the Ria Formosa. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN 2020; 150:110731. [PMID: 31753564 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2019.110731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2019] [Revised: 11/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/11/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The Ria Formosa is a sheltered large coastal lagoon located on the Atlantic South Coast of Portugal, that has been classified as a natural park since 1987. The lagoon hosts a diverse and abundant fish community and other species of commercial importance. Several economical activities are supported by shipping, and as such, vessel traffic within the Ria Formosa lagoon is very intense at some locations during particular seasons of the year, creating high levels of underwater noise. Recently, strong efforts are being made to turn the main inlet of the lagoon, the Faro-Olhão Inlet, a testing site for small scale tidal stream turbines, which will bring an additional source of underwater noise. Underwater noise can be one of a number of factors causing habitat degradation, as it can perturb fish behavior and cause physiological damage. Therefore, in order to comply with underwater noise pollution regulations, tidal energy technology developers are very interested in minimising the introduction of acoustic energy in the environment during the operation of their devices. Under the scope of project SCORE, which involved the deployment and operation of a floating tidal energy converter, this paper presents and discusses the first baseline noise monitoring performed at Ria Formosa. The acoustic data were collected in two occasions over several days, one in the winter and the other in the summer, in 2017. The obtained analysis results highlight the potential impact of the intense boat traffic in Ria Formosa, and the wide range of sound levels introduced in that ecosystem, and the high diurnal and seasonal variability.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Soares
- MarSensing Lda., Centro Empresarial Pavilhão B1, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal.
| | - A Pacheco
- CIMA, University of Algarve Ed7, Campus de Gambelas, Faro 8005-139, Portugal
| | - F Zabel
- MarSensing Lda., Centro Empresarial Pavilhão B1, Campus de Gambelas, 8005-139 Faro, Portugal
| | - E González-Goberña
- CIMA, University of Algarve Ed7, Campus de Gambelas, Faro 8005-139, Portugal
| | - C Sequeira
- CIMA, University of Algarve Ed7, Campus de Gambelas, Faro 8005-139, Portugal
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