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Jacobs ER, Gero S, Malinka CE, Tønnesen PH, Beedholm K, DeRuiter SL, Madsen PT. The active space of sperm whale codas: inter-click information for intra-unit communication. J Exp Biol 2024; 227:jeb246442. [PMID: 38264868 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.246442] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/25/2024]
Abstract
Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) are social mega-predators who form stable matrilineal units that often associate within a larger vocal clan. Clan membership is defined by sharing a repertoire of coda types consisting of specific temporal spacings of multi-pulsed clicks. It has been hypothesized that codas communicate membership across socially segregated sympatric clans, but others propose that codas are primarily used for behavioral coordination and social cohesion within a closely spaced social unit. Here, we test these hypotheses by combining measures of ambient noise levels and coda click source levels with models of sound propagation to estimate the active space of coda communication. Coda clicks were localized off the island of Dominica with a four- or five-element 80 m vertical hydrophone array, allowing us to calculate the median RMS source levels of 1598 clicks from 444 codas to be 161 dB re. 1 μPa (IQR 153-167), placing codas among the most powerful communication sounds in toothed whales. However, together with measured ambient noise levels, these source levels lead to a median active space of coda communication of ∼4 km, reflecting the maximum footprint of a single foraging sperm whale unit. We conclude that while sperm whale codas may contain information about clan affiliation, their moderate active space shows that codas are not used for long range acoustic communication between units and clans, but likely serve to mediate social cohesion and behavioral transitions in intra-unit communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen R Jacobs
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, C. F. Møllers Allé 3, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, 3700 O St NW, Washington, DC 20057, USA
| | - Shane Gero
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, C. F. Møllers Allé 3, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- Department of Biology, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Dr, Ottawa, ON, Canada K1S 5B6
| | - Chloe E Malinka
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, C. F. Møllers Allé 3, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
- SMRU Consulting, Scottish Oceans Institute, East Sands, University of St Andrews, KY16 8LB, UK
| | - Pernille H Tønnesen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, C. F. Møllers Allé 3, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Kristian Beedholm
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, C. F. Møllers Allé 3, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Stacy L DeRuiter
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Calvin University, 3201 Burton St SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546, USA
| | - Peter T Madsen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, C. F. Møllers Allé 3, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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Heaney KD, Verlinden CMA, Seger KD, Brandon JA. Modeled underwater sound levels in the Pan-Arctic due to increased shipping: Analysis from 2013 to 2019. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2024; 155:707-721. [PMID: 38284826 DOI: 10.1121/10.0024354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024]
Abstract
The loss of Arctic sea ice is one of the most visible signs of global climate change. As Arctic sea ice has retreated, Arctic marine shipping has increased. The Pan-Arctic's unique underwater acoustic properties mean that even small increases in ship traffic can have a significant effect on the ambient soundscape. This study presents the first long-term, basin-scale model of shipping noise in the Pan-Arctic with a focus on a few select sub-regions. The Arctic Ship Traffic Database from the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment is used in this study to model the locations and source levels from ships operating in the Pan-Arctic between 2013 and 2019. The acoustic footprint of these ships is explored temporally for the entire basin as well as for the select large maritime ecosystems of the Barents Sea, the Northern Bering-Chukchi Sea, and Baffin Bay. From 2013 to 2019, modeled shipping noise propagating underwater broadly increased between 5-20 dB across the Pan-Arctic, but more specific results in sub-regions are presented and discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin D Heaney
- Applied Ocean Sciences, 5242 Port Royal Road #1032, Springfield, Virginia 22151, USA
| | | | - Kerri D Seger
- Applied Ocean Sciences, 5242 Port Royal Road #1032, Springfield, Virginia 22151, USA
| | - Jennifer A Brandon
- Applied Ocean Sciences, 5242 Port Royal Road #1032, Springfield, Virginia 22151, USA
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3
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Laeta M, Oliveira JA, Siciliano S, Lambert O, Jensen FH, Galatius A. Cranial asymmetry in odontocetes: a facilitator of sonic exploration? ZOOLOGY 2023; 160:126108. [PMID: 37633185 DOI: 10.1016/j.zool.2023.126108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Revised: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/28/2023]
Abstract
Directional cranial asymmetry is an intriguing condition that has evolved in all odontocetes which has mostly been associated with sound production for echolocation. In this study, we investigated how cranial asymmetry varies across odontocete species both in terms of quality (i.e., shape), and quantity (magnitude of deviation from symmetry). We investigated 72 species across all ten families of Odontoceti using two-dimensional geometric morphometrics. The average asymmetric shape was largely consistent across odontocetes - the rostral tip, maxillae, antorbital notches and braincase, as well as the suture crest between the frontal and interparietal bones were displaced to the right, whereas the nasal septum and premaxillae showed leftward shifts, in concert with an enlargement of the right premaxilla and maxilla. A clear phylogenetic signal related to asymmetric shape variation was identified across odontocetes using squared-change parsimony. The magnitude of asymmetry was widely variable across Odontoceti, with greatest asymmetry in Kogiidae, Monodontidae and Globicephalinae, followed by Physeteridae, Platanistidae and Lipotidae, while the asymmetry was lowest in Lissodelphininae, Phocoenidae, Iniidae and Pontoporiidae. Ziphiidae presented a wide spectrum of asymmetry. Generalized linear models explaining magnitude of asymmetry found associations with click source level while accounting for cranial size. Using phylogenetic generalized least squares, we reconfirm that source level and centroid size significantly predict the level of cranial asymmetry, with more asymmetric marine taxa generally consisting of bigger species emitting higher output sonar signal, i.e. louder sounds. Both characteristics theoretically support foraging at depth, the former by allowing extended diving and the latter being adaptive for prey detection at longer distances. Thus, cranial asymmetry seems to be an evolutionary pathway that allows odontocetes to devote more space for sound-generating structures associated with echolocation and thus increases biosonar search range and foraging efficiency beyond simple phylogenetic scaling predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maíra Laeta
- Setor de Mastozoologia, Departamento de Vertebrados, Museu Nacional/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 20941-160 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil.
| | - João A Oliveira
- Setor de Mastozoologia, Departamento de Vertebrados, Museu Nacional/Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, 20941-160 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Salvatore Siciliano
- Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública Sergio Arouca/Fiocruz, 21040-360 Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil; Grupo de Estudos de Mamíferos Marinhos da Região dos Lagos (GEMM-Lagos), Rua São José, 1.260, Praia Seca, 28970-000 Araruama, RJ, Brazil
| | - Olivier Lambert
- D.O. Terre et Histoire de la Vie, Institut royal des Sciences naturelles de Belgique, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
| | - Frants H Jensen
- Section for Marine Mammal Research, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark; Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Rd, MA 02543, USA; Biology Department, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, NY 13244, USA
| | - Anders Galatius
- Section for Marine Mammal Research, Department of Ecoscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark.
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Ogawa M, Kimura SS. Variations in echolocation click characteristics of finless porpoise in response to day/night and absence/presence of vessel noise. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0288513. [PMID: 37540693 PMCID: PMC10403093 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0288513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Small odontocetes produce echolocation clicks to feed and navigate, making it an essential function for their survival. Recently, the effect of vessel noise on small odontocetes behavior has attracted attention owing to increase in vessel activities; however, the effects of the surrounding environmental factor, vessel noise, and day/night on echolocation click characteristics have not been well studied. Here, we examined the effects of vessel noise and day/night on variations in echolocation clicks and click trains parameters. Passive acoustic monitoring of on-axis echolocation clicks produced by free-ranging finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis sunameri) was performed at two sites in Japan, Seto Inland Sea and Mikawa Bay, in June-September 2021 and March-August 2022, using A-tag and SoundTrap 300HF. Generalized Linear Model was used to elucidate the effect of vessel noise, day/night, and surrounding environmental factors (water temperature, synthetic flow velocity, and noise level) on echolocation click and click train parameters. Echolocation click and click train parameters were strongly affected by day/night, whereas the absence/presence vessel noise did not exhibit statistically significant influence. Particularly, -3 dB bandwidth was wider, click duration was shorter, and inter-click intervals in a train were shorter at night, which may facilitate information processing at night, thereby compensating for the lack of visual information. The interaction between day/night and the absence/presence of vessel noise affected the source level of finless porpoises, with higher levels observed in the absence of vessel noise during the daytime compared to other conditions at the site with low vessel traffic. Overall, these results suggest that echolocation clicks by finless porpoise were likely to fluctuate to adapt with surrounding complex environmental conditions, especially day/night.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mayu Ogawa
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Distinguished Doctoral Program of Platforms (WISE), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Satoko S Kimura
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Distinguished Doctoral Program of Platforms (WISE), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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Bakkeren C, Ladegaard M, Hansen KA, Wahlberg M, Madsen PT, Rojano-Doñate L. Visual deprivation induces a stronger dive response in a harbor porpoise. iScience 2023; 26:106204. [PMID: 36876128 PMCID: PMC9982314 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.106204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 02/10/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The dive response allows marine mammals to perform prolonged breath-hold dives to access rich marine prey resources. Via dynamic adjustments of peripheral vasoconstriction and bradycardia, oxygen consumption can be tailored to breath-hold duration, depth, exercise, and even expectations during dives. By investigating the heart rate of a trained harbor porpoise during a two-alternative forced choice task, where the animal is either acoustically masked or blindfolded, we test the hypothesis that sensory deprivation will lead to a stronger dive response to conserve oxygen when facing a more uncertain and smaller sensory umwelt. We show that the porpoise halves its diving heart rate (from 55 to 25 bpm) when blindfolded but presents no change in heart rate during masking of its echolocation. Therefore, visual stimuli may matter more to echolocating toothed whales than previously assumed, and sensory deprivation can be a major driver of the dive response, possibly as an anti-predator measure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ciska Bakkeren
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Building 1131, C. F. Møllers Allé 3, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Michael Ladegaard
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Building 1131, C. F. Møllers Allé 3, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Kirstin Anderson Hansen
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark.,Fjord&Bælt, Margrethes Plads 1, 5300 Kerteminde, Denmark
| | - Magnus Wahlberg
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Campusvej 55, 5230 Odense M, Denmark
| | - Peter Teglberg Madsen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Building 1131, C. F. Møllers Allé 3, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Laia Rojano-Doñate
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, Building 1131, C. F. Møllers Allé 3, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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6
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Zhao L, Giorli G, Caruso F, Dong L, Gong Z, Lin M, Li S. Echolocation clicks of free-ranging Indo-Pacific finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) in Hainan waters. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2023; 153:1934. [PMID: 37002078 DOI: 10.1121/10.0017655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
The echolocation clicks of free-ranging Indo-Pacific finless porpoises (IPFPs, Neophocaena phocaenoides) have been rarely studied in the wild. This paper aims at describing the echolocation-click characteristics of IPFPs and examining whether IPFPs adapt their sonar system to the habitats in Hainan waters, China. The echolocation clicks were recorded using a 13 elements star-shaped array of hydrophones. A total of 65 on-axis clicks were identified and analyzed. IPFPs use echolocation clicks with a source level (SL) of 158 ± 9 dB re: 1 μPa peak-peak, mean peak, and centroid frequency of 134 ± 3 kHz, -3 dB bandwidth of 14 ± 2 kHz and produce at inter-click intervals of 104 ± 51 ms. The results relative to other porpoises show that finless porpoises in Hainan waters produce clicks with moderate SLs and high peak frequency. These results could be useful in detecting the presence and estimating the density of IPFPs during passive acoustic monitoring in the study area and serve to shed light on the interpopulation variation of click characteristics of finless porpoises as well.
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Affiliation(s)
- Likun Zhao
- Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Sanya, 572000, China
| | - Giacomo Giorli
- National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, Coasts and Oceans, 301 Evans Bay Parade, Greta Point, Wellington, 6021, New Zealand
| | - Francesco Caruso
- Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Sanya, 572000, China
| | - Lijun Dong
- Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Sanya, 572000, China
| | - Zining Gong
- Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Sanya, 572000, China
| | - Mingli Lin
- Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Sanya, 572000, China
| | - Songhai Li
- Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Sanya, 572000, China
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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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Amundin M, Carlström J, Thomas L, Carlén I, Teilmann J, Tougaard J, Loisa O, Kyhn LA, Sveegaard S, Burt ML, Pawliczka I, Koza R, Arciszewski B, Galatius A, Laaksonlaita J, MacAuley J, Wright AJ, Gallus A, Dähne M, Acevedo‐Gutiérrez A, Benke H, Koblitz J, Tregenza N, Wennerberg D, Brundiers K, Kosecka M, Tiberi Ljungqvist C, Jussi I, Jabbusch M, Lyytinen S, Šaškov A, Blankett P. Estimating the abundance of the critically endangered Baltic Proper harbour porpoise ( Phocoena phocoena) population using passive acoustic monitoring. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8554. [PMID: 35222950 PMCID: PMC8858216 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Revised: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Knowing the abundance of a population is a crucial component to assess its conservation status and develop effective conservation plans. For most cetaceans, abundance estimation is difficult given their cryptic and mobile nature, especially when the population is small and has a transnational distribution. In the Baltic Sea, the number of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) has collapsed since the mid-20th century and the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise is listed as Critically Endangered by the IUCN and HELCOM; however, its abundance remains unknown. Here, one of the largest ever passive acoustic monitoring studies was carried out by eight Baltic Sea nations to estimate the abundance of the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise for the first time. By logging porpoise echolocation signals at 298 stations during May 2011-April 2013, calibrating the loggers' spatial detection performance at sea, and measuring the click rate of tagged individuals, we estimated an abundance of 71-1105 individuals (95% CI, point estimate 491) during May-October within the population's proposed management border. The small abundance estimate strongly supports that the Baltic Proper harbour porpoise is facing an extremely high risk of extinction, and highlights the need for immediate and efficient conservation actions through international cooperation. It also provides a starting point in monitoring the trend of the population abundance to evaluate the effectiveness of management measures and determine its interactions with the larger neighboring Belt Sea population. Further, we offer evidence that design-based passive acoustic monitoring can generate reliable estimates of the abundance of rare and cryptic animal populations across large spatial scales.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Julia Carlström
- AquaBiota Water ResearchStockholmSweden
- Present address:
Department of Environmental Research and MonitoringSwedish Museum of Natural HistoryStockholmSweden
| | - Len Thomas
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental ModellingUniversity of St AndrewsSt AndrewsUK
| | - Ida Carlén
- AquaBiota Water ResearchStockholmSweden
- Present address:
Department of ZoologyStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | - Jonas Teilmann
- Marine Mammal ResearchDepartment of BioscienceAarhus UniversityRoskildeDenmark
| | - Jakob Tougaard
- Marine Mammal ResearchDepartment of BioscienceAarhus UniversityRoskildeDenmark
| | - Olli Loisa
- Turku University of Applied SciencesTurkuFinland
| | - Line A. Kyhn
- Marine Mammal ResearchDepartment of BioscienceAarhus UniversityRoskildeDenmark
| | - Signe Sveegaard
- Marine Mammal ResearchDepartment of BioscienceAarhus UniversityRoskildeDenmark
| | - M. Louise Burt
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental ModellingUniversity of St AndrewsSt AndrewsUK
| | - Iwona Pawliczka
- Prof. Krzysztof Skóra Hel Marine StationDepartment of Oceanography and GeographyUniversity of GdańskHelPoland
| | - Radomil Koza
- Prof. Krzysztof Skóra Hel Marine StationDepartment of Oceanography and GeographyUniversity of GdańskHelPoland
| | - Bartlomiej Arciszewski
- Prof. Krzysztof Skóra Hel Marine StationDepartment of Oceanography and GeographyUniversity of GdańskHelPoland
| | - Anders Galatius
- Marine Mammal ResearchDepartment of BioscienceAarhus UniversityRoskildeDenmark
| | | | - Jamie MacAuley
- School of BiologyBute BuildingUniversity of St AndrewsSt AndrewsUK
- Present address:
Department of Biology ‐ ZoophysiologyAarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Andrew J. Wright
- Marine Mammal ResearchDepartment of BioscienceAarhus UniversityRoskildeDenmark
- Present address:
Fisheries and Oceans CanadaMaritimes, DartmouthNova ScotiaCanada
| | | | | | | | | | - Jens Koblitz
- German Oceanographic MuseumStralsundGermany
- Present address:
Max Planck Institute of Animal BehaviorKonstanzGermany
- Present address:
Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective BehaviourUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
- Present address:
Department of BiologyUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
| | | | - Daniel Wennerberg
- Kolmarden Wildlife ParkKolmårdenSweden
- Present address:
Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute, Core ServicesNorrköpingSweden
| | | | - Monika Kosecka
- Prof. Krzysztof Skóra Hel Marine StationDepartment of Oceanography and GeographyUniversity of GdańskHelPoland
- Present address:
Scottish Association for Marine ScienceUniversity of Highlands and IslandsObanUK
| | - Cinthia Tiberi Ljungqvist
- Kolmarden Wildlife ParkKolmårdenSweden
- Present address:
County Administrative Board of StockholmStockholmSweden
| | - Ivar Jussi
- ProMare NPOVintriku Saula küla, Kose valdHarjumaaEstonia
| | | | | | - Aleksej Šaškov
- Marine Research instituteKlaipėda UniversityKlaipėdaLithuania
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Paitach RL, Amundin M, Teixeira G, Cremer MJ. Echolocation variability of franciscana dolphins (Pontoporia blainvillei) between estuarine and open-sea habitats, with insights into foraging patterns. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2021; 150:3987. [PMID: 34852630 DOI: 10.1121/10.0007277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Environmental and ecological factors can trigger changes in the acoustic repertoire of cetaceans. This study documents the first use of a well-established passive acoustic monitoring device (C-POD) to analyze echolocation sounds and behavior of franciscana dolphins in different habitats: estuary [Babitonga Bay (BB)] and open sea [Itapirubá Beach (IB)]. A total of 10 924 click trains were recorded in BB and 6 093 in IB. An inter-click interval < 10 ms (so called "feeding buzzes") was used as a proxy for foraging activity. The main difference in the acoustic parameters between the two habitats was related to the frequency spectrum, with higher maximum and lower modal and minimum click frequencies in BB, and a train frequency range of 17 kHz, against 10 kHz in IB. Also, the click emission rate (clicks/s) was almost 20% higher in BB. Both studied habitats showed a high proportion of feeding buzzes (BB = 68%; IB = 58%), but with a higher probability of occurrence in BB (p < 0.001) and at night (p < 0.001) in both habitats. The C-PODs showed great potential to monitor occurrence, bioacoustics parameters, and echolocation behavior of franciscana dolphins. Longer-term temporal and spatial monitoring are necessary for elucidating several issues raised in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Renan L Paitach
- Post-Graduate Program in Ecology, Department of Ecology and Zoology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, s/n, Bloco E, 88040-900 Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Mats Amundin
- Kolmarden Wildlife Park, SE-618 92 Kolmarden, Sweden
| | - Gabriel Teixeira
- Post-Graduate Program in Ecology, Department of Ecology and Zoology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, s/n, Bloco E, 88040-900 Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
| | - Marta J Cremer
- Post-Graduate Program in Ecology, Department of Ecology and Zoology, Federal University of Santa Catarina, s/n, Bloco E, 88040-900 Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil
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10
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Hamilton RA, Starkhammar J, Gazda SK, Connor RC. Separating overlapping echolocation: An updated method for estimating the number of echolocating animals in high background noise levels. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2021; 150:709. [PMID: 34470329 DOI: 10.1121/10.0005756] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Much can be learned by investigating the click trains of odontocetes, including estimating the number of vocalizing animals and comparing the acoustic behavior of different individuals. Analyzing such information gathered from groups of echolocating animals in a natural environment is complicated by two main factors: overlapping echolocation produced by multiple animals at the same time, and varying levels of background noise. Starkhammar et al. [(2011a). Biol. Lett. 7(6), 836-839] described an algorithm that measures and compares the frequency spectra of individual clicks to identify groups of clicks produced by different individuals. This study presents an update to this click group separation algorithm that improves performance by comparing multiple click characteristics. There is a focus on reducing error when high background noise levels cause false click detection and recordings are of a limited frequency bandwidth, making the method applicable to a wide range of existing datasets. This method was successfully tested on recordings of free-swimming foraging dolphins with both low and high natural background noise levels. The algorithm can be adjusted via user-set parameters for application to recordings with varying sampling parameters and to species of varying click characteristics, allowing for estimates of the number of echolocating animals in free-swimming groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca A Hamilton
- Biology Department, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, North Dartmouth, Massachusetts 02747, USA
| | | | - Stefanie K Gazda
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA
| | - Richard C Connor
- Biology Department, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, North Dartmouth, Massachusetts 02747, USA
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Martin MJ, Torres Ortiz S, Reyes Reyes MV, Marino A, Iñíguez Bessega M, Wahlberg M. Commerson’s dolphins (Cephalorhynchus commersonii) can relax acoustic crypsis. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03035-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
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12
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Malinka CE, Tønnesen P, Dunn CA, Claridge DE, Gridley T, Elwen SH, Teglberg Madsen P. Echolocation click parameters and biosonar behaviour of the dwarf sperm whale ( Kogia sima). J Exp Biol 2021; 224:224/6/jeb240689. [PMID: 33771935 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.240689] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Dwarf sperm whales (Kogia sima) are small toothed whales that produce narrow-band high-frequency (NBHF) echolocation clicks. Such NBHF clicks, subject to high levels of acoustic absorption, are usually produced by small, shallow-diving odontocetes, such as porpoises, in keeping with their short-range echolocation and fast click rates. Here, we sought to address the problem of how the little-studied and deep-diving Kogia can hunt with NBHF clicks in the deep sea. Specifically, we tested the hypotheses that Kogia produce NBHF clicks with longer inter-click intervals (ICIs), higher directionality and higher source levels (SLs) compared with other NBHF species. We did this by deploying an autonomous deep-water vertical hydrophone array in the Bahamas, where no other NBHF species are present, and by taking opportunistic recordings of a close-range Kogia sima in a South African harbour. Parameters from on-axis clicks (n=46) in the deep revealed very narrow-band clicks (root mean squared bandwidth, BWRMS, of 3±1 kHz), with SLs of up to 197 dB re. 1 µPa peak-to-peak (μPapp) at 1 m, and a half-power beamwidth of 8.8 deg. Their ICIs (mode of 245 ms) were much longer than those of porpoises (<100 ms), suggesting an inspection range that is longer than detection ranges of single prey, perhaps to facilitate auditory streaming of a complex echo scene. On-axis clicks in the shallow harbour (n=870) had ICIs and SLs in keeping with source parameters of other NBHF cetaceans. Thus, in the deep, dwarf sperm whales use a directional, but short-range echolocation system with moderate SLs, suggesting a reliable mesopelagic prey habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chloe E Malinka
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Pernille Tønnesen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Biology, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Charlotte A Dunn
- Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organisation (BMMRO), Sandy Point, Abaco, Bahamas.,Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 8LB, UK
| | - Diane E Claridge
- Bahamas Marine Mammal Research Organisation (BMMRO), Sandy Point, Abaco, Bahamas.,Sea Mammal Research Unit, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 8LB, UK
| | - Tess Gridley
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7605, South Africa.,Sea Search Research and Conservation, Muizenberg, Cape Town 7945, South Africa
| | - Simon H Elwen
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7605, South Africa.,Sea Search Research and Conservation, Muizenberg, Cape Town 7945, South Africa
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Dähne M, Bär T, Gallus A, Benke H, Herold E, Stilz P. No need to shout? Harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) echolocate quietly in confined murky waters of the Wadden Sea. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 148:EL382. [PMID: 33138503 DOI: 10.1121/10.0002347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Porpoise echolocation parameters may vary depending on their acoustic habitat and predominant behavior. Research was conducted in the Wadden Sea, an acoustically complex, tidally driven habitat with high particle resuspension. Source levels and echolocation parameters of wild harbor porpoises were estimated from time-of-arrival-differences of a six-element hydrophone array. The back-calculated peak-to-peak apparent source level of 169 ± 5 dB re 1 μPa was significantly lower than reported from Inner Danish Waters (-20 dB) and British Columbia (-9 dB) with narrower bandwidth. Porpoises therefore reduce their source level in the Wadden Sea under acoustically complex conditions suggesting an avoidance of cluttering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Dähne
- Deutsches Meeresmuseum, Katharinenberg 14-20, 18439 Stralsund, Germany
| | - Tom Bär
- Deutsches Meeresmuseum, Katharinenberg 14-20, 18439 Stralsund, Germany
| | - Anja Gallus
- Deutsches Meeresmuseum, Katharinenberg 14-20, 18439 Stralsund, Germany
| | - Harald Benke
- Deutsches Meeresmuseum, Katharinenberg 14-20, 18439 Stralsund, Germany
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Abstract
AbstractAs Arctic seas rapidly change with increased ocean temperatures and decreased sea ice extent, traditional Arctic marine mammal distributions may be altered, and typically temperate marine mammal species may shift poleward. Extant and seasonal odontocete species on the continental shelves of the Bering and Chukchi Seas include killer whales (Orcinus orca), sperm whales (Physeter microcephalus), beluga whales (Delphiapterus leucas), harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena), and Dall’s porpoises (Phocoenoides dalli). Newly documented, typically temperate odontocete species include Risso’s dolphins (Grampus griseus) and Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens). Until recently, recording constraints limited sampling rates, preventing the acoustic detection of many of these high frequency-producing (> 22 kHz) species in the Arctic seas. Using one of the first long-term datasets to record frequencies up to 50 kHz in these waters, clicks, buzzes, and whistles have been detected, classified, and paired with environmental data to explore which variables best parameterize habitat preference. Typically temperate species were associated temporally with cold Bering Sea Climate Regimes in tandem with negative Pacific Decadal Oscillations. Typically Arctic species’ strongest explanatory variables for distribution were largely species and site specific. Regardless of species, however, the environmental cues (e.g. percent ice cover or zooplankton community structure) marine mammals use for locating viable habitat space are ones that will change as temperatures increase. This 10-year dataset documents the current state and tracks recent dynamics of odontocetes and their habitats along the Pacific Arctic Corridor to contribute to ongoing discussions about future Arctic conditions.
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Coombs EJ, Clavel J, Park T, Churchill M, Goswami A. Wonky whales: the evolution of cranial asymmetry in cetaceans. BMC Biol 2020; 18:86. [PMID: 32646447 PMCID: PMC7350770 DOI: 10.1186/s12915-020-00805-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Unlike most mammals, toothed whale (Odontoceti) skulls lack symmetry in the nasal and facial (nasofacial) region. This asymmetry is hypothesised to relate to echolocation, which may have evolved in the earliest diverging odontocetes. Early cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) such as archaeocetes, namely the protocetids and basilosaurids, have asymmetric rostra, but it is unclear when nasofacial asymmetry evolved during the transition from archaeocetes to modern whales. We used three-dimensional geometric morphometrics and phylogenetic comparative methods to reconstruct the evolution of asymmetry in the skulls of 162 living and extinct cetaceans over 50 million years. RESULTS In archaeocetes, we found asymmetry is prevalent in the rostrum and also in the squamosal, jugal, and orbit, possibly reflecting preservational deformation. Asymmetry in odontocetes is predominant in the nasofacial region. Mysticetes (baleen whales) show symmetry similar to terrestrial artiodactyls such as bovines. The first significant shift in asymmetry occurred in the stem odontocete family Xenorophidae during the Early Oligocene. Further increases in asymmetry occur in the physeteroids in the Late Oligocene, Squalodelphinidae and Platanistidae in the Late Oligocene/Early Miocene, and in the Monodontidae in the Late Miocene/Early Pliocene. Additional episodes of rapid change in odontocete skull asymmetry were found in the Mid-Late Oligocene, a period of rapid evolution and diversification. No high-probability increases or jumps in asymmetry were found in mysticetes or archaeocetes. Unexpectedly, no increases in asymmetry were recovered within the highly asymmetric ziphiids, which may result from the extreme, asymmetric shape of premaxillary crests in these taxa not being captured by landmarks alone. CONCLUSIONS Early ancestors of living whales had little cranial asymmetry and likely were not able to echolocate. Archaeocetes display high levels of asymmetry in the rostrum, potentially related to directional hearing, which is lost in early neocetes-the taxon including the most recent common ancestor of living cetaceans. Nasofacial asymmetry becomes a significant feature of Odontoceti skulls in the Early Oligocene, reaching its highest levels in extant taxa. Separate evolutionary regimes are reconstructed for odontocetes living in acoustically complex environments, suggesting that these niches impose strong selective pressure on echolocation ability and thus increased cranial asymmetry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen J Coombs
- Genetics, Evolution, and Environment Department, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK.
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK.
| | - Julien Clavel
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR 5023 LEHNA, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Travis Park
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3AN, UK
| | - Morgan Churchill
- Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI, 54901, USA
| | - Anjali Goswami
- Genetics, Evolution, and Environment Department, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, Cromwell Road, London, SW7 5BD, UK
- Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
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Macaulay JDJ, Malinka CE, Gillespie D, Madsen PT. High resolution three-dimensional beam radiation pattern of harbour porpoise clicks with implications for passive acoustic monitoring. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 147:4175. [PMID: 32611133 DOI: 10.1121/10.0001376] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The source properties and radiation patterns of animal vocalisations define, along with propagation and noise conditions, the active space in which these vocalisations can be detected by conspecifics, predators, prey, and by passive acoustic monitoring (PAM). This study reports the 4π (360° horizontal and vertical) beam profile of a free-swimming, trained harbour porpoise measured using a 27-element hydrophone array. The forward echolocation beam is highly directional, as predicted by a piston model, and is consistent with previous measurements. However, at off-axis angles greater than ±30°, the beam attenuates more rapidly than the piston model and no side lobes are present. A diffuse back beam is also present with levels about -30 dB relative to the source level. In PAM, up to 50% of detections can be from portions of the beam profile with distorted click spectra, although this drops substantially for higher detection thresholds. Simulations of the probability of acoustically detecting a harbour porpoise show that a traditional piston model can underestimate the probability of detection compared to the actual three-dimensional radiation pattern documented here. This highlights the importance of empirical 4π measurements of beam profiles of toothed whales, both to improve understanding of toothed whale biology and to inform PAM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie D J Macaulay
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, School of Biology, University of Saint Andrews, East Sands, Saint Andrews, Fife, KY16 9LB, United Kingdom
| | - Chloe E Malinka
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Douglas Gillespie
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, School of Biology, University of Saint Andrews, East Sands, Saint Andrews, Fife, KY16 9LB, United Kingdom
| | - Peter T Madsen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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17
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Griffiths ET, Archer F, Rankin S, Keating JL, Keen E, Barlow J, Moore JE. Detection and classification of narrow-band high frequency echolocation clicks from drifting recorders. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 147:3511. [PMID: 32486776 DOI: 10.1121/10.0001229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2019] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In the California Current off the United States West Coast, there are three offshore cetacean species that produce narrow-band high frequency (NBHF) echolocation pulses: Dall's porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli) and two species of Kogia. NBHF pulses exist in a highly specialized acoustic niche thought to be outside the hearing range of killer whales and other potential mammal-eating odontocetes. Very little is known about the dwarf and pygmy sperm whales (K. sima and K. breviceps), including their NBHF pulse characteristics. This paper presents a multivariate clustering method using data from unmanned drifting acoustic recorders and visually verified porpoise recordings to discriminate between probable porpoise and Kogia clicks. Using density clustering, this study finds three distinct clusters whose geographic distributions are consistent with the known habitat range for Kogia and Dall's porpoise. A Random Forest classification model correctly assigned 97% of the clicks to their cluster. Visually verified Dall's porpoise clicks from towed hydrophones were strongly associated with one of the clusters, while a second cluster tended to be outside the geographic range of Dall's porpoise and unlike the Dall's porpoise cluster. These clicks, presumed to be made by Kogia, exhibited greater spectral variance than previous Kogia echolocation studies. It is possible that the structure of Kogia NBHF pulses may not be as stereotypical as previously described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily T Griffiths
- Ocean Associates, Inc., 4007 N Abingdon Street, Arlington, Virginia 22207, USA
| | - Frederick Archer
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, 8901 La Jolla Shores Boulevard, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | - Shannon Rankin
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, 8901 La Jolla Shores Boulevard, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | - Jennifer L Keating
- Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research, University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1000 Pope Road, Marine Sciences Building 312, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA
| | - Eric Keen
- Marine Ecology and Telemetry Research, Seabeck, Washington 98380, USA
| | - Jay Barlow
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, 8901 La Jolla Shores Boulevard, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | - Jeffrey E Moore
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, 8901 La Jolla Shores Boulevard, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
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18
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Yang L, Sharpe M, Temple AJ, Jiddawi N, Xu X, Berggren P. Description and classification of echolocation clicks of Indian Ocean humpback (Sousa plumbea) and Indo-Pacific bottlenose (Tursiops aduncus) dolphins from Menai Bay, Zanzibar, East Africa. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0230319. [PMID: 32168368 PMCID: PMC7069646 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0230319] [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: 09/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is a powerful method to study the occurrence, movement and behavior of echolocating odontocetes (toothed whales) in the wild. However, in areas occupied by more than one species, echolocation clicks need to be classified into species. The present study investigated whether the echolocation clicks produced by small, at-risk, resident sympatric populations of Indian Ocean humpback dolphin (Sousa plumbea) and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus) in Menai Bay, Zanzibar, East Africa, could be classified to allow species specific monitoring. Underwater sounds of S. plumbea and T. aduncus groups were recorded using a SoundTrap 202HF in January and June-August 2015. Eight acoustic parameters, i.e. -10 dB duration, peak, centroid, lower -3 and lower -10 dB frequencies, and -3 dB, -10 dB and root-mean-squared bandwidth, were used to describe and compare the two species’ echolocation clicks. Statistical analyses showed that S. plumbea clicks had significantly higher peak, centroid, lower -3 and lower -10 dB frequencies compared to T. aduncus, whereas duration and bandwidth parameters were similar for the two species. Random Forest (RF) classifiers were applied to determine parameters that could be used to classify the two species from echolocation clicks and achieved 28.6% and 90.2% correct species classification rates for S. plumbea and T. aduncus, respectively. Both species were classified at a higher rate than expected at random, however the identified classifiers would only be useful for T. aduncus monitoring. The frequency and bandwidth parameters provided most power for species classification. Further study is necessary to identify useful classifiers for S. plumbea. This study represents a first step in acoustic description and classification of S. plumbea and T. aduncus in the western Indian Ocean region, with potential application for future acoustic monitoring of species-specific temporal and spatial occurrence in these sympatric species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liangliang Yang
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom
- Key Laboratory of Underwater Acoustic Communication and Marine Information Technology of the Ministry of Education, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Matt Sharpe
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew J. Temple
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom
| | - Narriman Jiddawi
- Institute of Fisheries Research Zanzibar, Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources, Livestock and Fisheries, Zanzibar, Tanzania
| | - Xiaomei Xu
- Key Laboratory of Underwater Acoustic Communication and Marine Information Technology of the Ministry of Education, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
- * E-mail: (XX); (PB)
| | - Per Berggren
- School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (XX); (PB)
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Cosentino M, Guarato F, Tougaard J, Nairn D, Jackson JC, Windmill JFC. Porpoise click classifier (PorCC): A high-accuracy classifier to study harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) in the wild. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2019; 145:3427. [PMID: 31255141 DOI: 10.1121/1.5110908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2019] [Accepted: 05/20/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Harbour porpoises are well-suited for passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) as they produce highly stereotyped narrow-band high-frequency (NBHF) echolocation clicks. PAM systems must be coupled with a classification algorithm to identify the signals of interest. Here, the authors present a harbour porpoise click classifier (PorCC) developed in matlab, which uses the coefficients of two logistic regression models in a decision-making pathway to assign candidate signals to one of three categories: high-quality clicks (HQ), low-quality clicks (LQ), or high-frequency noise. The receiver operating characteristics of PorCC was compared to that of PAMGuard's Porpoise Click Detector/Classifier Module. PorCC outperformed PAMGuard's classifier achieving higher hit rates (correctly classified clicks) and lower false alarm levels (noise classified as HQ or LQ clicks). Additionally, the detectability index (d') for HQ clicks for PAMGuard was 2.2 (overall d' = 2.0) versus 4.1 for PorCC (overall d' = 3.4). PorCC classification algorithm is a rapid and highly accurate method to classify NBHF clicks, which could be applied for real time monitoring, as well as to study harbour porpoises, and potentially other NBHF species, throughout their distribution range from data collected using towed hydrophones or static recorders. Moreover, PorCC is suitable for studies of acoustic communication of porpoises.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mel Cosentino
- Bioacoustics Group, Centre for Ultrasonic Engineering, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, 99 George Street, G1 1RD Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Francesco Guarato
- Bioacoustics Group, Centre for Ultrasonic Engineering, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, 99 George Street, G1 1RD Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Jakob Tougaard
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark
| | - David Nairn
- Clyde Porpoise CIC, 1-1 Allanton Park Terrace, KA29 0AW Fairlie, United Kingdom
| | - Joseph C Jackson
- Bioacoustics Group, Centre for Ultrasonic Engineering, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, 99 George Street, G1 1RD Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - James F C Windmill
- Bioacoustics Group, Centre for Ultrasonic Engineering, Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University of Strathclyde, 99 George Street, G1 1RD Glasgow, United Kingdom
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20
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Galatius A, Olsen MT, Steeman ME, Racicot RA, Bradshaw CD, Kyhn LA, Miller LA. Raising your voice: evolution of narrow-band high-frequency signals in toothed whales (Odontoceti). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly194] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Anders Galatius
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Morten Tange Olsen
- Evolutionary Genomics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen O, Denmark
| | | | - Rachel A Racicot
- W. M. Keck Science Department, Claremont McKenna, Pitzer, and Scripps Colleges, Claremont, CA, USA
- The Dinosaur Institute, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Catherine D Bradshaw
- School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
- Met Office Hadley Centre, Exeter, UK
| | - Line A Kyhn
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - Lee A Miller
- Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
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21
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Jensen FH, Johnson M, Ladegaard M, Wisniewska DM, Madsen PT. Narrow Acoustic Field of View Drives Frequency Scaling in Toothed Whale Biosonar. Curr Biol 2018; 28:3878-3885.e3. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.10.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Revised: 09/12/2018] [Accepted: 10/12/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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22
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Nuuttila HK, Brundiers K, Dähne M, Koblitz JC, Thomas L, Courtene‐Jones W, Evans PGH, Turner JR, Bennell JD, Hiddink JG. Estimating effective detection area of static passive acoustic data loggers from playback experiments with cetacean vocalisations. Methods Ecol Evol 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hanna K. Nuuttila
- SEACAMS Department of BiosciencesUniversity of Swansea Swansea UK
- School of Ocean SciencesUniversity of BangorMenai Bridge Anglesey Wales
| | | | | | - Jens C. Koblitz
- German Oceanographic Museum Stralsund Germany
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
- Department of Collective BehaviourMax Planck Institute for Ornithology Konstanz Germany
| | - Len Thomas
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental ModellingUniversity of St Andrews St Andrews Scotland
| | | | | | - John R. Turner
- School of Ocean SciencesUniversity of BangorMenai Bridge Anglesey Wales
| | - Jim D. Bennell
- School of Ocean SciencesUniversity of BangorMenai Bridge Anglesey Wales
| | - Jan G. Hiddink
- School of Ocean SciencesUniversity of BangorMenai Bridge Anglesey Wales
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23
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Click emission in Dall's porpoise Phocoenoides dalli, focusing on physical properties of tissues. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0202426. [PMID: 30216345 PMCID: PMC6138359 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2018] [Accepted: 08/02/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Dall's porpoise (Phocoenoides dalli) is one of most common North Pacific porpoise species, for which information on sound-emitting processes is limited. To evaluate the mechanism of click emission in the head of this porpoise, the distribution of acoustic impedance in head tissues was calculated using density and Young's modulus'which is a measure of linear resistance to linear compression. Two Dall's porpoise heads were examined: one for macroscopic dissection, and one for investigating the distribution of acoustic impedance calculated from CT-measured density, and Young's modulus measured by creep meter. Acoustic impedance increased from the dorsal bursae to the melon's emitting surface, with impedance matching observed at the boundary between the emitting surface and seawater, and was more similar in distribution to Young's modulus than it was to density. The distribution of acoustic impedance differed from that of harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), despite similarities in the sound-producing organs in the heads of Dall's and harbor porpoises. A comparison of the physical properties of Dall's and harbor porpoise head tissues suggests that hypertrophic vestibular sacs and an oval emitting surface are common characteristics in Phocoenidae.
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24
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Fleming AH, Yack T, Redfern JV, Becker EA, Moore TJ, Barlow J. Combining acoustic and visual detections in habitat models of Dall’s porpoise. Ecol Modell 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2018.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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25
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Martin MJ, Gridley T, Elwen SH, Jensen FH. Heaviside's dolphins ( Cephalorhynchus heavisidii) relax acoustic crypsis to increase communication range. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.1178. [PMID: 30051842 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The costs of predation may exert significant pressure on the mode of communication used by an animal, and many species balance the benefits of communication (e.g. mate attraction) against the potential risk of predation. Four groups of toothed whales have independently evolved narrowband high-frequency (NBHF) echolocation signals. These signals help NBHF species avoid predation through acoustic crypsis by echolocating and communicating at frequencies inaudible to predators such as mammal-eating killer whales. Heaviside's dolphins (Cephalorhynchus heavisidii) are thought to exclusively produce NBHF echolocation clicks with a centroid frequency around 125 kHz and little to no energy below 100 kHz. To test this, we recorded wild Heaviside's dolphins in a sheltered bay in Namibia. We demonstrate that Heaviside's dolphins produce a second type of click with lower frequency and broader bandwidth in a frequency range that is audible to killer whales. These clicks are used in burst-pulses and occasional click series but not foraging buzzes. We evaluate three different hypotheses and conclude that the most likely benefit of these clicks is to decrease transmission directivity and increase conspecific communication range. The expected increase in active space depends on background noise but ranges from 2.5 (Wenz Sea State 6) to 5 times (Wenz Sea State 1) the active space of NBHF signals. This dual click strategy therefore allows these social dolphins to maintain acoustic crypsis during navigation and foraging, and to selectively relax their crypsis to facilitate communication with conspecifics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Morgan J Martin
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, c/o Sea Search Research and Conservation NPC, 4 Bath Rd, Cape Town 7945, South Africa
| | - Tess Gridley
- Centre for Statistics in Ecology, Environment and Conservation, Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, c/o Sea Search Research and Conservation NPC, 4 Bath Rd, Cape Town 7945, South Africa
| | - Simon H Elwen
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, c/o Sea Search Research and Conservation NPC, 4 Bath Rd, Cape Town 7945, South Africa
| | - Frants H Jensen
- Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.,Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Rd, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
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Sørensen PM, Wisniewska DM, Jensen FH, Johnson M, Teilmann J, Madsen PT. Click communication in wild harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena). Sci Rep 2018; 8:9702. [PMID: 29946073 PMCID: PMC6018799 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-28022-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2018] [Accepted: 06/13/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Social delphinids employ a vocal repertoire of clicks for echolocation and whistles for communication. Conversely, the less social and acoustically cryptic harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) only produce narrow-band high-frequency (NBHF) clicks with properties that appear poorly suited for communication. Nevertheless, these small odontocetes likely mediate social interactions, such as mate choice and mother-calf contact, with sound. Here, we deployed six tags (DTAG3) on wild porpoises in Danish waters for a total of 96 hours to investigate if the patterns and use of stereotyped NBHF click trains are consistent with a communication function. We show that wild porpoises produce frequent (up to 27 • min-1), high-repetition rate click series with repetition rates and output levels different from those of foraging buzzes. These sounds are produced in bouts and frequently co-occur with emission of similar sounds by nearby conspecifics, audible on the tags for >10% of the time. These results suggest that social interactions are more important to this species than their limited social encounters at the surface may indicate and that these interactions are mediated by at least two broad categories of calls composed of short, high-repetition rate click trains that may encode information via the repetition rate of their stereotyped NBHF clicks.
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Affiliation(s)
- P M Sørensen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, C.F. Moellers Allé 3, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.
| | - D M Wisniewska
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, C.F. Moellers Allé 3, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.,Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, 120 Ocean View Blvd, Pacific Grove, CA, 93950, USA
| | - F H Jensen
- Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, DK, Høegh-Guldbergs Gade 6b, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - M Johnson
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, C.F. Moellers Allé 3, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.,Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 8LB, United Kingdom
| | - J Teilmann
- Marine Mammal Research, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Frederiksborgvej 399, 4000, Roskilde, Denmark
| | - P T Madsen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, C.F. Moellers Allé 3, DK-8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.,Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, DK, Høegh-Guldbergs Gade 6b, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
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27
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Song Z, Zhang Y, Thornton SW, Li S, Dong J. The influence of air-filled structures on wave propagation and beam formation of a pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) in horizontal and vertical planes. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2017; 142:2443. [PMID: 29092606 DOI: 10.1121/1.5008855] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The wave propagation, sound field, and transmission beam pattern of a pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) were investigated in both the horizontal and vertical planes. Results suggested that the signals obtained at both planes were similarly characterized with a high peak frequency and a relatively narrow bandwidth, close to the ones recorded from live animals. The sound beam measured outside the head in the vertical plane was narrower than that of the horizontal one. Cases with different combinations of air-filled structures in both planes were used to study the respective roles in controlling wave propagation and beam formation. The wave propagations and beam patterns in the horizontal and vertical planes elucidated the important reflection effect of the spermaceti and vocal chambers on sound waves, which was highly significant in forming intensive forward sound beams. The air-filled structures, the forehead soft tissues and skull structures formed wave guides in these two planes for emitted sounds to propagate forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhongchang Song
- Key Laboratory of Underwater Acoustic Communication and Marine Information Technology of the Ministry of Education, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Underwater Acoustic Communication and Marine Information Technology of the Ministry of Education, College of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Xiamen University, Xiamen 361005, People's Republic of China
| | - Steven W Thornton
- Coastwise Consulting, Inc. 173 Virgina Avenue, Athens, Georgia 30601, USA
| | - Songhai Li
- Sanya Key Laboratory of Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics, Sanya Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, People's Republic of China
| | - Jianchen Dong
- Sanya Key Laboratory of Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics, Sanya Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, People's Republic of China
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Fang L, Wu Y, Wang K, Pine MK, Wang D, Li S. The echolocation transmission beam of free-ranging Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis). THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2017; 142:771. [PMID: 28863578 PMCID: PMC5552390 DOI: 10.1121/1.4996499] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2016] [Revised: 07/02/2017] [Accepted: 07/14/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
While the transmission beam of odontocetes has been described in a number of studies, the majority of them that have measured the transmission beam in two dimensions were focused on captive animals. Within the current study, a dedicated cross hydrophone array with nine elements was used to investigate the echolocation transmission beam of free-ranging Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins. A total of 265 on-axis clicks were analyzed, from which the apparent peak to peak source levels ranged between 168 to 207 dB (mean 184.5 dB ± 6.6 dB). The 3-dB beam width along the horizontal and vertical plane was 9.6° and 7.4°, respectively. Measured separately, the directivity index of the horizontal and vertical plane was 12.6 and 13.5 dB, respectively, and the overall directivity index (both planes combined) was 29.5 dB. The beam shape was slightly asymmetrical along the horizontal and vertical axis. Compared to other species, the characteristics of the transmitting beam of Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins were relatively close to the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), likely due to the similarity in the peak frequency and waveform of echolocation clicks and comparable body sizes of the two species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Fang
- South China Sea Bio-Resource Exploitation and Utilization Collaborative Innovation Center, Zhuhai Key Lab of Marine Bioresource and Environment, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510275, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuping Wu
- South China Sea Bio-Resource Exploitation and Utilization Collaborative Innovation Center, Zhuhai Key Lab of Marine Bioresource and Environment, Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Resources and Coastal Engineering, School of Marine Sciences, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510275, People's Republic of China
| | - Kexiong Wang
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China
| | - Matthew K Pine
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China
| | - Ding Wang
- The Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, People's Republic of China
| | - Songhai Li
- Sanya Key Laboratory of Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics, Sanya Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya 572000, People's Republic of China
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Macaulay J, Gordon J, Gillespie D, Malinka C, Northridge S. Passive acoustic methods for fine-scale tracking of harbour porpoises in tidal rapids. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2017; 141:1120. [PMID: 28253702 DOI: 10.1121/1.4976077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The growing interest in generating electrical power from tidal currents using tidal turbine generators raises a number of environmental concerns, including the risk that marine mammals might be injured or killed through collision with rotating turbine blades. To understand this risk, information on how marine mammals use tidal rapid habitats and in particular, their underwater movements and dive behaviour is required. Porpoises, which are the most abundant small cetacean at most European tidal sites, are difficult animals to tag, and the limited size of tidal habitats means that any telemetered animal would be likely to spend only a small proportion of time within them. Here, an alternative approach is explored, whereby passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is used to obtain fine scale geo-referenced tracks of harbour porpoises in tidal rapid areas. Large aperture hydrophone arrays are required to obtain accurate locations of animals from PAM data and automated algorithms are necessary to process the large quantities of acoustic data collected on such systems during a typical survey. Methods to automate localisation, including a method to match porpoise detections on different hydrophones and separate different vocalising animals, and an assessment of the localisation accuracy of the large aperture hydrophone array are presented.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Macaulay
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, Institiud Chuantan na h-Alba, University of St. Andrews, Gatty Marine Laboratory, East Sands, St. Andrews KY16 8LB, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan Gordon
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, Institiud Chuantan na h-Alba, University of St. Andrews, Gatty Marine Laboratory, East Sands, St. Andrews KY16 8LB, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Douglas Gillespie
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, Institiud Chuantan na h-Alba, University of St. Andrews, Gatty Marine Laboratory, East Sands, St. Andrews KY16 8LB, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Chloë Malinka
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, Institiud Chuantan na h-Alba, University of St. Andrews, Gatty Marine Laboratory, East Sands, St. Andrews KY16 8LB, Scotland, United Kingdom
| | - Simon Northridge
- Sea Mammal Research Unit, Scottish Oceans Institute, Institiud Chuantan na h-Alba, University of St. Andrews, Gatty Marine Laboratory, East Sands, St. Andrews KY16 8LB, Scotland, United Kingdom
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Koblitz JC, Stilz P, Rasmussen MH, Laidre KL. Highly Directional Sonar Beam of Narwhals (Monodon monoceros) Measured with a Vertical 16 Hydrophone Array. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0162069. [PMID: 27828956 PMCID: PMC5102362 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162069] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Accepted: 08/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Recordings of narwhal (Monodon monoceros) echolocation signals were made using a linear 16 hydrophone array in the pack ice of Baffin Bay, West Greenland in 2013 at eleven sites. An average -3 dB beam width of 5.0° makes the narwhal click the most directional biosonar signal reported for any species to date. The beam shows a dorsal-ventral asymmetry with a narrower beam above the beam axis. This may be an evolutionary advantage for toothed whales to reduce echoes from the water surface or sea ice surface. Source level measurements show narwhal click intensities of up to 222 dB pp re 1 μPa, with a mean apparent source level of 215 dB pp re 1 μPa. During ascents and descents the narwhals perform scanning in the vertical plane with their sonar beam. This study provides valuable information for reference sonar parameters of narwhals and for the use of acoustic monitoring in the Arctic.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Kristin L. Laidre
- Polar Science Center, Applied Physics Laboratory, University of Washington, Seattle, United States of America
- * E-mail: (JCK); (KLL)
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31
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Ladegaard M, Jensen FH, de Freitas M, Ferreira da Silva VM, Madsen PT. Amazon river dolphins (Inia geoffrensis) use a high-frequency short-range biosonar. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2016; 218:3091-101. [PMID: 26447198 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.120501] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Toothed whales produce echolocation clicks with source parameters related to body size; however, it may be equally important to consider the influence of habitat, as suggested by studies on echolocating bats. A few toothed whale species have fully adapted to river systems, where sonar operation is likely to result in higher clutter and reverberation levels than those experienced by most toothed whales at sea because of the shallow water and dense vegetation. To test the hypothesis that habitat shapes the evolution of toothed whale biosonar parameters by promoting simpler auditory scenes to interpret in acoustically complex habitats, echolocation clicks of wild Amazon river dolphins were recorded using a vertical seven-hydrophone array. We identified 404 on-axis biosonar clicks having a mean SLpp of 190.3 ± 6.1 dB re. 1 µPa, mean SLEFD of 132.1 ± 6.0 dB re. 1 µPa(2)s, mean Fc of 101.2 ± 10.5 kHz, mean BWRMS of 29.3 ± 4.3 kHz and mean ICI of 35.1 ± 17.9 ms. Piston fit modelling resulted in an estimated half-power beamwidth of 10.2 deg (95% CI: 9.6-10.5 deg) and directivity index of 25.2 dB (95% CI: 24.9-25.7 dB). These results support the hypothesis that river-dwelling toothed whales operate their biosonars at lower amplitude and higher sampling rates than similar-sized marine species without sacrificing high directivity, in order to provide high update rates in acoustically complex habitats and simplify auditory scenes through reduced clutter and reverberation levels. We conclude that habitat, along with body size, is an important evolutionary driver of source parameters in toothed whale biosonars.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Ladegaard
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark
| | - Frants Havmand Jensen
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Mafalda de Freitas
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark
| | | | - Peter Teglberg Madsen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit, School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australia
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32
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Finneran JJ, Mulsow J, Branstetter B, Moore P, Houser DS. Nearfield and farfield measurements of dolphin echolocation beam patterns: No evidence of focusing. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2016; 140:1346. [PMID: 27586761 DOI: 10.1121/1.4961015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
The potential for bottlenose dolphins to actively focus their biosonar transmissions was examined by measuring emitted clicks in four dolphins using horizontal, planar hydrophone arrays. Two hydrophone configurations were used: a rectangular array with hydrophones 0.2 to 2 m from the dolphins and a polar array with hydrophones 0.5 to 5 m from the dolphins. The biosonar task was a target change detection utilizing physical targets at ranges from 1.3 to 6.3 m with all subjects and "phantom" targets at simulated ranges from 2.5 to 20 m with two subjects. To provide a basis for evaluating the experimental data, sound fields radiated from flat and focused circular pistons were mathematically simulated using transient excitation functions similar to dolphin clicks. The array measurements showed no evidence that the dolphins adaptively focused their click emissions; axial amplitudes and iso-amplitude contours matched the pattern of the simulation results for flat transducers and showed a single region of maximum amplitude, beyond which spherical spreading loss was approximated.
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Affiliation(s)
- James J Finneran
- U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Pacific, Code 71510, 53560 Hull Street, San Diego, California 92152, USA
| | - Jason Mulsow
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive, #200, San Diego, California 92106, USA
| | - Brian Branstetter
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive, #200, San Diego, California 92106, USA
| | - Patrick Moore
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive, #200, San Diego, California 92106, USA
| | - Dorian S Houser
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive, #200, San Diego, California 92106, USA
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Castellote M, Small RJ, Lammers MO, Jenniges JJ, Mondragon J, Atkinson S. Dual instrument passive acoustic monitoring of belugas in Cook Inlet, Alaska. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2016; 139:2697. [PMID: 27250163 DOI: 10.1121/1.4947427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
As part of a long-term research program, Cook Inlet beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) presence was acoustically monitored with two types of acoustic sensors utilized in tandem in moorings deployed year-round: an ecological acoustic recorder (EAR) and a cetacean and porpoise detector (C-POD). The EAR was used primarily to record the calls, whistles, and buzzes produced by belugas and killer whales (Orcinus orca). The C-POD was used to log and classify echolocation clicks from belugas, killer whales, and porpoises. This paper describes mooring packages that maximized the chances of successful long-term data collection in the particularly challenging Cook Inlet environment, and presents an analytical comparison of odontocete detections obtained by the collocated EAR and C-POD instruments from two mooring locations in the upper inlet. Results from this study illustrate a significant improvement in detecting beluga and killer whale presence when the different acoustic signals detected by EARs and C-PODs are considered together. Further, results from concurrent porpoise detections indicating prey competition and feeding interference with beluga, and porpoise displacement due to ice formation are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuel Castellote
- National Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 7600 Sand Point Way Northeast, Seattle, Washington 98115, USA
| | - Robert J Small
- Division of Wildlife Conservation, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 1255 West 8th Street, Juneau, Alaska 99811, USA
| | - Marc O Lammers
- Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology, University of Hawaii, 46-007 Lilipuna Road, Kaneohe, Hawaii 96744, USA
| | - Justin J Jenniges
- Division of Wildlife Conservation, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 1255 West 8th Street, Juneau, Alaska 99811, USA
| | - Jeff Mondragon
- Division of Wildlife Conservation, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 1255 West 8th Street, Juneau, Alaska 99811, USA
| | - Shannon Atkinson
- School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, 17101 Point Lena Loop Road, Juneau, Alaska 99801, USA
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The Source Parameters of Echolocation Clicks from Captive and Free-Ranging Yangtze Finless Porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis). PLoS One 2015; 10:e0129143. [PMID: 26053758 PMCID: PMC4459872 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0129143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2015] [Accepted: 05/04/2015] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The clicks of Yangtze finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis) from 7 individuals in the tank of Baiji aquarium, 2 individuals in a netted pen at Shishou Tian-e-zhou Reserve and 4 free-ranging individuals at Tianxingzhou were recorded using a broadband digital recording system with four element hydrophones. The peak-to-peak apparent source level (ASL_pp) of clicks from individuals at the Baiji aquarium was 167 dB re 1 μPa with mean center frequency of 133 kHz, -3dB bandwidth of 18 kHz and -10 dB duration of 58 μs. The ASL_pp of clicks from individuals at the Shishou Tian-e-zhou Reserve was 180 dB re 1 μPa with mean center frequency of 128 kHz, -3dB bandwidth of 20 kHz and -10 dB duration of 39 μs. The ASL_pp of clicks from individuals at Tianxingzhou was 176 dB re 1 μPa with mean center frequency of 129 kHz, -3dB bandwidth of 15 kHz and -10 dB duration of 48 μs. Differences between the source parameters of clicks among the three groups of finless porpoises suggest these animals adapt to their echolocation signals depending on their surroundings.
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35
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de Freitas M, Jensen FH, Tyne J, Bejder L, Madsen PT. Echolocation parameters of Australian humpback dolphins (Sousa sahulensis) and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) in the wild. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2015; 137:3033-41. [PMID: 26093395 DOI: 10.1121/1.4921277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Echolocation is a key sensory modality for toothed whale orientation, navigation, and foraging. However, a more comparative understanding of the biosonar properties of toothed whales is necessary to understand behavioral and evolutionary adaptions. To address this, two free-ranging sympatric delphinid species, Australian humpback dolphins (Sousa sahulensis) and Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus), were studied. Biosonar clicks from both species were recorded within the same stretch of coastal habitat in Exmouth Gulf, Western Australia, using a vertical seven element hydrophone array. S. sahulensis used biosonar clicks with a mean source level of 199 ± 3 dB re 1 μPa peak-peak (pp), mean centroid frequency of 106 ± 11 kHz, and emitted at interclick intervals (ICIs) of 79 ± 33 ms. These parameters were similar to click parameters of sympatric T. aduncus, characterized by mean source levels of 204 ± 4 dB re 1 μPa pp, centroid frequency of 112 ± 9 kHz, and ICIs of 73 ± 29 ms. These properties are comparable to those of other similar sized delphinids and suggest that biosonar parameters are independent of sympatric delphinids and possibly driven by body size. The dynamic biosonar behavior of these delphinids may have, consequently, allowed for adaptations to local environments through high levels of control over sonar beam properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mafalda de Freitas
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Building 1131, C.F. Moellers Alle 3, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Frants H Jensen
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA
| | - Julian Tyne
- Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit, School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australia
| | - Lars Bejder
- Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit, School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australia
| | - Peter T Madsen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Building 1131, C.F. Moellers Alle 3, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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36
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Jensen FH, Wahlberg M, Beedholm K, Johnson M, Soto NA, Madsen PT. Single-click beam patterns suggest dynamic changes to the field of view of echolocating Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) in the wild. J Exp Biol 2015; 218:1314-24. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.116285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2014] [Accepted: 02/23/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Echolocating animals exercise an extensive control over the spectral and temporal properties of their biosonar signals to facilitate perception of their actively generated auditory scene when homing in on prey. The intensity and directionality of the biosonar beam defines the field of view of echolocating animals by affecting the acoustic detection range and angular coverage. However, the spatial relationship between an echolocating predator and its prey changes rapidly, resulting in different biosonar requirements throughout prey pursuit and capture. Here we measured single click beam patterns using a parametric fit procedure to test whether free-ranging Atlantic spotted dolphins (Stenella frontalis) modify their biosonar beamwidth. We recorded echolocation clicks using a linear array of receivers and estimated the beamwidth of individual clicks using a parametric spectral fit, cross-validated with well-established composite beam pattern estimates. The dolphins apparently increased the biosonar beamwidth, to a large degree without changing the signal frequency, when they approached the recording array. This is comparable to bats that also expand their field of view during prey capture, but achieve this by decreasing biosonar frequency. This behaviour may serve to decrease the risk that rapid escape movements of prey take them outside the biosonar beam of the predator. It is likely that shared sensory requirements have resulted in bats and toothed whales expanding their acoustic field of view at close range to increase the likelihood of successfully acquiring prey using echolocation, representing a case of convergent evolution of echolocation behaviour between these two taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frants H. Jensen
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
- Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA 02543, USA
| | - Magnus Wahlberg
- Fjord&Bælt, Margrethes Plads 1, 5300 Kerteminde, Denmark
- Marine Biological Research Center, University of Southern Denmark, Hindsholmsvej 11, 5300 Kerteminde, Denmark
| | - Kristian Beedholm
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Mark Johnson
- Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 8LB, United Kingdom
| | - Natacha Aguilar Soto
- Scottish Oceans Institute, University of St. Andrews, Fife, KY16 8LB, United Kingdom
- BIOECOMAC, Dept. Animal Biology, International Campus of Excellence, La Laguna University, La Laguna 38206, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Peter T. Madsen
- Zoophysiology, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark
- Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit, School of Veterinary and Life Sciences, Murdoch University, South Street, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australia
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