Assessing auditory evoked potentials of wild harbor porpoises (<i>Phocoena phocoena</i>)

Ruser, Andreas; Dähne, Michael; Neer, Abbo van; Lücke, Klaus; Sundermeyer, Janne; Siebert, Ursula; Houser, Dorian S.; Finneran, James J.; Everaarts, Eligius; Meerbeek, Jolanda; Dietz, Runé; Sveegaard, Signe; Teilmann, Jonas

doi:10.1121/1.4955306

Cited by 19 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 42 publications

(64 reference statements)

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“…Pygmy sperm whales and harbor porpoises are very high frequency specialists. Pygmy sperm whales have a maximum of hearing sensitivity between 90 and 150 kHz (Ridgway & Carder, 2001) and harbor porpoises between 120 and 130 kHz (Kastelein, Helder‐Hoek, & van de Voorde, 2017; Ruser et al, 2016). Conversely, belugas are more sensitive to lower frequencies ranging from 45 to 80 kHz (Mooney et al, 2018).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cochlear apical morphology in toothed whales: Using the pairing hair cell—Deiters' cell as a marker to detect lesions

IJsseldijk

Piscitelli-Doshkov

Ostertag

et al. 2021

The Anatomical Record

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The apex or apical region of the cochlear spiral within the inner ear encodes for low‐frequency sounds. The disposition of sensory hair cells on the organ of Corti is largely variable in the apical region of mammals, and it does not necessarily follow the typical three‐row pattern of outer hair cells (OHCs). As most underwater noise sources contain low‐frequency components, we expect to find most lesions in the apical region of the cochlea of toothed whales, in cases of permanent noise‐induced hearing loss. To further understand how man‐made noise might affect cetacean hearing, there is a need to describe normal morphological features of the apex and document interspecific anatomic variations in cetaceans. However, distinguishing between apical normal variability and hair cell death is challenging. We describe anatomical features of the organ of Corti of the apex in 23 ears from five species of toothed whales (harbor porpoise Phocoena phocoena, spinner dolphin Stenella longirostris, pantropical spotted dolphin Stenella attenuata, pygmy sperm whale Kogia breviceps, and beluga whale Delphinapterus leucas) by scanning electron microscopy and immunofluorescence. Our results showed an initial region where the lowest frequencies are encoded with two or three rows of OHCs, followed by the typical configuration of three OHC rows and three rows of supporting Deiters' cells. Whenever two rows of OHCs were detected, there were usually only two corresponding rows of supporting Deiters' cells, suggesting that the number of rows of Deiters' cells is a good indicator to distinguish between normal and pathological features.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cochlear apical morphology in toothed whales: Using the pairing hair cell—Deiters' cell as a marker to detect lesions

IJsseldijk

Piscitelli-Doshkov

Ostertag

et al. 2021

The Anatomical Record

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“…Although we did not perform hearing tests (audiograms) on the captured individuals to keep the handling period and potential discomfort to a minimum, all five individuals were subjectively scored to be in good physical condition and large enough for tagging (minimum 120 cm standard length, table 1 ). We thus assumed the hearing abilities of the individuals were also good, as is generally the case for wild porpoises in this area [ 37 ]. Each individual porpoise was fitted with a custom-built ‘V-tag’ (electronic supplementary material, figure S2B) containing a very high frequency (VHF) radio transmitter (ATS, Isanti, MN, USA), an ARGOS transmitter (SPOT5, Wildlife Computers, Redmond, WA, USA), a Fastloc Global Positioning System (GPS) unit (F5G 133A, Sirtrack, Havelock North, New Zealand) and a time--depth recorder (TDR-unit; Lat1800ST, Lotek, Ontario, Canada or DST F-milli, StarOddi, Reykjavik, Iceland).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fine-scale movement responses of free-ranging harbour porpoises to capture, tagging and short-term noise pulses from a single airgun

Beest¹,

Teilmann²,

Hermannsen³

et al. 2018

R. Soc. open sci.

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Knowledge about the impact of anthropogenic disturbances on the behavioural responses of cetaceans is constrained by lack of data on fine-scale movements of individuals. We equipped five free-ranging harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) with high-resolution location and dive loggers and exposed them to a single 10 inch3 underwater airgun producing high-intensity noise pulses (2–3 s intervals) for 1 min. All five porpoises responded to capture and tagging with longer, faster and more directed movements as well as with shorter, shallower, less wiggly dives immediately after release, with natural behaviour resumed in less than or equal to 24 h. When we exposed porpoises to airgun pulses at ranges of 420–690 m with noise level estimates of 135–147 dB re 1 µPa2s (sound exposure level), one individual displayed rapid and directed movements away from the exposure site and two individuals used shorter and shallower dives compared to natural behaviour immediately after exposure. Noise-induced movement typically lasted for less than or equal to 8 h with an additional 24 h recovery period until natural behaviour was resumed. The remaining individuals did not show any quantifiable responses to the noise exposure. Changes in natural behaviour following anthropogenic disturbances may reduce feeding opportunities, and evaluating potential population-level consequences should be a priority research area.

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“…Hearing thresholds were determined by measuring auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) of the brainstem, a commonly used non-invasive electrophysiological technique (Nachtigall et al, 2016;Ruser et al, 2016;Schaffeld et al, 2019). AEPs were recorded by silver plated electrodes, gently attached to the body surface by suction cups, while the animals hearing was stimulated.…”

Section: Effects On Hearing Thresholdsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Harbor porpoise hearing at 28 kHz is better than at 500 to 800 Hz. Differences between hearing thresholds account for approximately 40 dB (Kastelein et al, 2002;Ruser et al, 2016). In the absence of an empirically derived effective quiet threshold, we defined instead a threshold which is "still higher than effective quiet threshold" (SHEQ) as a proxy.…”

Section: Simulation Of Received Levels Of Travelling Harbor Porpoises...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our results demonstrate that the risk for TTS is highest in a comparably small area up to 74 m from the source. Due to the porpoises' good hearing abilities at 28 kHz (Kastelein et al, 2002;Ruser et al, 2016), the flowmeter signals might be heard from larger distances and could keep animals at a distance from the sound source. Travelling harbor porpoises could possibly choose to travel in the middle of the Elbe River when passing the flowmeter.…”

Section: Management Approach For Noise Mitigationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Result of Accidental Noise Pollution: Acoustic Flowmeters Emit 28 kHz Pulses That May Affect Harbor Porpoise Hearing

et al. 2022

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Large rivers like the Elbe or the Weser are periodically entered by harbor porpoises of the North Sea. They may even move 97 km upstream to the port of Hamburg, where their presence is highest in spring. This migration is believed to be related to important anadromous prey species travelling upstream for spawning. An acoustic flowmeter in the port of Hamburg emits signals in the hearing range of harbor porpoises. The pulses have a duration of 0.2 ms, a peak frequency of 28 kHz, a source level of 210 dB re 1 µPa and an inter-pulse interval of 4.2 s. The signals are continuously emitted from both sides of the river at a location where the river is 400 m wide. We evaluated the potential of these signals to induce temporary threshold shift (TTS) in harbor porpoise hearing. Hearing tests with a harbor porpoise in human care were conducted to determine TTS onset. We modelled the acoustic field based on underwater noise measurements. The acoustic flowmeters emit pulses in a highly directional beam with a source level high enough for inducing TTS in harbor porpoises by a single exposure up to a distance of approximately 72 m. The received cumulative sound exposure levels for harbor porpoises travelling along the flowmeters are mainly dependent on the timing and distance to the sound source. Accordingly, a close approach to the flowmeter at the time of transmission should be prevented. This could be the case, if vessels force harbor porpoises to displace closer to the flowmeters. We therefore suggest to decrease acoustic flowmeter source levels. This case study emphasizes the need for a mandatory authorization process prior to the use of underwater sound for any purpose with potential effects on aquatic life. Such an authorization process should carefully consider potential effects for target and non-target species.

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Assessing auditory evoked potentials of wild harbor porpoises (Phocoena phocoena)

Cited by 19 publications

References 42 publications

Cochlear apical morphology in toothed whales: Using the pairing hair cell—Deiters' cell as a marker to detect lesions

Cochlear apical morphology in toothed whales: Using the pairing hair cell—Deiters' cell as a marker to detect lesions

Fine-scale movement responses of free-ranging harbour porpoises to capture, tagging and short-term noise pulses from a single airgun

A Result of Accidental Noise Pollution: Acoustic Flowmeters Emit 28 kHz Pulses That May Affect Harbor Porpoise Hearing

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