Humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae alter calling behavior in response to natural sounds and vessel noise

Fournet, Michelle E. H.; Matthews, Leanna P.; Gabriele, Christine M.; Haver, Samara M.; Mellinger, David K.; Klinck, Holger

doi:10.3354/meps12784

Cited by 60 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…For vocal primates such as gibbons, morning vocalizations are a fundamental component of their behavior, and quantifying variation in calling behavior has important implications for understanding their ecology and for conservation. Although common in studies of behavior in marine mammals 56 , the use of PAM in primates has been limited, and the majority of studies relying on autonomous acoustic monitoring of primates have focused mostly on occurrence or presence/absence of calling animals 57,58 , and less on the potential for PAM to improve our understanding of primate behavior (but see 59 ). With the improvements in battery-life and data storage capabilities, the use of autonomous recorders has the potential to revolutionize how we study the social behavior of vocal animals 60 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gibbons aren’t singing in the rain: presence and amount of rainfall influences ape calling behavior in Sabah, Malaysia

Clink

Ahmad

Klinck

2020

Sci Rep

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Early morning calling occurs across diverse taxa, which may be related to optimal conditions for sound transmission. There exists substantial inter-and intra-specific variation in calling time which is influenced by intrinsic, social and/or environmental factors. Here, we investigate environmental predictors of calling in gibbons. We hypothesized that male solos-which occur earlier and tend to be longer than duets-would be more influenced by environmental variables, if earlier, longer calling bouts are energetically costly, and therefore limited by overnight energy expenditure. Our top model for male solo events included amount of rain in the previous 24 hours, and explained 30% of the variance, whereas the top model for duet events (which included presence and amount of rainfall) explained only 5% of the variance. Rain the previous night led to a later start time of male solos (~30 minutes), but our top model for duet start time did not include any reliable predictors. Male solo events appear to be more influenced by environmental factors, and duets may be influenced more by social factors. Our results are in line with previous studies that show that changes in overnight conditions-which may alter energy expenditure-can influence early morning calling behavior.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gibbons aren’t singing in the rain: presence and amount of rainfall influences ape calling behavior in Sabah, Malaysia

Clink

Ahmad

Klinck

2020

Sci Rep

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“…The most extensively studied species is the humpback whale. Humpback whales in Glacier Bay National Park, AK, United States of America, are prone to high noise exposures from tourism vessels and have been shown to increase the amplitude of their vocalizations by 0.8 dB for every 1.0 dB increase in ambient noise, while vocalizing less frequently (Frankel and Gabriele, 2017;Fournet et al, 2018). Similarly, singing individuals near Chichi-jima Island ceased their song after a passenger-cargo vessel passed within 1400 m (Tsujii et al, 2018).…”

Section: Mysticetesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effects of Ship Noise on Marine Mammals—A Review

et al. 2019

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The number of marine watercraft is on the rise-from private boats in coastal areas to commercial ships crossing oceans. A concomitant increase in underwater noise has been reported in several regions around the globe. Given the important role sound plays in the life functions of marine mammals, research on the potential effects of vessel noise has grown-in particular since the year 2000. We provide an overview of this literature, showing that studies have been patchy in terms of their coverage of species, habitats, vessel types, and types of impact investigated. The documented effects include behavioral and acoustic responses, auditory masking, and stress. We identify knowledge gaps: There appears a bias to more easily accessible species (i.e., bottlenose dolphins and humpback whales), whereas there is a paucity of literature addressing vessel noise impacts on river dolphins, even though some of these species experience chronic noise from boats. Similarly, little is known about the potential effects of ship noise on pelagic and deep-diving marine mammals, even though ship noise is focused in a downward direction, reaching great depth at little acoustic loss and potentially coupling into sound propagation channels in which sound may transmit over long ranges. We explain the fundamental concepts involved in the generation and propagation of vessel noise and point out common problems with both physics and biology: Recordings of ship noise might be affected by unidentified artifacts, and noise exposure can be both under-and over-estimated by tens of decibel if the local sound propagation conditions are not considered. The lack of anthropogenic (e.g., different vessel types), environmental (e.g., different sea states or presence/absence of prey), and biological (e.g., different demographics) controls is a common problem, as is a lack of understanding what constitutes the 'normal' range of behaviors. Last but not least, the biological significance of observed responses is mostly unknown. Moving forward, standards on study design, data analysis, and reporting are badly needed so that results are comparable (across space and time) and so that data can be synthesized to address the grand unknowns: the role of context and the consequences of chronic exposures.

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“…Associated vessel-related impacts, such as those related to introduced noise, may follow. Anthropogenic underwater noise sources may alter marine mammal intra-species acoustic signaling behavior (Moore et al, 2012;Fournet et al, 2018) or disrupt normal behavior (Gordon et al, 2003). These noise sources and other stimuli may compound stressors already impinging on Arctic marine mammal populations as a result of climate change itself (Ragen et al, 2008;Kovacs et al, 2011).…”

Section: Potential Impactsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vessel Operations in the Arctic, 2015–2017

Silber¹,

Adams

2019

Front. Mar. Sci.

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The Arctic is among the most rapidly-changing regions on Earth. Diminishing levels of sea-ice has increased opportunities for maritime activities in historically inaccessible areas such as the Northern Sea Route and Northwest Passage. Degradation of Arctic marine ecosystems may accompany expanding vessel operations through introduced underwater noise, potential for large oil spills, among other things; and may compound stressors already effecting biological populations due to climate change. Assessments are needed to track changes in vessel traffic patterns and associated environmental impacts. We analyzed Arctic-wide vessel Automatic Identification System data 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2017 to quantify the amount and spatial distribution of vessel operations, assess possible changes in these operations, and establish a baseline for future monitoring. Nearly 400,000 vessel transits were analyzed. Number of trips, hours of operation, and amount of sea surface exposed to vessel traffic were used to compare operations between 14 delineated waterways. Operations were extensive and diverse: an average of 132,828 trips were made annually by over 5,000 different vessels. Transits were made in all areas studied and all months of the year. Maritime activities were intensive in some areas, but ice-limited in others. Amount of sea surface exposed to vessel traffic exceeded 70% in all but three areas. Bulk carriers, cargo ships, passenger/cruise ships, research survey ships, and vessels supporting oil/gas-related activities were represented. However, fishing vessels, primarily in the Barents, Bering, and Norwegian Seas, surpassed operations of all other vessel types and comprised about one-half of all voyages each year. We observed no overt increasing or decreasing trends in vessel traffic volume in our limited study period. Instead, inter-year variation was evident. While the number of unique vessels and transits increased year-to-year, hours of operation declined in the same period. Abundance/distribution of fisheries resources, economic feasibility of Arctic marine travel as weighed against inherent risks, and other factors likely accounted for inter-year variation in regional activity levels. Measures have been established to protect Arctic marine ecosystems but may need strengthening to address potential ecosystem threats from existing and growing commercial and industrial activities in the region.

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Humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae alter calling behavior in response to natural sounds and vessel noise

Cited by 60 publications

References 76 publications

Gibbons aren’t singing in the rain: presence and amount of rainfall influences ape calling behavior in Sabah, Malaysia

Gibbons aren’t singing in the rain: presence and amount of rainfall influences ape calling behavior in Sabah, Malaysia

The Effects of Ship Noise on Marine Mammals—A Review

Vessel Operations in the Arctic, 2015–2017

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