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Ship noise affects acoustic communication in the lusitanian toadfish

Authors:
Raquel Vasconcelos at University of Saint Joseph
Raquel Vasconcelos
M. Clara P. Amorim at University of Lisbon
M. Clara P. Amorim
Friedrich Ladich at University of Vienna
Friedrich Ladich
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Download by: [b-on: Biblioteca do conhecimento online ISPA] Date: 10 December 2015, At: 08:22
Bioacoustics
The International Journal of Animal Sound and its Recording
ISSN: 0952-4622 (Print) 2165-0586 (Online) Journal homepage: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/tbio20
SHIP NOISE AFFECTS ACOUSTIC COMMUNICATION
IN THE LUSITANIAN TOADFISH
RAQUEL O. VASCONCELOS , M. CLARA P. AMORIM & FRIEDRICH LADICH
To cite this article: RAQUEL O. VASCONCELOS , M. CLARA P. AMORIM & FRIEDRICH LADICH
(2008) SHIP NOISE AFFECTS ACOUSTIC COMMUNICATION IN THE LUSITANIAN TOADFISH,
Bioacoustics, 17:1-3, 226-228, DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2008.9753827
To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/09524622.2008.9753827
Published online: 13 Apr 2012.
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226
also
grateful
to
the
castnet
fishermen
from
Hsithe,
Myitkangyi,
and
Myayzun
villages for
their
enthusiastic
help
in
this
research.
REFERENCES
Tun,
T.
(2004). Irrawaddy Dolphins
in
Hsithe-Mandalay Segment
of
the Ayeyawady
River
and
Cooperative Fishing Between Irrawaddy Dolphin, Orcaella brevirostris,
and
Castnet Fishermen in Myanmar. A
report
submitted
to
the
Wildlife Conservation
Society.
Tun,
T.
(2005). Castnet Fisheries in Cooperation with Irrawaddy Dolphins (Ayeyawady
Dolphins)
at
Hsithe, Myitkangyi
and
Myayzun Villages, Mandalay Division, in
Myanmar.
A
report
submitted
to
the
Wildlife Conservation Society.
SHIP
NOISE AFFECTS ACOUSTIC
COMMUNICATION
IN THE LUSITANIAN
TOAD FISH
RAQUEL
0.
VASCONCELOS
1
•
2
,
M.
CLARA
P.
AMORIM
2
,
AND
FRIEDRICH LADICH
3
1
Departamento de Biologia
Animal
e Centro de Biologia Ambiental, Faculdade
de
Ciencias
da
Universidade de Lisboa, Bloco C2 Campo Grande, 1749-0161 Lisboa,
Portugal. raquel_ vasconcelos@ispa.pt
2
Unidade de Investiga£;iio em Eco-Etologia, I.S.P.A.,
Rua
Jardim
do Tabaco 34,
1149-041 Lisboa, Portugal. clara.amorim@ispa.pt
3
Department
of
Behavioural Biology, University
of
Vienna, Althanstrasse
14,
1090 Vienna, Austria. friedrich.ladich@univie.ac.at
INTRODUCTION
Ship
noise pollution is
an
increasing
environmental
problem
that
might
affect
the
ecology
and
fitness of
aquatic
organisms.
Most
studies
on
the
effects of
ship
noise
have
focused
on
marine
mammals
or
on
population
assessments
for fisheries (Richardson
et
al. 1995;
Vab0
et
al. 2002).
Only
few efforts
have
been
made
to describe
its
harmful
effects
on
fishes,
in
particular
on
their
acoustic
orientation
and
communication
(Amoser
et
al. 2004; Scholik &
Yan
2002; Wysocki
et
al. 2006).
This
study
investigates
the
implications
of noise
created
by a
ferryboat
on
sound
detectability
in
the
Lusitanian
toadfish,
Halobatrachus didactylus.
This
highly
vocal
batrachoidid
(Dos
Santos
et
al. 2000) occurs
in
intertidal
habitats,
which
are
frequently
influenced
by
human
activity.
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227
METHODS
Ambient
and
ferryboat
noises
were
recorded
and
the
sound
pressure
levels
(LLe
)
were
measured
in
the
Tagus
River
estuary
(Portugal)
near
a
to~dfish
nesting
area.
Fish
vocalizations
were
registered
in
the
laboratory
(agonistic
grunts)
and
in
the
field (reproductive
boatwhistles).
Auditory
sensitivity
was
measured
in
toadfish
caught
in
the
estuaries
of
the
Tagus
and
Mira
Rivers (Portugal).
Hearing
thresholds
were
obtained
under
quiet
laboratory
conditions
and
in
the
presence
of
ambient
and
ship
noises
using
the
auditory
evoked
potentials
(AEP)
recording
technique
(Wysocki &
Ladich
2005).
RESULTS
The
Lusitanian
toadfish showed
best
hearing
at
low frequencies
between
50
and
200 Hz (below 100 dB
re
1
J..tPa)
and
a
gradual
sensitivity
decrease
toward
1,000 Hz.
Under
ambient
noise conditions,
hearing
was
slightly
masked
at
lowest frequencies,
particularly
at
50 Hz.
In
the
presence
of
ship
noise,
auditory
thresholds
increased
significantly
up
to 36 dB, especially
within
the
most
sensitive
frequency
range.
Comparisons
between
the
audiograms
measured
under
ambient
noise conditions
and
sound
spectra
of
grunts
and
boatwhistles
showed
that
below 400 Hz,
sound
energies
were
around
23 dB above
the
hearing
thresholds.
This
indicates
that
the
species
can
accurately
perceive conspecific acoustic signals.
In
contrast,
ship
noise decreases
the
ability
to
detect
vocalizations
because
spectral
sound
amplitudes
were
merely
10 dB above
the
hearing
curve.
DISCUSSION
Our
data
confirmed
that
the
Lusitanian
toadfish is a
hearing
generalist
and
that
main
sound
energies
are
found
in
the
most
sensitive
hearing
range,
similar
to
other
batrachoidids
(e.g., Opsanus
tau;
Fay
&
Edds-Walton
1997). Moreover,
this
investigation
provides
first evidence
that
hearing
in
fishes is
masked
by
ship
noise
and
that
acoustic
communication
in
the
Lusitanian
toadfish
might
be
impaired
in
human-altered
coastal
environments.
Masked
hearing
and
deteriorated
sound
characteristics
might
result
in
misleading
information
that
can
affect
spacing
between
nesting
males, female
attraction,
and
mate
choice.
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228
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
This
research
was
supported
by MCTES,
Portugal
(FCT
Grants
SFRH/
BM/21774/2005 to R.O.V.
and
SFRH/BPD/14570 to M.C.P.A.
and
a
pluriannual
programme
UI&D 31/94/FCT)
and
the
Austrian
Science
Fund
(Grant
17263 to F.L.).
REFERENCES
Amoser, S., Wysocki, L. E., & Ladich, F. (2003). Noise em1sswn
during
the
first
powerboat
race
in
an
Alpine
lake
and
potential
impact
on
fish
communities.
J.
Acoust. Soc.
Am.
116,
3789-3797.
Dos
Santos,
M. E., Modesto, T.,
Matos,
R.
J.,
Grober, M. S., Oliveira,
R.
F., &
Canario,
A. (2000).
Sound
production
by
the
Lusitanian
toadfish, Halobatrachus didactylus.
Bioacoustics
10, 309-321.
Fay,
R.
R., &
Edds-Walton,
P. L. (1997).
Diversity
in
frequency
properties
of
saccular
afferents
of
the
toadfish, Opsanus tau. Hear. Res. 113, 235-246.
Richardson,
W.
J.,
Greene,
C.
R.,
Malme,
C.
1., & Thomson, D. H. (1995). Marine
Mammals
and
Noise.
New
York: Academic
Press.
Scholik, A. R., &
Yan,
H.
Y.
(2002). Effects
of
boat
engine
noise
on
the
auditory
sensitivity
of
the
fathead
minnow,
Pimephales promelas. Environ. Biol. Fishes 63,
203-209.
Vab0,
R., Olsen, K., &
Huse,
J.
(2002).
The
effect of
vessel
avoidance
of
wintering
Norwegian
spring
spawning
herring.
Fish. Res. 58, 59-77.
Wysocki, L. E.,
Dittami,
J.
P., & Ladich, F. (2006).
Ship
noise
and
cortisol
secretion
in
European
freshwater
fishes. Biol. Conserv.
128,
501-508.
Wysocki, L. E., & Ladich, F. (2005).
Hearing
in
fishes
under
noise conditions.
J.
Assoc.
Res. Otolaryngol.
6, 28-36.
INTERVESSEL COMPARISON OF WALLEYE
POLLOCK ACOUSTIC BACKSCATTER RECORDED
BY A
NOISE-REDUCED AND A CONVENTIONAL
RESEARCH
VESSEL
ALEX
DE
ROBERTISl,
VIDAR
HJELLVIK
2
,
NEAL
J.
WILLIAMSON
3
,
AND
CHRISTOPHER
D. WILSON4
1
•
3
•
4
National Marine Fisheries Service,
Alaska
Fisheries Science Center, Resource
Assessment
and
Conservation Engineering Division, 7600
Sand
Point Way NE,
Seattle
WA
98115, USA.
1
alex.derobertis@noaa.gov,
3
neal.williamson@noaa.gov,
4
chris. wilson@noaa.gov
2
Norwegian Institute
of
Public Health, P.O. Box 4404, Nydalen, N-0403, Oslo,
Norway. vidar.hjellvik@fhi.no
INTRODUCTION
Avoidance of
approaching
research
vessels
by
fish is
an
important
source of
uncertainty
in
fisheries
resource
surveys. Vessels produce
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... Differences among males in frequency attributes should be perceived by the H. didactylus although batrachoidids are hearing generalists, i.e. they lack morphological specializations that enhance the detection of the sound pressure component of the acoustic signals (Fay & Simmons, 1999). According to Vasconcelos et al. (2007), dominant and fundamental frequencies of boatwhistles match the best hearing range of the species. P 2 dominant frequency differs among individuals between >10 and 100% (Fig. 5), thus falling within the range of frequency discrimination ability of hearing generalists, which is generally slightly >10% difference (Fay & Simmons, 1999). ...
Variability in the mating calls of the Lusitanian toadfish Halobatrachus didactylus: Cues for potential individual recognition
Article
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The mating sounds (boatwhistles) of nesting batrachoidid Halobatrachus didactylus males were recorded in the Tagus Estuary from piers. Thirteen males with 16 boatwhistles per fish were analysed for 20 acoustic features. All variables showed larger between-male than within-male variation and differed significantly among individuals. Discriminant function analyses (DFA) considering seven of these variables assigned 90–100% of boatwhistles to the correct individual, depending on the number of males and number of sounds per male included in the model. The acoustic features that consistently best discriminated individuals were the dominant frequency of the middle tonal segment of the boatwhistle (P2) and dominant frequency modulation, followed by P2 pulse period, amplitude modulation and sound duration. These results suggest the possibility of individual recognition based on acoustic cues.
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Effects of Boat Engine Noise on the Auditory Sensitivity of the Fathead Minnow, Pimephales promelas
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  • Feb 2002
Fishes are constantly exposed to various sources of noise in their underwater acoustic environment. Many of these sounds are from anthropogenic sources, especially engines of boats. Noise generated from a small boat with a 55 horsepower outboard motor was played back to fathead minnows, Pimephales promelas, for 2 h at 142 dB (re: 1 Pa), and auditory thresholds were measured using the auditory brainstem response (ABR) technique. The results demonstrate that boat engine noise significantly elevate a fish's auditory threshold at 1 kHz (7.8 dB), 1.5 kHz (13.5 dB), and 2.0 kHz (10.5 dB), the most sensitive hearing range of this species. Such a short duration of noise exposure leads to significant changes in hearing capability, and implies that man-made noise generated from boat engines can have far reaching environmental impacts on fishes.
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Sound production by the Lusitanian toadfish, Halobatrachus didactylus
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2000
Several batrachoidids have been known to produce sounds associated with courtship and agonistic interactions, and their repertoires have been studied acoustically and behaviourally. In contrast, sound production of the Lusitanian toadfish Halobatrachus didactylus, although often noted, has not been acoustically studied.This sedentary predator of Northeastern Atlantic coastal waters is usually found in sandy and muddy substrates, under rocks or crevices. Sound recordings were made in Ria Formosa, a lagoon complex in southern Portugal. The sound producing apparatus was studied in adult individuals of both sexes captured by local fishermen.It is shown that this species produces acoustic emissions similar to other batrachoidids. It produces a long, rhythmical, tonal sound, often in choruses, which is comparable to the boatwhistle or hum signals of Opsanus and Porichthys, and a complex of signals that were classified as grunts, croaks, double croaks and mixed calls (‘grunt-croak’). As in other toadfishes, H. didactylus presents sonic muscles connected to a bi-lobed swimbladder. Asynchronous contractions of the sonic muscles were detected when massaging the ventral surface of the fish.
View
Ship noise and cortisol secretion in European freshwater fishes
Article
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  • Apr 2006
  • BIOL CONSERV
Underwater noise pollution is a growing problem in aquatic environments and as such may be a major source of stress for fish. In the present study, we addressed the effects of ship noise and continuous Gaussian noise on adrenal activity in three European freshwater species. Underwater ship noise recorded in the Danube River and two Austrian lakes was played back to fish at levels encountered in the field (153 dB re 1 μPa, 30 min). Post exposure cortisol secretion was compared with control situations. Cortisol was measured with enzyme immunoassay techniques (EIA, ng cortisol/l water/g fish) in extracted aquarium water with corrections for fish mass. In the first series, two hearing specialists, the common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and the gudgeon (Gobio gobio) and one hearing generalist, the European perch (Perca fluviatilis) were exposed to ship noise. The noise level was well above hearing thresholds in these species. In a second series, fish were exposed to continuous Gaussian noise at a similar level (156 dB) which is known to induce temporary hearing loss in hearing specialists. All three species responded with increased cortisol secretion when exposed to ship noise. Interestingly, no elevation was observed when fish were exposed to continuous Gaussian noise. Our results indicate that ship noise characterized by amplitude and frequency fluctuations, constitutes a potential stressor in contrast to continuous noise. Surprisingly, the data also demonstrate no apparent differences between species possessing excellent hearing abilities (hearing specialists) and species with poor hearing abilities like perch.
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Full-text available
  • Apr 2005
Background Hearing thresholds of fishes are typically acquired under laboratory conditions. This does not reflect the situation in natural habitats, where ambient noise may mask their hearing sensitivities. In the current study we investigate hearing in terms of sound pressure (SPL) and particle acceleration levels (PAL) of two cichlid species within the naturally occurring range of noise levels. This enabled us to determine whether species with and without hearing specializations are differently affected by noise. Methodology/Principal Findings We investigated auditory sensitivities in the orange chromide Etroplus maculatus, which possesses anterior swim bladder extensions, and the slender lionhead cichlid Steatocranus tinanti, in which the swim bladder is much smaller and lacks extensions. E. maculatus was tested between 0.2 and 3kHz and S. tinanti between 0.1 and 0.5 kHz using the auditory evoked potential (AEP) recording technique. In both species, SPL and PAL audiograms were determined in the presence of quiet laboratory conditions (baseline) and continuous white noise of 110 and 130 dB RMS. Baseline thresholds showed greatest hearing sensitivity around 0.5 kHz (SPL) and 0.2 kHz (PAL) in E. maculatus and 0.2 kHz in S. tinanti. White noise of 110 dB elevated the thresholds by 0–11 dB (SPL) and 7–11 dB (PAL) in E. maculatus and by 1–2 dB (SPL) and by 1–4 dB (PAL) in S. tinanti. White noise of 130 dB elevated hearing thresholds by 13–29 dB (SPL) and 26–32 dB (PAL) in E. maculatus and 6–16 dB (SPL) and 6–19 dB (PAL) in S. tinanti. Conclusions Our data showed for the first time for SPL and PAL thresholds that the specialized species was masked by different noise regimes at almost all frequencies, whereas the non-specialized species was much less affected. This indicates that noise can limit sound detection and acoustic orientation differently within a single fish family.
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  • Jan 2013
Many marine mammals communicate by emitting sounds that pass through water. Such sounds can be received across great distances and can influence the behavior of these undersea creatures. In the past few decades, the oceans have become increasingly noisy, as underwater sounds from propellers, sonars, and other human activities make it difficult for marine mammals to communicate. This book discusses, among many other topics, just how well marine mammals hear, how noisy the oceans have become, and what effects these new sounds have on marine mammals. The baseline of ambient noise, the sounds produced by machines and mammals, the sensitivity of marine mammal hearing, and the reactions of marine mammals are also examined. An essential addition to any marine biologists library, Marine Mammals and Noise will be especially appealing to marine mammalogists, researchers, policy makers and regulators, and marine biologists and oceanographers using sound in their research.
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Article
  • Oct 2002
  • FISH RES
The significance of vessel avoidance behaviour for the acoustic abundance estimation of Norwegian spring spawning herring has been investigated during acoustic surveys in the herring wintering area in Northern Norway. The relative variation in echo energy values measured from a submerged 38 kHz transducer during passage of a survey vessel was analysed. All systematic changes in acoustic densities around the time of passing were interpreted as avoidance reactions and the most important behavioural changes are believed to be body tilting and vertical and horizontal swimming. A quantification of the loss of echo energy due to vessel avoidance is presented. Experiments were grouped into nighttime and daytime experiments. While a considerable drop in echo energy around the time of passage was observed at night, insignificant loss in echo energy was found during the day. There was a high degree of variation between experiments, but a general reaction pattern was identified in all the nighttime experiments. The magnitude of the vessel avoidance reaction was highly dependent on depth. Coefficients that quantified avoidance reactions were calculated for separate depth layers between 40 and 400 m. Between 40 and 100 m depth, 24 nighttime experiments showed a mean loss of echo energy of 84%. The effect of avoidance reactions faded out below 100 m, but was observed down to 150 m at night. Below 150 m no significant avoidance reaction was seen, and this may explain the absence of avoidance reaction during the day when the main part of the biomass was distributed below 150 m. Consequences for uncertainty in abundance estimation are discussed, and a rough estimate of the acoustic density lost during acoustic surveys in the wintering area is made.
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Diversity in frequency response properties of saccular afferents of the toadfish, Opsanus tau
Article
  • Dec 1997
  • HEARING RES
The frequency response of primary saccular afferents of toadfish (Opsanus tau) was studied in the time and frequency domains using the reverse correlation (revcor) method. Stimuli were noise bands with flat acceleration spectra delivered as whole-body motion. The recorded acceleration waveform was averaged over epochs preceding and following each spike. This average, termed the revcor, is an estimate of the response of an equivalent linear filter intervening between body motion and spike initiation. The spectrum of the revcor estimates the shape of the equivalent linear filter. Revcor responses were brief, damped oscillations indicative of relatively broadly tuned filters. Filter shapes were generally band-pass and differed in bandwidth, band edge slope, and characteristic frequency (74 Hz to 140 Hz). Filter shapes tend to be independent of stimulus level. Afferents can be placed into two groups with respect to characteristic frequency (74-88 Hz and 140 Hz). Some high-frequency afferents share a secondary peak at the characteristic frequency of low-frequency afferents, suggesting that an afferent may receive differently tuned peripheral inputs. For some afferents having similar filter shapes, revcor responses often differ only in polarity, probably reflecting inputs from hair cells oriented in opposite directions. The origin of frequency selectivity and its diversity among saccular afferents may arise from a combination of hair cell resonance and micromechanical processes. The resulting frequency analysis is the simplest yet observed among vertebrate animals. During courtship, male toadfish produce the 'boatwhistle' call, a periodic vocalization having several harmonics of a 130 Hz fundamental frequency. The saccule encodes the waveform of acoustic particle acceleration between < 50 and about 250 Hz. Thus, the fundamental frequency component of the boatwhistle is well encoded, but the successive higher harmonics are filtered out. The boatwhistle is thus encoded as a time-domain representation of its fundamental frequency or pulse repetition rate.
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Noise emission during the first powerboat race in an Alpine lake and potential impact on fish communities
Article
  • Jan 2005
In order to assess the effects of high-speed boating on fish communities, noise levels were measured during the first Class 1 powerboat race on the Austrian Lake Traunsee. The noise spectra were compared to natural ambient noise and hearing abilities of four native fish species. Sound pressure levels (SPLs) were significantly elevated during the training heats and the race compared with natural levels, reaching up to 128 dB re 1 microPa (instantaneous SPL) at a distance of 300 m to the powerboats. Continuous equivalent SPLs were significantly lower during training and the pole position race compared to the race itself because fewer boats were simultaneously on the lake. The hearing abilities of the native hearing specialists and generalists were investigated. While carp and roach (two cyprinids) showed enhanced auditory sensitivity typical for hearing specialists, perch and whitefish were much less sensitive to sounds. Comparisons between power boat noise spectra and audiograms showed that the cyprinids can detect the boats up to several hundred meters distance because the main noise energy is well within the most sensitive hearing range. The hearing generalists, however, probably only perceive the first harmonic of the boat noise at close distances.
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Irrawaddy Dolphins in Hsithe-Mandalay Segment of the Ayeyawady River and Cooperative Fishing Between Irrawaddy Dolphin, Orcaella brevirostris, and Castnet Fishermen in Myanmar
  • Jan 2004
  • T Tun
Tun, T. (2004). Irrawaddy Dolphins in Hsithe-Mandalay Segment of the Ayeyawady River and Cooperative Fishing Between Irrawaddy Dolphin, Orcaella brevirostris, and Castnet Fishermen in Myanmar. A report submitted to the Wildlife Conservation Society.