Coral reef soundscapes are increasingly studied for their ecological uses by invertebrates and fishes, for monitoring habitat quality, and to investigate effects of anthropogenic noise pollution. Few examinations of aquatic soundscapes have reported particle motion levels and variability, despite their relevance to invertebrates and fishes. In this study, ambient particle acceleration was quantified from orthogonal hydrophone arrays over several months at four coral reef sites, which varied in benthic habitat and fish communities. Time-averaged particle acceleration magnitudes were similar across axes, within 3 dB. Temporal trends of particle acceleration corresponded with those of sound pressure, and the strength of diel trends in both metrics significantly correlated with percent coral cover. Higher magnitude particle accelerations diverged further from pressure values, potentially representing sounds recorded in the near field. Particle acceleration levels were also reported for boat and example fish sounds. Comparisons with particle acceleration derived audiograms suggest the greatest capacity of invertebrates and fishes to detect soundscape components below 100 Hz, and poorer detectability of soundscapes by invertebrates compared to fishes. Based on these results, research foci are discussed for which reporting of particle motion is essential, versus those for which sound pressure may suffice.
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Soundscapes as heard by invertebrates and fishes: Particle motion measurements on coral reefsa)
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July 2022
July 14 2022
Soundscapes as heard by invertebrates and fishes: Particle motion measurements on coral reefsa)
Special Collection:
Fish Bioacoustics: Hearing and Sound Communication
Ian T. Jones
;
Ian T. Jones
b)
1
Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
, 266 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA
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Michael D. Gray;
Michael D. Gray
2
Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Oxford
, Oxford, OX3 7LD, United Kingdom
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T. Aran Mooney
T. Aran Mooney
1
Biology Department, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
, 266 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 02543, USA
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b)
Also at: Massachusetts Institute of Technology-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Oceanography/Applied Ocean Science and Engineering, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, MA 02139, USA. Electronic mail: [email protected]
a)
This paper is part of a special issue on Fish Bioacoustics: Hearing and Sound Communication.
J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 152, 399–415 (2022)
Article history
Received:
April 08 2022
Accepted:
June 24 2022
Citation
Ian T. Jones, Michael D. Gray, T. Aran Mooney; Soundscapes as heard by invertebrates and fishes: Particle motion measurements on coral reefs. J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 1 July 2022; 152 (1): 399–415. https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0012579
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