Sound detection by coral reef fishes Free

Many coral reef fishes use sounds for communication. However, they, as all fishes, learn a good deal about their environment by listening to ambient noises produced by swimming fishes, water moving across the reef, rain, and many other sources. Such information provides these fishes with a sensory world that is far more extensive than from visual, chemical, or tactile cues. There is also a growing body of evidence that suggests that larval coral reef fishes that have not yet settled are able to detect, and swim towards, a reef through the use of the ambient sound of the reef. Studies of hearing by coral reef fishes show considerable variability in sound detection capabilities, sometimes even within the same taxonomic family. Studies have shown that different damsel fishes (Pomacentridae) can actually discriminate between sounds produced by their own species and other species within the group. Within the holocentrids, there are similarities in the sounds produced by different species, but considerable differences in the structure of the ear and in hearing capabilities of the same species. This paper will discuss sound detection by coral reef fishes, and the ability of fishes to detect and use the ‘‘auditory scene.’’