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MEPS
Marine Ecology Progress Series

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MEPS 595:245-252 (2018)  -  DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12572

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First description of a glass sponge reef soundscape reveals fish calls and elevated sound pressure levels

Stephanie K. Archer1,*,**, William D. Halliday2,3,**, Amalis Riera2, Xavier Mouy4, Matthew K. Pine2,3, Jackson W. F. Chu5, Anya Dunham1, Francis Juanes2

1Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Pacific Biological Station, Nanaimo, BC V9T 6N7, Canada
2University of Victoria, Department of Biology, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada
3Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 0E9, Canada
4University of Victoria, School of Earth and Ocean Sciences, Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2, Canada
5Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Institute of Ocean Sciences, Sidney, BC V8L 4B2, Canada
*Corresponding author: **These authors contributed equally to this work

ABSTRACT: Structured biogenic habitats are biodiversity hotspots that host a wide range of soniferous species. Yet in deep-water systems, their soundscapes are largely undescribed. In September of 2016 we deployed 3 underwater acoustic recorders for approximately 4 d in and around a glass sponge reef in the Outer Gulf Islands sponge reef fishing closure, British Columbia, Canada. The 2 recordings from the reef (within and at the margin of the reef footprint) were significantly louder in the mid- and high-frequency bands (100 to 1000 Hz and 1 to 10 kHz, respectively) than the recordings made in soft-bottom habitat away from the reef. These frequency bands are known to correlate with aspects of the biological community as well as benthic cover in shallow-water systems; visual surveys conducted in the area confirmed the presence of several known soniferous species. More fish sounds were recorded on the reef compared to the off-reef site. Our results suggest that this glass sponge reef has a distinct soundscape and that future work linking aspects of the soundscape to the ecology of the ecosystem are warranted.


KEY WORDS: Acoustics · Biophony · Glass sponge reefs · Anthrophony


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Cite this article as: Archer SK, Halliday WD, Riera A, Mouy X and others (2018) First description of a glass sponge reef soundscape reveals fish calls and elevated sound pressure levels. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 595:245-252. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12572

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