Coral reef soundscapes : spatiotemporal variability and links to species assemblages
Citable URI
https://hdl.handle.net/1912/8674DOI
10.1575/1912/8674Abstract
Coral reefs are biodiverse ecosystems that are at risk of degradation as a result of environmental
changes. Reefs are constantly in a state of flux: the resident species assemblages
vary considerably in space and time. However, the drivers of this variability are poorly
understood. Tracking these changes and studying how coral reefs respond to natural and
anthropogenic disturbance can be challenging and costly, particularly for reefs that are located
in remote areas. Because many reef animals produce and use sound, recording the
ambient soundscape of a reef might be one way to efficiently study these habitats from
afar. In this thesis, I develop and apply a suite of acoustics-based tools to characterize the
biological and anthropogenic acoustic activity that largely comprises marine soundscapes.
First, I investigate links between reef fauna and reef-specific acoustic signatures on coral
reefs located in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Second, I compare those findings to a more expansive
study that I conducted in Maui, Hawaii, in which the drivers of bioacoustic differences
among reefs are explored. Third, I investigate the distances over which sounds of biological
origin may travel away from the reef and consider the range within which these acoustic cues
might be usable by pelagic larvae in search of a suitable adult habitat. Fourth, I assess the
extent to which the presence of vessel noise in shallow-water habitats changes the ambient
soundscape. Finally, I present the results of a modeling exercise that questions how ocean
noise levels might change over the next two decades as a result of major projected increases
in the number and size of and distance traveled by commercial ships. The acoustics-based
tools presented here help provide insight into ecosystem function and the extent of human
activity in a given habitat. Additionally, these tools can be used to inform an effective
regulatory regime to improve coral reef ecosystem management.
Description
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
and the
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
February 2017
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Suggested Citation
Thesis: Kaplan, Maxwell B., "Coral reef soundscapes : spatiotemporal variability and links to species assemblages", 2017-02, DOI:10.1575/1912/8674, https://hdl.handle.net/1912/8674Related items
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