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

• Published in: Marine ecology. Progress series (Halstenbek) Vol. 595; pp. 245 - 252
• Main Authors: Archer, Stephanie K., Halliday, William D., Riera, Amalis, Mouy, Xavier, Pine, Matthew K., Chu, Jackson W. F., Dunham, Anya, Juanes, Francis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oldendorf Inter-Research 14-05-2018; Inter-Research Science Center
• Subjects: Acoustics; Biodiversity; Biodiversity hot spots; Biological noise; Fish; Fishing; Frequencies; Glass; Recorders; Reefs; Shallow water; Soft bottom habitats; Sound pressure; Surveys; Underwater; Underwater acoustics
• ISSN: 0171-8630; 1616-1599
• DOI: 10.3354/meps12572

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.