SFS Annual Meeting

5/22/2018  |   09:00 - 09:15   |  

ECOACOUSTICS: THE ECOLOGICAL ROLE OF SOUNDS Ecoacoustics is the ecological investigation and interpretation of environmental sound. Ecoacoustics is an emerging interdisciplinary science that investigates natural and anthropogenic sounds and their relationships with the environment over multiple scales of time and space. Ecoacoustics is inclusive of the realms of ecological investigation including populations, communities, ecosystems, landscapes and biotic regions of the earth system. Studies of ecoacoustics in these realms can include terrestrial, aquatic, including freshwater and marine systems. Ecoacoustics thus extends the scope of acoustic investigations including bioacoustics, ecoacoustics and soundscape ecology. However, sounds must be quantified if the goal of a study is to examine before and after ecological disturbance. An example of how a recording of a sound can be quantified will be presented. In addition, several indices have been developed to synthesize sound recordings. These include diversity indices, complexity indices, evenness indices and others and they will be described. All these metrics may be useful in examining fresh water acoustic systems. A case study of the soundscape will illustrate the use of sound to characterize lake quality. Finally, the REAL digital Library will be described. This library houses over 2 million sound recordings and their metrics and these are accessible on-line.

Stuart Gage (Primary Presenter/Author), Michigan State University, TBA;


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5/22/2018  |   09:15 - 09:30   |  

UNDERWATER ECOACOUSTICS AS A MONITORING TOOL IN FRESHWATER ENVIRONMENTS Biodiversity in freshwater habitats is decreasing faster than in any other environment, mostly due to human activities. Monitoring these losses can help guide mitigation efforts. In most comparative or focal studies, sampling strategies predominantly rely on collecting animal and vegetal specimens. Although these techniques have produced valuable data, they are invasive, time-consuming and typically have limited spatial and temporal replication. There is therefore a need for the development of complementary methods. As with other ecosystems and landscapes, freshwater environments host animals producing sounds, either to communicate or as a byproduct of their life activity. Animals and processes can be recorded, remotely, by unattended equipment and provide global information on local diversity and ecosystem health. We review practical examples of progress in experimentally addressing six main challenges that freshwater ecoacoustic monitoring faces: (1) associating each sound to its emitter, (2) estimating intra-specific sound variations, (3) evaluating diurnal variation, (4) modeling sound propagation, (5) deriving links between ecological condition and sounds, (6) developing a repository for freshwater sounds. Passive acoustics represents a new boundary in freshwater ecology, enabling dynamic monitoring of biophysical processes to inform conservation practitioners and managers.

Camille Desjonquères (Primary Presenter/Author), University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, desjonqu@uwm.edu;


Fanny Rybak (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Université Paris Sud, fanny.rybak@u-psud.fr;


Toby Gifford (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Monash University, toby.gifford@gmail.com;


Simon Linke (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Australian Rivers Institute - Griffith University, simon.linke@gmail.com;


Jérôme Sueur (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, sueur@mnhn.fr;


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5/22/2018  |   09:30 - 09:45   |  

STUDY DESIGN IN FRESHWATER ECOACOUSTICS – CHOICE OF INDICATORS AND SAMPLING SCHEDULE Ecoacoustic methods are currently gaining traction in the terrestrial realm. However, freshwater ecosystems can be surprisingly noisy. Linking to the two previous talks, we will discuss indicators and study design aspects in freshwater ecoacoustics. Using a case study from tropical North Queensland, Australia, we will discuss spatio-temporal variation in underwater soundscapes when analysed with a) single call annotation and b) ecoacoustic indices. We annotated over 8000 single acoustic events in 6 days of continuous recording– a total of 44 sound classes of fish calls, insect stridulation and biophysical sound events. We then drew rarefaction curves and found that recording interval was the key variable to capture all sounds. Ecoacoustic indices – analogous to ecological richness and diversity indices – were useful in automatically monitoring three acoustic events – variation in stream flow, a nightly chorus of aquatic insects, as well as increased activity of fish calls. While these indices are a lot easier to analyse than manual or automated call annotation, they can miss key events, such as calls by rare taxa.

Simon Linke (Primary Presenter/Author), Australian Rivers Institute - Griffith University, simon.linke@gmail.com;


Emilia Decker (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Griffith University, emilia.decker@googlemail.com;


Toby Gifford (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Monash University, toby.gifford@gmail.com;


Camille Desjonquères (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, desjonqu@uwm.edu;


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5/22/2018  |   09:45 - 10:00   |  310 A

MONITORING THE CHANGE IN THE DIVERSITY OF SPECIES WITHIN REEDY SWAMP USING ACOUSTIC MONITORING TECHNIQUES DURING THE DELIVERY OF AN ENVIRONMENTAL WATER DELIVERY Wetlands in the Goulburn Broken Catchment (Victoria, Australia) provide habitat for a diverse fauna assemblage including many of conservation significance. Environmental water is delivered to a number of these wetlands to provide more natural wetting regimes, which have been impacted by infrastructure development, river regulation and drainage works. Ecoacoustic monitoring has been routinely used since 2008 in wetlands of the Goulburn Broken Catchment as part of the management agency’s broader monitoring program to gauge fauna responses to environmental water deliveries. Reedy Swamp in Shepparton, Vic, Australia received its first ever environmental water delivery in April 2008. The site was nominated as a drought refuge for the Goulburn Broken Catchment during the millennium drought from late 1996- mid 2010 (BOM 2016) and an allocation of 600 ML of environmental water was delivered to the site to protect flora and fauna species from 2008 to 2010. This paper discusses the findings of the fauna responses to environmental water and how Ecoacoustics was used to inform other environmental water delivery decisions within the Goulburn Broken Catchment.

Jo Wood (Primary Presenter/Author), Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority, jow@gbcma.vic.gov.au;


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5/22/2018  |   10:00 - 10:15   |  

DISCERNING CYCLIC PATTERNS AND HABITAT VARIATION IN UNDERWATER SOUNDSCAPES IN THE LAURENTIAN GREAT LAKES Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is a non-invasive method that can be used to assess the underwater soundscape, and through it the health of an ecosystem, by providing researchers with a non-biased comprehensive ecosystem visualization. While PAM has a rich history in marine systems, it is less commonly used in freshwater, limiting our understanding of sound levels in freshwater habitats. Here we measure timing and location-based variation in sound in the Laurentian Great Lakes (LGL) to estimate the likelihood of adverse effects on native fish. Sound levels varied in areas with recreational boating on a diurnal cycle, with levels up to 140 dB re 1µPa/Hz in the morning and evening and quieter periods midday. Areas without boats had no clear patterns and were generally quieter, where peak sound energy was concentrated around 100 Hz and below. Areas with increased boat traffic had significant sound energy at 800-1000 Hz, a bandwidth that overlaps with fish species possessing hearing specializations. While still preliminary, these results identify the potential for habitat-specific noise effects in the LGL and allow us to test potential for anthropogenic effects in local fish species of interest.

Megan Mickle (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Windsor, micklem@uwindsor.ca;


Dennis Higgs (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Windsor, dhiggs@uwindsor.ca;


Daniel Heath (Primary Presenter/Author), University of Windsor, Biological Sciences, dheath@uwindsor.ca;


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5/22/2018  |   10:15 - 10:30   |  

ECOACOUSTIC MONITORING OF LAKE STURGEON (Acipenser fulvescens) SPAWNING AND ITS RELATION TO ANTHROPOGENIC NOISE IN THE DETROIT RIVER. Lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) are threatened in parts of the Laurentian Great Lakes with increasing binational efforts to establish spawning grounds for this important species. While SCUBA surveys can document spawning activity, these are labour-intensive and may disrupt spawning. My lab is using acoustic recordings to quantify spawning sounds of Lake sturgeon as a first step to developing remote sensing of sturgeon spawning grounds. We deployed hydrophones near a spawning bed in the Detroit River during a documented spawning event. Acipenser sp. are known to make a variety of sounds and one sound, drumming, has been documented in A. fulvescens during spawning. We recorded 5 different sounds and used drumming as a marker for spawning activity. Drums were low frequency with a flat frequency response up to 150 Hz, and a rapid dropoff thereafter, and an average duration of 0.7 s. Call production was most active from 0500-1400h but showed no effect of boat traffic on sound production, suggesting that anthropogenic noise was not disturbing sturgeon communication. These recordings represent a promising approach to map sturgeon spawning activity and to examine the potential importance of human activity on sturgeon spawning.

Dennis Higgs (Primary Presenter/Author), University of Windsor, dhiggs@uwindsor.ca;


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