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Stevens PE, Allen V, Bruck JN. A Quieter Ocean: Experimentally Derived Differences in Attentive Responses of Tursiops truncatus to Anthropogenic Noise Playbacks before and during the COVID-19-Related Anthropause. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13071269. [PMID: 37048525 PMCID: PMC10093046 DOI: 10.3390/ani13071269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/03/2023] [Indexed: 04/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The effects of anthropogenic noise continue to threaten marine fauna, yet the impacts of human-produced sound on the broad aspects of cognition in marine mammals remain relatively understudied. The shutdown of non-essential activities due to the COVID-19-related anthropause created an opportunity to determine if reducing levels of oceanic anthropogenic noise on cetaceans affected processes of sensitization and habituation for common human-made sounds in an experimental setting. Dolphins at Dolphin Quest Bermuda were presented with three noises related to human activities (cruise ship, personal watercraft, and Navy low-frequency active sonar) both in 2018 and again during the anthropause in 2021 via an underwater speaker. We found that decreased anthropogenic noise levels altered dolphin responses to noise playbacks. The dolphins spent significantly more time looking towards the playback source, but less time producing burst pulse and echolocation bouts in 2021. The dolphins looked towards the cruise ship sound source significantly more in 2021 than 2018. These data highlight that different sounds may incur different habituation and sensitization profiles and suggest that pauses in anthropogenic noise production may affect future responses to noise stimuli as dolphins dishabituate to sounds over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paige E. Stevens
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, 501 Life Sciences West, Stillwater, OK 74074, USA
| | - Veda Allen
- Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, Stephen F. Austin University, SFA Station, Nacogdoches, TX 75962, USA
| | - Jason N. Bruck
- Department of Biology, Stephen F. Austin University, SFA Station, Nacogdoches, TX 75962, USA
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Branstetter BK, Sills JM. Mechanisms of auditory masking in marine mammals. Anim Cogn 2022; 25:1029-1047. [PMID: 36018474 PMCID: PMC9617968 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01671-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 08/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Anthropogenic noise is an increasing threat to marine mammals that rely on sound for communication, navigation, detecting prey and predators, and finding mates. Auditory masking is one consequence of anthropogenic noise, the study of which is approached from multiple disciplines including field investigations of animal behavior, noise characterization from in-situ recordings, computational modeling of communication space, and hearing experiments conducted in the laboratory. This paper focuses on laboratory hearing experiments applying psychophysical methods, with an emphasis on the mechanisms that govern auditory masking. Topics include tone detection in simple, complex, and natural noise; mechanisms for comodulation masking release and other forms of release from masking; the role of temporal resolution in auditory masking; and energetic vs informational masking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian K Branstetter
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, 2240 Shelter Island Drive, #204, San Diego, CA, 92106, USA.
| | - Jillian M Sills
- Institute of Marine Sciences, Long Marine Laboratory, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060, USA
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3
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Linnehan BK, Hsu A, Gomez FM, Huston SM, Takeshita R, Colegrove KM, Rowles TK, Barratclough A, Musser WB, Harms CA, Cendejas V, Zolman ES, Balmer BC, Townsend FI, Wells RS, Jensen ED, Schwacke LH, Smith CR. Standardization of Dolphin Cardiac Auscultation and Characterization of Heart Murmurs in Managed and Free-Ranging Bottlenose Dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus). Front Vet Sci 2020; 7:570055. [PMID: 33240948 PMCID: PMC7678442 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2020.570055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Cardiac auscultation is an important, albeit underutilized tool in aquatic animal medicine due to the many challenges associated with in-water examinations. The aims of this prospective study were to (1) establish an efficient and repeatable in-water cardiac auscultation technique in bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), (2) describe the presence and characterization of heart murmurs detected in free-ranging and managed dolphins, and (3) characterize heart murmur etiology through echocardiography in free-ranging dolphins. For technique development, 65 dolphins cared for by the Navy Marine Mammal Program (Navy) were auscultated. The techniques were then applied to two free-ranging dolphin populations during capture-release health assessments: Sarasota Bay, Florida (SB), a reference population, and Barataria Bay, LA (BB), a well-studied population of dolphins impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Systolic heart murmurs were detected at a frequent and similar prevalence in all dolphin populations examined (Navy 92%, SB 89%, and BB 88%), and characterized as fixed or dynamic. In all three populations, sternal cranial and left cranial were the most common locations for murmur point of maximal intensity (PMI). An in-water transthoracic echocardiogram technique was refined on a subset of Navy dolphins, and full echocardiographic exams were performed on 17 SB dolphins and 29 BB dolphins, of which, 40 had murmurs. Spectral Doppler was used to measure flow velocities across the outflow tracts, and almost all dolphins with audible murmurs had peak outflow velocities ≥1.6 m/s (95%, 38/40); three dolphins also had medium mitral regurgitation which could be the source of their murmurs. The presence of audible murmurs in most of the free-ranging dolphins (88%) was attributed to high velocity blood flow as seen on echocardiography, similar to a phenomenon described in other athletic species. These innocent murmurs were generally characterized as Grade I-III systolic murmurs with PMI in the left or sternal cranial region. This study is the first to describe an efficient technique for in-water dolphin cardiac auscultation, and to present evidence that heart murmurs are common in bottlenose dolphins.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Adonia Hsu
- San Diego Veterinary Cardiology, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Forrest M Gomez
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Sharon M Huston
- San Diego Veterinary Cardiology, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Ryan Takeshita
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Kathleen M Colegrove
- Zoological Pathology Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Brookfield, IL, United States
| | - Teri K Rowles
- Office of Protected Resources, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, MD, United States
| | | | | | - Craig A Harms
- Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, North Carolina State University, Morehead City, NC, United States
| | | | - Eric S Zolman
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Brian C Balmer
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, CA, United States
| | | | - Randall S Wells
- Chicago Zoological Society's Sarasota Dolphin Research Program, c/o Mote Marine Laboratory, Sarasota, FL, United States
| | - Eric D Jensen
- U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program, Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Lori H Schwacke
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, CA, United States
| | - Cynthia R Smith
- National Marine Mammal Foundation, San Diego, CA, United States
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Thomsen F, Erbe C, Hawkins A, Lepper P, Popper AN, Scholik-Schlomer A, Sisneros J. Introduction to the special issue on the effects of sound on aquatic life. THE JOURNAL OF THE ACOUSTICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2020; 148:934. [PMID: 32873007 DOI: 10.1121/10.0001725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/24/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The effects of anthropogenic (man-made) underwater sound on aquatic life have become an important environmental issue. One of the focal ways to present and to share knowledge on the topic has been the international conference on The Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life ("Aquatic Noise"). The conferences have brought together people from diverse interests and backgrounds to share information and ideas directed at understanding and solving the challenges of the potential effects of sound on aquatic life. The papers published here and in a related special issue of Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics present a good overview of the many topics and ideas covered at the meeting. Indeed, the growth in studies on anthropogenic sound since the first meeting in 2007 reflects the increasing use of oceans, lakes, rivers, and other waterways by humans. However, there are still very substantial knowledge gaps about the effects of sound on all aquatic animals, and these gaps lead to there being a substantial need for a better understanding of the sounds produced by various sources and how these sounds may affect animals.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Christine Erbe
- Centre for Marine Science and Technology, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia 6102, Australia
| | - Anthony Hawkins
- The Aquatic Noise Trust, Kincraig, Blairs, Aberdeen, AB12 5YT, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Lepper
- Wolfson School of Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, United Kingdom
| | - Arthur N Popper
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - Amy Scholik-Schlomer
- National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910, USA
| | - Joseph Sisneros
- Departments of Psychology and Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA
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