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Aoki N, Weiss B, Jézéquel Y, Zhang WG, Apprill A, Mooney TA. Soundscape enrichment increases larval settlement rates for the brooding coral Porites astreoides. R Soc Open Sci 2024; 11:231514. [PMID: 38481984 PMCID: PMC10933538 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231514] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2024] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Coral reefs, hubs of global biodiversity, are among the world's most imperilled habitats. Healthy coral reefs are characterized by distinctive soundscapes; these environments are rich with sounds produced by fishes and marine invertebrates. Emerging evidence suggests these sounds can be used as orientation and settlement cues for larvae of reef animals. On degraded reefs, these cues may be reduced or absent, impeding the success of larval settlement, which is an essential process for the maintenance and replenishment of reef populations. Here, in a field-based study, we evaluated the effects of enriching the soundscape of a degraded coral reef to increase coral settlement rates. Porites astreoides larvae were exposed to reef sounds using a custom solar-powered acoustic playback system. Porites astreoides settled at significantly higher rates at the acoustically enriched sites, averaging 1.7 times (up to maximum of seven times) more settlement compared with control reef sites without acoustic enrichment. Settlement rates decreased with distance from the speaker but remained higher than control levels at least 30 m from the sound source. These results reveal that acoustic enrichment can facilitate coral larval settlement at reasonable distances, offering a promising new method for scientists, managers and restoration practitioners to rebuild coral reefs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadège Aoki
- Department of Biology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Road, Falmouth, MA 02543, USA
- Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Benjamin Weiss
- Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, Falmouth, MA 02543, USA
| | - Youenn Jézéquel
- Department of Biology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Road, Falmouth, MA 02543, USA
| | - Weifeng Gordon Zhang
- Department of Applied Ocean Physics and Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, Falmouth, MA 02543, USA
| | - Amy Apprill
- Department of Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole, Falmouth, MA 02543, USA
| | - T. Aran Mooney
- Department of Biology, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, 266 Woods Hole Road, Falmouth, MA 02543, USA
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