scholarly journals Deep-diving pilot whales make cheap, but powerful, echolocation clicks with 50 µL of air

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilias Foskolos ◽  
Natacha Aguilar de Soto ◽  
Peter Teglberg Madsen ◽  
Mark Johnson
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Sound Production ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
Aquatic Habitats ◽  
Field Metabolic Rate ◽  
Deep Diving ◽  
Top Predators ◽  
Sensory Channel ◽  
Pilot Whales ◽  
Boyle’S Law

Abstract Echolocating toothed whales produce powerful clicks pneumatically to detect prey in the deep sea where this long-range sensory channel makes them formidable top predators. However, air supplies for sound production compress with depth following Boyle’s law suggesting that deep-diving whales must use very small air volumes per echolocation click to facilitate continuous sensory flow in foraging dives. Here we test this hypothesis by analysing click-induced acoustic resonances in the nasal air sacs, recorded by biologging tags. Using 27000 clicks from 102 dives of 23 tagged pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus), we show that click production requires only 50 µL of air/click at 500 m depth increasing gradually to 100 µL at 1000 m. With such small air volumes, the metabolic cost of sound production is on the order of 40 J per dive which is a negligible fraction of the field metabolic rate. Nonetheless, whales must make frequent pauses in echolocation to recycle air between nasal sacs. Thus, frugal use of air and periodic recycling of very limited air volumes enable pilot whales, and likely other toothed whales, to echolocate cheaply and almost continuously throughout foraging dives, providing them with a strong sensory advantage in diverse aquatic habitats.

scholarly journals Calling under pressure: short-finned pilot whales make social calls during deep foraging dives

2011 ◽  
Vol 278 (1721) ◽  
pp. 3017-3025 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frants H. Jensen ◽  
Jacobo Marrero Perez ◽  
Mark Johnson ◽  
Natacha Aguilar Soto ◽  
Peter T. Madsen
Keyword(s):  
Sound Production ◽  
Energy Content ◽  
Ambient Pressure ◽  
Pilot Whale ◽  
Communication Signals ◽  
Deep Diving ◽  
Social Species ◽  
Air Supply ◽  
Social Calls ◽  
Pilot Whales

Toothed whales rely on sound to echolocate prey and communicate with conspecifics, but little is known about how extreme pressure affects pneumatic sound production in deep-diving species with a limited air supply. The short-finned pilot whale ( Globicephala macrorhynchus ) is a highly social species among the deep-diving toothed whales, in which individuals socialize at the surface but leave their social group in pursuit of prey at depths of up to 1000 m. To investigate if these animals communicate acoustically at depth and test whether hydrostatic pressure affects communication signals, acoustic DTAGs logging sound, depth and orientation were attached to 12 pilot whales. Tagged whales produced tonal calls during deep foraging dives at depths of up to 800 m. Mean call output and duration decreased with depth despite the increased distance to conspecifics at the surface. This shows that the energy content of calls is lower at depths where lungs are collapsed and where the air volume available for sound generation is limited by ambient pressure. Frequency content was unaffected, providing a possible cue for group or species identification of diving whales. Social calls may be important to maintain social ties for foraging animals, but may be impacted adversely by vessel noise.

Length at maturity and relationship between weight and total length of five deep-sea fishes from the, Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India, North-eastern Indian Ocean

2020 ◽  
Vol 100 (4) ◽  
pp. 639-644 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mullasseri Sileesh ◽  
B. Madhusoodana Kurup ◽  
Alphi Korath
Keyword(s):  
Fish Species ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Trawl Survey ◽  
Andaman And Nicobar Islands ◽  
Top Predators ◽  
North Eastern ◽  
Nicobar Islands ◽  
Secondary Consumers ◽  
First Maturity

AbstractWe have estimated the length at maturity and length-weight relationships for five fish species inhabiting the deep-sea from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands off the Indian coast between 295–650 m deep in a trawl survey carried out in March–April 2017. Hauls were carried out by a high-speed Demersal Trawl Crustacean Version trawl net and analysis was performed for a total of 832 specimens. Length at first maturity of the five deep-sea fish species ranged from 14.28–105.73 cm while length at 90% maturity was in the range 17.87–159.83 cm. The length at maturity of the fish are Alepocephalus bicolor (male = 66.09, female = 105.73), Bathyclupea hoskynii (m = 15.14, f = 14.15), Chlorophthalmus corniger (m = 17.54, f = 15.31), Neoepinnula orientalis (m = 20.76, f = 16.76), and Neoscopelus microchir (m = 14.28, f = 15.40). The b value in the length-weight relationship ranged from 0.69–2.60, i.e. Alepocephalus bicolor (m = 1.93, f = 1.62), Bathyclupea hoskynii (m = 3.5, f = 1.66), Chlorophthalmus corniger (m = 2.07, f = 1.56), Neoepinnula orientalis (m = 2.86, f = 2.46) and Neoscopelus microchir (m = 0.89, f = 0.49). Based on these results, the b value showed an allometric relationship with length for all species studied, because these species have a similar morphometry, i.e. a flattened back. Since they are primary or secondary consumers at the bottom of consumer food webs, their roles are as predators of small–medium prey and as prey of top predators of food web chains.

scholarly journals Cheetahs of the deep sea: deep foraging sprints in short-finned pilot whales off Tenerife (Canary Islands)

2008 ◽  
Vol 77 (5) ◽  
pp. 936-947 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natacha Aguilar Soto ◽  
Mark P. Johnson ◽  
Peter T. Madsen ◽  
Francisca Díaz ◽  
Iván Domínguez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Canary Islands ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Pilot Whales

scholarly journals Observation of a Gelatinous Octopod, Haliphron atlanticus, along the Southern West Mariana Ridge: A Unique Cephalopod of Continental Slope and Mesopelagic Communities

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Miller ◽  
Tetsuya Miwa ◽  
Shun Watanabe ◽  
Mari Kuroki ◽  
Takatoshi Higuchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Continental Margins ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
The West ◽  
Life History Stages ◽  
Deep Diving ◽  
Bottom Depth ◽  
Oceanic Food Webs

The circumglobal deep-sea gelatinous giant octopod, Haliphron atlanticus, reaches 4 m in length and uses both benthic and pelagic habitats in the upper 3000 m of the ocean during different life history stages, but it is rarely observed due to the deep-depths where it typically lives. It has been collected in trawls and observed a few times near continental margins or islands and has been identified in the stomach contents of deep-diving predators such as sperm whales and blue sharks or detected as body fragments after predation events. An individual H. atlanticus (~1 m in total length) was video-recorded at 12:21 for about 3 minutes in front of the Shinkai 6500 submersible at 586–599 m (6.5°C, salinity 34.4) along the West Mariana Ridge. It made no escape attempt as the submersible approached and it moved slowly up or down in front of the submersible. It was over the outer seamount-slope (bottom depth ~3208 m) ~50 km west of seamounts (≥1529 m summits), but how it fits into the mesopelagic food web along the ridge is unclear. More information is needed to understand the role of H. atlanticus in oceanic food webs and if it typically lives along seamount ridges.

scholarly journals Effects of deep diving on the trachea of the leatherback turtle

2010 ◽  
pp. 119-124
Author(s):  
Colm Murphy
Keyword(s):  
Material Properties ◽  
Deep Sea ◽  
Complete Understanding ◽  
Leatherback Turtles ◽  
Leatherback Turtle ◽  
Deep Dive ◽  
Deep Diving ◽  
Leading Role ◽  
Term Objective

This work is concerned with the effects of deep sea diving on the trachea (airway passage) of the leatherback turtle. Leatherback turtles are capable of diving to depths greater than 1,200 meters. Humans, in comparison, may only reach depths of around 30 meters unaided. It is believed that the response of the trachea along with its material properties plays a leading role in determining the depth that can be attained during a dive. The long term objective of this research is to investigate the response of the trachea of the leatherback turtle during deep dives (300-1250m). Questions remain as to the material properties from which the trachea is composed of and how exactly does the trachea respond as it undergoes a deep dive. Answering these questions will help not only to build a complete understanding of the leatherback’s ability to dive to depths greater than 1,000m, but will also inform ...

Sperm whale sound production studied with ultrasound time/depth-recording tags

2002 ◽  
Vol 205 (13) ◽  
pp. 1899-1906 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. T. Madsen ◽  
R. Payne ◽  
N. U. Kristiansen ◽  
M. Wahlberg ◽  
I. Kerr ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sound Production ◽  
Ambient Pressure ◽  
Sperm Whale ◽  
Sound Pulse ◽  
Physeter Macrocephalus ◽  
Sperm Whales ◽  
Hydrostatic Reduction ◽  
Deep Diving ◽  
Air Volume ◽  
Depth Recording

SUMMARYDelphinoids (Delphinidae, Odontoceti) produce tonal sounds and clicks by forcing pressurized air past phonic lips in the nasal complex. It has been proposed that homologous, hypertrophied nasal structures in the deep-diving sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) (Physeteridae, Odontoceti) are dedicated to the production of clicks. However, air volumes in diving mammals are reduced with increasing ambient pressure, which seems likely to influence pneumatic sound production at depth. To study sperm whale sound production at depth, we attached ultrasound time/depth-recording tags to sperm whales by means of a pole and suction cup. We demonstrate that sperm whale click production in terms of output and frequency content is unaffected by hydrostatic reduction in available air volume down to less than 2% of the initial air volume in the nasal complex. We present evidence suggesting that the sound-generating mechanism has a bimodal function, allowing for the production of clicks suited for biosonar and clicks more suited for communication. Shared click features suggest that sound production in sperm whales is based on the same fundamental biomechanics as in smaller odontocetes and that the nasal complexes are therefore not only anatomically but also functionally homologous in generating the initial sound pulse.

Is Biological Sound Production Important in the Deep Sea?

2012 ◽  
pp. 181-183 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodney A. Rountree ◽  
Francis Juanes ◽  
Clifford A. Goudey ◽  
Kenneth E. Ekstrom
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Sound Production

Negligible energetic cost of sonar jamming in a bat–moth interaction

2015 ◽  
Vol 93 (4) ◽  
pp. 331-335
Author(s):  
A.J. Corcoran ◽  
H.A. Woods
Keyword(s):  
Sound Production ◽  
Resting Metabolic Rate ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
Energetic Cost ◽  
Metabolic Power ◽  
Model Species ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Acoustic Signaling ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Cost

Energetic cost can constrain how frequently animals exhibit behaviors. The energetic cost of acoustic signaling for communication has been the subject of numerous studies; however, the cost of acoustic signaling for predator defense has not been addressed. We studied the energetic cost and efficiency of sound production for the clicks produced by the moth Bertholdia trigona (Grote, 1879) (Grote’s bertholdia) to jam the sonar of predatory bats. This moth is an excellent model species because of its extraordinary ability to produce sound—it clicks at the highest known rate of any moth, up to 4500 clicks·s–1. We measured the metabolic cost of clicking, resting, and flying from moths suspended in a respirometry chamber. Clicking was provoked by playing back an echolocation attack sequence. The cost of sound production for B. trigona was low (66% of resting metabolic rate) and the acoustic efficiency, or the percentage of metabolic power that is converted into sound, was moderately high (0.30% ± 0.15%) compared with other species. We discuss mechanisms that allow B. trigona to achieve their extraordinary clicking rates and high acoustic efficiency. Clicking for jamming bat sonar incurs negligible energetic cost to moths despite being the most effective known anti-bat defense. These results have implications for both the ecology of predator–prey interactions and the evolution of jamming signals.

scholarly journals Physical factors affecting the cost and efficiency of sound production in the treefrog Hyla versicolor

2001 ◽  
Vol 204 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.D. McLister
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Sound Production ◽  
Metabolic Cost ◽  
Dominant Frequency ◽  
Acoustic Energy ◽  
Energy Output ◽  
Physical Factors ◽  
Hyla Versicolor ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Contraction Speed

The metabolic cost, energy output and efficiency (i.e. the ratio of energy output to metabolic cost) of sound production were compared among male grey treefrogs (Hyla versicolor) as a function of body size and temperature. The effects of call length (in notes per call) and dominant frequency (in kHz) were also considered. Cost, determined from the amount of oxygen consumed, averaged 12.1 mJ per note and was dependent only upon body mass. Acoustic energy per note, determined from oscillograms of recorded calls, averaged 0.34 mJ and was dependent only upon temperature. Conventional theory suggests that the efficiency of sound production should be a function of the ratio of the linear size of the radiating structures to the wavelength of the sound generated (i.e. efficiency is assumed to be a function of the product of mass(0.33) and frequency), but efficiency in H. versicolor was found to be a function of the product of temperature(2.1) and mass(−1.08). Adjusting for temperature and body mass, the efficiency of sound production in H. versicolor (average 2.4 %) is greater than the efficiency of other frog species for which data are available. Temperature may affect acoustic energy output because trunk muscle contraction speed increases with temperature, which increases the velocity of airflow across the vocal cords.

scholarly journals Regional Variation in Communities of Demersal Fishes and Scavengers Across the CCZ and Pacific Ocean

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey C. Drazen ◽  
Astrid B. Leitner ◽  
Daniel O. B. Jones ◽  
Erik Simon-Lledó
Keyword(s):  
Deep Sea ◽  
Regional Variation ◽  
Local Scale ◽  
Sampling Techniques ◽  
Mobile Species ◽  
Top Predators ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Coarse Spatial Resolution ◽  
Mining Exploration ◽  
Analyze Data

We synthesize and analyze data from visual transecting approaches and baited camera studies to evaluate fish and invertebrate scavenger communities across the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), an area of intense deep-sea mining interest, and neighboring areas of the abyssal Pacific. In abyssal regions including the CCZ most of the top predators are large mobile fishes and crustaceans, and the majority of these are also opportunistic scavengers. Top predators can exert important ecosystem influences and they can be susceptible to sustained anthropogenic disturbances, necessitating their study in the CCZ mining region. In total 157 baited camera deployments from 3 mining exploration license areas, 4 APEIs (Areas of Particular Environmental Interest – one type of no mining zone) and 4 other areas in the Pacific (Hawaii, California, New Zealand and Guam) and 122 visual transects from 7 exploration license areas, 4 no mining zones, and the Peru Basin (DISCOL area) were examined. Many taxa were observed in both sampling techniques but visual transects viewed few fishes overall. Fish and scavenger communities and diversity varied across the CCZ, significantly for baited camera data with a parallel but insignificant pattern for visual transects suggesting that even for these highly mobile species, not all regions of the CCZ are equivalent and the CCZ cannot be managed as one homogenous region. Further CCZ communities were different than communities elsewhere in the abyssal Pacific. The regional variations in community composition are largely the result of varying abundances of species rather than species presence/absence given that most, but not all, of the fishes and scavengers observed have very large ranges. On a more local scale, seamounts had a significantly different scavenger community than neighboring abyssal plains and thus contribute to regional diversity. Visual transect data revealed a similar but insignificant pattern due to low sample sizes. Given the coarse spatial resolution of sampling of fish and scavenger communities in the CCZ, it is not possible to evaluate if no mining zones (APEIs) adequately represent these communities nor where, or if, any biogeographic boundaries exist in the CCZ region. It is possible to conclude that a network of APEIs that covers the spectrum of available habitats at regional and more local scales will be key to conserving fish and scavenger biodiversity.

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