Diel spatio-temporal patterns of humpback whale singing on a high-density breeding ground
Humpback whale song chorusing dominates the marine soundscape in Hawai‘i during winter months, yet little is known about spatio-temporal habitat use patterns of singers. We analysed passive acoustic monitoring data from five sites off Maui and found that ambient noise levels associated with song cho...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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The Royal Society
2024-01-01
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| Series: | Royal Society Open Science |
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| Online Access: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.230279 |
| _version_ | 1797347658414686208 |
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| author | Anke Kügler Marc O. Lammers Adam A. Pack Ludovic Tenorio-Hallé Aaron M. Thode |
| author_facet | Anke Kügler Marc O. Lammers Adam A. Pack Ludovic Tenorio-Hallé Aaron M. Thode |
| author_sort | Anke Kügler |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Humpback whale song chorusing dominates the marine soundscape in Hawai‘i during winter months, yet little is known about spatio-temporal habitat use patterns of singers. We analysed passive acoustic monitoring data from five sites off Maui and found that ambient noise levels associated with song chorusing decreased during daytime hours nearshore but increased offshore. To resolve whether these changes reflect a diel offshore–onshore movement or a temporal difference in singing activity, data from 71 concurrently conducted land-based theodolite surveys were analysed. Non-calf pods (n = 3082), presumably including the majority of singers, were found further offshore with increasing time of the day. Separately, we acoustically localized 217 nearshore singers using vector-sensors. During the day, distances to shore and minimum distances among singers increased, and singers switched more between being stationary and singing while travelling. Together, these findings suggest that the observed diel trends in humpback whale chorusing off Maui represent a pattern of active onshore–offshore movement of singers. We hypothesize that this may result from singers attempting to reduce intraspecific acoustic masking when densities are high nearshore and avoidance of a loud, non-humpback, biological evening chorus offshore, creating a dynamic of movement of singers aimed at increasing the efficiency of their acoustic display. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T11:51:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-066405531aa84e64938f724d91127fb4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2054-5703 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T11:51:59Z |
| publishDate | 2024-01-01 |
| publisher | The Royal Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Royal Society Open Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-066405531aa84e64938f724d91127fb42024-01-24T08:17:08ZengThe Royal SocietyRoyal Society Open Science2054-57032024-01-0111110.1098/rsos.230279Diel spatio-temporal patterns of humpback whale singing on a high-density breeding groundAnke Kügler0Marc O. Lammers1Adam A. Pack2Ludovic Tenorio-Hallé3Aaron M. Thode4University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI, USAOceanwide Science Institute, Honolulu, HI, USAUniversity of Hawai‘i at Hilo, Hilo, HI, USAMarine Physical Laboratory, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USAMarine Physical Laboratory, Scripps Institute of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USAHumpback whale song chorusing dominates the marine soundscape in Hawai‘i during winter months, yet little is known about spatio-temporal habitat use patterns of singers. We analysed passive acoustic monitoring data from five sites off Maui and found that ambient noise levels associated with song chorusing decreased during daytime hours nearshore but increased offshore. To resolve whether these changes reflect a diel offshore–onshore movement or a temporal difference in singing activity, data from 71 concurrently conducted land-based theodolite surveys were analysed. Non-calf pods (n = 3082), presumably including the majority of singers, were found further offshore with increasing time of the day. Separately, we acoustically localized 217 nearshore singers using vector-sensors. During the day, distances to shore and minimum distances among singers increased, and singers switched more between being stationary and singing while travelling. Together, these findings suggest that the observed diel trends in humpback whale chorusing off Maui represent a pattern of active onshore–offshore movement of singers. We hypothesize that this may result from singers attempting to reduce intraspecific acoustic masking when densities are high nearshore and avoidance of a loud, non-humpback, biological evening chorus offshore, creating a dynamic of movement of singers aimed at increasing the efficiency of their acoustic display.https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.230279humpback whaleMegaptera novaeangliaeHawaii breeding grounddiel habitat usesongacoustic masking |
| spellingShingle | Anke Kügler Marc O. Lammers Adam A. Pack Ludovic Tenorio-Hallé Aaron M. Thode Diel spatio-temporal patterns of humpback whale singing on a high-density breeding ground Royal Society Open Science humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae Hawaii breeding ground diel habitat use song acoustic masking |
| title | Diel spatio-temporal patterns of humpback whale singing on a high-density breeding ground |
| title_full | Diel spatio-temporal patterns of humpback whale singing on a high-density breeding ground |
| title_fullStr | Diel spatio-temporal patterns of humpback whale singing on a high-density breeding ground |
| title_full_unstemmed | Diel spatio-temporal patterns of humpback whale singing on a high-density breeding ground |
| title_short | Diel spatio-temporal patterns of humpback whale singing on a high-density breeding ground |
| title_sort | diel spatio temporal patterns of humpback whale singing on a high density breeding ground |
| topic | humpback whale Megaptera novaeangliae Hawaii breeding ground diel habitat use song acoustic masking |
| url | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.230279 |
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