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Anthropogenic noise in the oceans is disturbing marine life. Among other groups, pelagic fish are likely to be affected by sound from human activities, but so far have received relatively little attention. Offshore wind farms have become numerous and will become even more abundant in the next decades. Wind farms can be interesting to pelagic fish due to food abundance or fisheries restrictions. At the same time, construction of wind farms involves high levels of anthropogenic noise, likely disturbing and/or deterring pelagic fish. Here, we investigated whether bottom-moored echosounders are a suitable tool for studying the effects of impulsive – intermittent, high-intensity – anthropogenic noise on pelagic fish around wind farms and we explored the possible nature of their responses. Three different wind farms along the Dutch and Belgian coast were examined, one with exposure to the passing by of an experimental seismic survey with a full-scale airgun array, one with pile driving activity in an adjacent wind farm construction site and one control site without exposure. Two bottom-moored echosounders were placed in each wind farm and recorded fish presence and behaviour before, during and after the exposures. The echosounders were successful in detecting variation in the number of fish schools and their behaviour. During the seismic survey exposure there were significantly fewer, but more cohesive, schools than before, whereas during pile driving fish swam shallower with more cohesive schools. However, the types and magnitudes of response patterns were also observed at the control site with no impulsive sound exposure. We therefore stress the need for thorough replication beyond single case studies, before we can conclude that impulsive sounds, from either seismic surveys or pile driving, are a disturbing factor for pelagic fish in otherwise attractive habitat around wind farms.
Annebelle C.M. Kok; Lisa Bruil; Benoit Berges; Serdar Sakinan; Elisabeth Debusschere; Jan Reubens; Dick de Haan; Alain Norro; Hans Slabbekoorn. An echosounder view on the potential effects of impulsive noise pollution on pelagic fish around windfarms in the North Sea. Environmental Pollution 2021, 118063 .
AMA StyleAnnebelle C.M. Kok, Lisa Bruil, Benoit Berges, Serdar Sakinan, Elisabeth Debusschere, Jan Reubens, Dick de Haan, Alain Norro, Hans Slabbekoorn. An echosounder view on the potential effects of impulsive noise pollution on pelagic fish around windfarms in the North Sea. Environmental Pollution. 2021; ():118063.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAnnebelle C.M. Kok; Lisa Bruil; Benoit Berges; Serdar Sakinan; Elisabeth Debusschere; Jan Reubens; Dick de Haan; Alain Norro; Hans Slabbekoorn. 2021. "An echosounder view on the potential effects of impulsive noise pollution on pelagic fish around windfarms in the North Sea." Environmental Pollution , no. : 118063.
Annebelle Kok. 1aABa1 - Ending the day with a song: patterns of calling behavior in a species of rockfish. 2021, 1 .
AMA StyleAnnebelle Kok. 1aABa1 - Ending the day with a song: patterns of calling behavior in a species of rockfish. . 2021; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAnnebelle Kok. 2021. "1aABa1 - Ending the day with a song: patterns of calling behavior in a species of rockfish." , no. : 1.
In today's marine habitats, anthropogenic noise is widespread in space and time, affecting aquatic animal communities. Short-term exposure to noise is known to affect vital behaviours, such as the ability to evade predators. However, long-term noise pollution may lead to differences in short-term responses between naïve and experienced animals. We investigated the interaction between short-term and long-term sound exposure on the antipredator response of free-ranging sand gobies, Pomatoschistus minutus. We tested the effects of short-term boat noise playback on the response to a simulated predator strike in areas across a range of low to high long-term noise disturbance levels. Exposure to boat noise did not affect the startle response, time frozen or response latency of gobies to a predator stimulus. However, individuals exposed to short-term boat noise playback were absent from the experimental area for shorter periods after the predator strike than gobies exposed to the silent control. Moreover, gobies in long-term noisy habitats also stopped avoiding the area after the predator strike under silent control conditions. These changes point to a decreased magnitude in antipredator response, as a function of interacting short- and longer-term levels of disturbance. Thus, prey species alter their antipredator behaviour in ways that can potentially lead to higher mortality for individual prey. This could ultimately have implications at the level of the food web.
Annebelle C.M. Kok; Dennis Van Hulten; Kirsten H. Timmerman; Jan Lankhorsta; Fleur Visser; Hans Slabbekoorna. Interacting effects of short-term and long-term noise exposure on antipredator behaviour in sand gobies. Animal Behaviour 2021, 172, 93 -102.
AMA StyleAnnebelle C.M. Kok, Dennis Van Hulten, Kirsten H. Timmerman, Jan Lankhorsta, Fleur Visser, Hans Slabbekoorna. Interacting effects of short-term and long-term noise exposure on antipredator behaviour in sand gobies. Animal Behaviour. 2021; 172 ():93-102.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAnnebelle C.M. Kok; Dennis Van Hulten; Kirsten H. Timmerman; Jan Lankhorsta; Fleur Visser; Hans Slabbekoorna. 2021. "Interacting effects of short-term and long-term noise exposure on antipredator behaviour in sand gobies." Animal Behaviour 172, no. : 93-102.
Group-living animals must communicate to stay in contact. In long-finned pilot whales, there is a trade-off between the benefits of foraging individually at depth and the formation of tight social groups at the surface. Using theoretical modelling and empirical data of tagged pairs within a group, we examined the potential of pilot whale social calls to reach dispersed group-members during foraging periods. Both theoretical predictions and empirical data of tag pairs showed a potential for communication between diving and non-diving group members over separation distances up to at least 385 m (empirical) and 1800 m (theoretical). These distances are at or exceeding pilot whale dive depths recorded across populations. Call characteristics and environmental characteristics were analysed to investigate determinants of call detectability. Longer calls with a higher sound pressure level (SPL) that were received in a quieter environment were more often detected than their shorter, lower SPL counterparts within a noisier environment. In a noisier environment, calls were louder and had a lower peak frequency, indicating mechanisms for coping with varying conditions. However, the vulnerability of pilot whales to anthropogenic noise is still of concern as the ability to cope with increasing background noise may be limited. Our study shows that combining propagation modelling and actual tag recordings provides new insights into the communicative potential for social calls in orientation and reunion with group members for deep-diving pilot whales.
Annebelle C. M. Kok; Lisette van Kolfshoten; James A. Campbell; Alexander M. von Benda-Beckmann; Patrick J. O. Miller; Hans Slabbekoorn; Fleur Visser. Diving apart together: call propagation in diving long-finned pilot whales. Journal of Experimental Biology 2020, 1 .
AMA StyleAnnebelle C. M. Kok, Lisette van Kolfshoten, James A. Campbell, Alexander M. von Benda-Beckmann, Patrick J. O. Miller, Hans Slabbekoorn, Fleur Visser. Diving apart together: call propagation in diving long-finned pilot whales. Journal of Experimental Biology. 2020; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAnnebelle C. M. Kok; Lisette van Kolfshoten; James A. Campbell; Alexander M. von Benda-Beckmann; Patrick J. O. Miller; Hans Slabbekoorn; Fleur Visser. 2020. "Diving apart together: call propagation in diving long-finned pilot whales." Journal of Experimental Biology , no. : 1.
The continuing rise in underwater sound levels in the oceans leads to disturbance of marine life. It is thought that one of the main impacts of sound exposure is the alteration of foraging behaviour of marine species, for example by deterring animals from a prey location, or by distracting them while they are trying to catch prey. So far, only limited knowledge is available on both mechanisms in the same species. The harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) is a relatively small marine mammal that could quickly suffer fitness consequences from a reduction of foraging success. To investigate effects of anthropogenic sound on their foraging efficiency, we tested whether experimentally elevated sound levels would deter two captive harbour porpoises from a noisy pool into a quiet pool (Experiment 1) and reduce their prey-search performance, measured as prey-search time in the noisy pool (Experiment 2). Furthermore, we tested the influence of the temporal structure and amplitude of the sound on the avoidance response of both animals. Both individuals avoided the pool with elevated sound levels, but they did not show a change in search time for prey when trying to find a fish hidden in one of three cages. The combination of temporal structure and SPL caused variable patterns. When the sound was intermittent, increased SPL caused increased avoidance times. When the sound was continuous, avoidance was equal for all SPLs above a threshold of 100 dB re 1 μPa. Hence, we found no evidence for an effect of sound exposure on search efficiency, but sounds of different temporal patterns did cause spatial avoidance with distinct dose-response patterns.
Annebelle C.M. Kok; J. Pamela Engelberts; Ronald A. Kastelein; Lean Helder-Hoek; Shirley Van de Voorde; Fleur Visser; Hans Slabbekoorn. Spatial avoidance to experimental increase of intermittent and continuous sound in two captive harbour porpoises. Environmental Pollution 2018, 233, 1024 -1036.
AMA StyleAnnebelle C.M. Kok, J. Pamela Engelberts, Ronald A. Kastelein, Lean Helder-Hoek, Shirley Van de Voorde, Fleur Visser, Hans Slabbekoorn. Spatial avoidance to experimental increase of intermittent and continuous sound in two captive harbour porpoises. Environmental Pollution. 2018; 233 ():1024-1036.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAnnebelle C.M. Kok; J. Pamela Engelberts; Ronald A. Kastelein; Lean Helder-Hoek; Shirley Van de Voorde; Fleur Visser; Hans Slabbekoorn. 2018. "Spatial avoidance to experimental increase of intermittent and continuous sound in two captive harbour porpoises." Environmental Pollution 233, no. : 1024-1036.
Vocalisations form a key component of the social interactions and foraging behaviour of toothed whales. We investigated changes in calling and echolocation behaviour of long-finned pilot whales between foraging and non-foraging periods, by combining acoustic recordings and diving depth data from tagged individuals with concurrent surface observations on social behaviour of their group. The pilot whales showed marked vocal variation, specific to foraging and social context. During periods of foraging, pilot whales showed more vocal activity than during non-foraging periods (rest, travel). In addition to the expected increase in echolocation activity, call rates also increased, suggesting that pilot whales communicate more during foraging. Furthermore, calls with multiple inflections occurred more often immediately before and after foraging dives and during the early descent and late ascent phases of foraging dives. However, these calls were almost never detected at diving depths of the tagged whale beyond 350 m. Calls with no or few inflections were produced at all times, irrespective of diving depth of the tagged whale. We discuss possible explanations for the distinct vocal variation associated with foraging periods. In addition, during non-foraging periods, the pilot whales were found to be more silent (no calling or echolocation) in larger, more closely spaced groups. This indicates that increased levels of social cohesion may release the need to stay in touch acoustically. Social toothed whales rely on vocalisations to find prey and interact with conspecifics. Species are often highly vocal and can have elaborate call repertoires. However, it often remains unclear how their repertoire use correlates to specific social and behavioural contexts, which is vital to understand toothed whale foraging strategies and sociality. Combining on-animal tag recordings of diving and acoustic behaviour with observations of social behaviour, we found that pilot whales produce more calls during foraging than during non-foraging periods. Moreover, highly inflected calls were closely associated to the periods around and during foraging dives. This indicates enhanced communication during foraging, which may, for example, enable relocation of conspecifics or sharing of information. Whales reduced their vocal activity (calling and echolocation) at increased levels of social cohesion, indicating that in certain behavioural contexts, closer association (i.e. more closely spaced) may release the need to stay in touch acoustically. The online version of this article (10.1007/s00265-017-2397-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Fleur Visser; Annebelle Kok; Machiel G Oudejans; Lindesay A.S. Scott-Hayward; Stacy L. DeRuiter; Ana C. Alves; Ricardo N. Antunes; Saana Isojunno; Graham J. Pierce; Hans Slabbekoorn; Jef Huisman; Patrick J. O. Miller. Vocal foragers and silent crowds: context-dependent vocal variation in Northeast Atlantic long-finned pilot whales. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 2017, 71, 170 .
AMA StyleFleur Visser, Annebelle Kok, Machiel G Oudejans, Lindesay A.S. Scott-Hayward, Stacy L. DeRuiter, Ana C. Alves, Ricardo N. Antunes, Saana Isojunno, Graham J. Pierce, Hans Slabbekoorn, Jef Huisman, Patrick J. O. Miller. Vocal foragers and silent crowds: context-dependent vocal variation in Northeast Atlantic long-finned pilot whales. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 2017; 71 (12):170.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFleur Visser; Annebelle Kok; Machiel G Oudejans; Lindesay A.S. Scott-Hayward; Stacy L. DeRuiter; Ana C. Alves; Ricardo N. Antunes; Saana Isojunno; Graham J. Pierce; Hans Slabbekoorn; Jef Huisman; Patrick J. O. Miller. 2017. "Vocal foragers and silent crowds: context-dependent vocal variation in Northeast Atlantic long-finned pilot whales." Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 71, no. 12: 170.
Annebelle C. M. Kok; J. Pamela Engelberts; Fleur Visser; Hans Slabbekoorn. Spatial behavior, swimming speed and surfacing rate of two captive harbor porpoises in ambient sound control conditions. 22nd International Congress on Acoustics: Acoustics for the 21st Century 2016, 10037 .
AMA StyleAnnebelle C. M. Kok, J. Pamela Engelberts, Fleur Visser, Hans Slabbekoorn. Spatial behavior, swimming speed and surfacing rate of two captive harbor porpoises in ambient sound control conditions. 22nd International Congress on Acoustics: Acoustics for the 21st Century. 2016; ():10037.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAnnebelle C. M. Kok; J. Pamela Engelberts; Fleur Visser; Hans Slabbekoorn. 2016. "Spatial behavior, swimming speed and surfacing rate of two captive harbor porpoises in ambient sound control conditions." 22nd International Congress on Acoustics: Acoustics for the 21st Century , no. : 10037.
The molluscan shell can be viewed as a petrified representation of the organism's ontogeny and thus can be used as a record of changes in form during growth. However, little empirical data is available on the actual growth and form of shells, as these are hard to quantify and examine simultaneously. To address these issues, we studied the growth and form of a land snail that has an irregularly coiled and heavily ornamented shell-Plectostoma concinnum. The growth data were collected in a natural growth experiment and the actual form changes of the aperture during shell ontogeny were quantified. We used an ontogeny axis that allows data of growth and form to be analysed simultaneously. Then, we examined the association between the growth and the form during three different whorl growing phases, namely, the regular coiled spire phase, the transitional constriction phase, and the distortedly-coiled tuba phase. In addition, we also explored the association between growth rate and the switching between whorl growing mode and rib growing mode. As a result, we show how the changes in the aperture ontogeny profiles in terms of aperture shape, size and growth trajectory, and the changes in growth rates, are associated with the different shell forms at different parts of the shell ontogeny. These associations suggest plausible constraints that underlie the three different shell ontogeny phases and the two different growth modes. We found that the mechanism behind the irregularly coiled-shell is the rotational changes of the animal's body and mantle edge with respect to the previously secreted shell. Overall, we propose that future study should focus on the role of the mantle and the columellar muscular system in the determination of shell form.
Thor-Seng Liew; Annebelle Kok; Menno Schilthuizen; Severine Urdy. On growth and form of irregular coiled-shell of a terrestrial snail:Plectostoma concinnum(Fulton, 1901) (Mollusca: Caenogastropoda: Diplommatinidae). PeerJ 2014, 2, e383 .
AMA StyleThor-Seng Liew, Annebelle Kok, Menno Schilthuizen, Severine Urdy. On growth and form of irregular coiled-shell of a terrestrial snail:Plectostoma concinnum(Fulton, 1901) (Mollusca: Caenogastropoda: Diplommatinidae). PeerJ. 2014; 2 ():e383.
Chicago/Turabian StyleThor-Seng Liew; Annebelle Kok; Menno Schilthuizen; Severine Urdy. 2014. "On growth and form of irregular coiled-shell of a terrestrial snail:Plectostoma concinnum(Fulton, 1901) (Mollusca: Caenogastropoda: Diplommatinidae)." PeerJ 2, no. : e383.