Sound characterization of the European lobster Homarus gammarus in tanks

Type Article
Date 2018
Language English
Author(s) Jezequel Youenn1, Bonnel Julien2, Coston-Guarini Jennifer1, Guarini Jean-Marc3, Chauvaud Laurent1
Affiliation(s) 1 : UBO, CNRS, LIA BeBEST, Ifremer,IRD,Lab Sci Environm Marin,UMR 6539, Rue Dumont DUrville, F-29280 Plouzane, France.
2 : Woods Hole Oceanog Inst, Woods Hole, MA 02543 USA.
3 : UPMC Paris 6, Observ Oceanol Banyuls Sur Mer, UMR LECOB 8222, F-66650 Banyuls Sur Mer, France.
Source Aquatic Biology (1864-7790) (Inter-research), 2018 , Vol. 27 , P. 13-23
DOI 10.3354/ab00692
WOS© Times Cited 26
Keyword(s) European lobster, Passive acoustics, Tanks, Reverberation, Rattle, Buzzing sound, Spectral analysis
Abstract

Experiments in marine behavioural ecology rely heavily on observations made in tanks. However, when studying acoustic behaviours of marine animals in confined volumes, the effects of reverberation must be characterized, something that has been overlooked in parts of the marine ecology literature. In this study, we characterized reverberation in tanks using an artificial sound source and examined the implications for bioacoustic studies using sounds emitted by the European lobster Homarus gammarus during feeding and in response to stress. Broadband and transient sounds commonly produced by crustaceans were severely impacted by reverberation such that their spectral characteristics and pulse width durations could not be assessed. In contrast, low-frequency sounds could be characterized in tanks, but not their source level. Based on these observations, we describe a simple methodology to identify which sound characteristics can be measured in tanks. When feeding, the lobsters produced broadband and transient sounds called ‘rattles’, similar to sounds reported for tropical spiny lobsters Palinurus longipes and P. argus. When stressed, H. gammarus vibrated its carapace, producing a low-frequency sound analogous to the ‘buzzing’ sound of the American lobster H. americanus. The potential role of species-specific sound is discussed; however, although our observations represent the first bioacoustic characterization of H. gammarus, additional behavioural studies are necessary to understand their ecological meaning.

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