Sound production associated with reproductive behavior of Nassau grouper Epinephelus striatus at spawning aggregations

Schärer, Michelle T.; Rowell, Timothy J.; Nemeth, Michael; Appeldoorn, Richard S.

doi:10.3354/esr00457

Cited by 38 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 27 publications

(52 reference statements)

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Importantly, all spawning rushes that were observed included male sound production, indicating for the first time in epinephelids, to the best of our knowledge, that sounds are not only associated with courtship but also with spawning rushes. Previous works have ascribed sounds produced by epinephelids as courtship associated, because spawning was unable to be observed or concurrent sound recorded (Mann et al ., ; Nelson et al ., ; Schärer et al ., , , ). However, within some studies, levels of sound production increased during hypothesized times of spawning.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…The sounds of M. jordani contain tonal parts with harmonic components that overlap in frequency and estimated source levels of sounds produced by other Mycteroperca spp. (Schärer et al ., , ). Fundamental frequencies were on the order of 50 Hz for both types of sounds and may be physiologically driven by the size of males, as large epinephelids tend to produce sounds of lower frequency (Bertucci et al ., ; Mann et al ., ; Schärer et al ., ) when compared with smaller‐bodied species (Mann et al ., ; Nelson et al ., ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, future studies are needed to test this hypothesis. Peak months were preceded and followed by a build‐up and falloff of sounds detected, respectively, in accordance with patterns observed in other species of epinephelids (Rowell et al ., ; Schärer et al ., ). Outside of peak months when sounds were still detected, males may have arrived at the site prior to females and spawning activity to establish territories and dominance (Nemeth et al ., ; Rhodes & Sadovy, ), but future efforts are needed to assess pre‐spawning dynamics.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As fishes produce sounds associated with agonistic, disturbance and reproductive behaviours (Lobel, ; Lobel et al ., ; Erisman & Rowell, ), visual observations coupled with passive acoustic monitoring have increasingly been used to characterize spatio‐temporal patterns of habitat use, courtship, spawning and acoustic behaviours in a number of epinephelid species (Mann et al ., ; Nelson et al ., ; Schärer et al ., ; Rowell et al ., ), including the yellowfin grouper Mycteroperca venenosa (L. 1758) (Schärer et al ., ) and black grouper Mycteroperca bonaci (Poey 1860) (Schärer et al ., ; Locascio & Burton, ; Sanchez et al ., ), which are native to the western Atlantic Ocean and the closest living relatives to M. jordani (Craig & Hastings, ). Direct, repetitive observations of fish behaviours in situ during reproductive periods are often required to describe the mating system of aggregating species (Adreani & Allen, ; Adreani et al ., ; Colin, ; Erisman et al ., ) but are often limited due to personnel, vessel, economic and visual constraints.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The incorporation of acoustic recording devices into visual surveys has identified the inclusion of acoustic communication in reproductive contexts, such as male sound production during courtship associated interactions with females (Bertucci et al ., ; Mann & Lobel, ; Nelson et al ., ), thereby permitting the monitoring of validated, acoustic behaviours using passive acoustics outside of observational periods (Rountree et al ., ). With knowledge of the behaviours associated with sound production during spawning aggregations, long‐term acoustic monitoring complement visual observations to deduce the daily timing and seasonality of spawning (Schärer et al ., ,b, ) and estimate abundances remotely from recorded sound metrics (Rowell et al ., , ). Given the sound producing capabilities of its congeners, complementary descriptions of the acoustic and reproductive behaviours of M. jordani would provide a basis to monitor spawning behaviours, seasonality and relative abundances of spawning stocks at aggregation sites using passive acoustic methods.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 4 more Smart Citations

Reproductive behaviour and concurrent sound production of Gulf grouper Mycteroperca jordani (Epinephelidae) at a spawning aggregation site

Rowell

Aburto‐Oropeza

Cota-Nieto³

et al. 2019

Journal of Fish Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The reproductive and acoustic behaviours of Gulf grouper Mycteroperca jordani were studied at a spawning aggregation site in the southern Gulf of California, México. In May 2015–2017, divers located and surveyed a spawning aggregation site within Cabo Pulmo National Park. Adult M. jordani conformed to a lek mating system in which large males formed territories over sand adjacent to a rocky reef that were spatially segregated from smaller females outside of courtship and spawning periods. Females moved into male territories during evening hours to spawn. Male courtship behaviours targeted a single female, included head shakes and burst rises and preceded pair spawning prior to sunset. Males and females displayed three shared colour phases, but four phases were sex‐specific. During evening hours, courtship and spawning, both sexes exhibited sexual dichromatism concurrent with reproductive behaviours. The pair‐spawning mating system and observations of bimodal size distributions by sex support previous claims of protogyny in the species. Males produced sounds during territorial patrols, courtship and spawning rushes, which corroborated the importance of acoustic communication within the behavioural repertoire associated with spawning. Long‐term acoustic monitoring revealed increases in total sounds detected day−1 from March through June with diel increases (e.g., evenings) that may be indicative of the spawning season. Observations of spawning on 12 consecutive evenings in May 2017 coupled with extended periods of sound production suggest that spawning does not follow a lunar rhythm. This first description of the mating system and sounds of the endangered M. jordani facilitates future development of seasonal and areal protections to restore and manage the species.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 3 more Smart Citations

Reproductive behaviour and concurrent sound production of Gulf grouper Mycteroperca jordani (Epinephelidae) at a spawning aggregation site

Rowell

Aburto‐Oropeza

Cota-Nieto³

et al. 2019

Journal of Fish Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Passive monitoring of phenological acoustic patterns reveals the sound of the camouflage grouper, Epinephelus polyphekadion

Jublier

Bertucci

Kéver

et al. 2019

Aquatic Conservation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

1. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is a non-invasive technique that uses hydrophones to monitor populations and ecosystem dynamics. Although many applications of PAM have been developed in recent years, it has never been used to identify a calling marine species.2. The south pass of Fakarava Atoll, French Polynesia, hosts spawning events of many reef fish species, including the camouflage grouper Epinephelus polyphekadion, with a spawning aggregation abundance exceeding 17 000 individuals during the full moons of June and July.3. The current study aimed to use PAM to distinguish camouflage grouper sounds among the vocal activities of all fish recorded during the aggregation periods. Audio recordings analysis resulted in the identification of 29 sound types, some of which showed diel and lunar patterns.4. Temporal analysis of these sounds in relation to spawning activities allowed the identification of camouflage grouper calls. These calls can be described as a single pulse or a series of 'boom(s)' with a pulse duration of ~44 ms and a low dominant frequency of 103 ± 31 Hz. Video recordings show that the camouflage grouper produces the 'booms' to initialize spawner ascent and to promote synchronous gamete release into the water column.5. The study highlights for the first time that PAM can be used to identify the previously unknown sound of a fish species. Moreover, we can use it to understand the phenology of some biological activities for improving the resolution of fish biodiversity assessments.

show abstract

Sound features and vocal rhythms as a proxy for locating the spawning ground of Sciaena umbra in the wild

Picciulin

Fiorin

Facca

et al. 2020

Aquatic Conservation

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The brown meagre (Sciaena umbra) is a demersal sciaenid fish recognized as indicative of good environmental quality and is defined as an umbrella species for the ecological community of rocky coastal habitats. Sciaena umbra is classified as a Vulnerable fish species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and knowledge on the distribution of its spawning habitats is essential for its conservation. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is a suitable tool to monitor S. umbra distribution because of the high consistency, over space and time, of the communication sounds that this species emits during the reproductive period, with irregular or regular rhythms, or with calls merging into a chorus. During the summer of 2019, the presence of this species was investigated acoustically at 40 listening points distributed along the tidal inlets that connect the Venice lagoon with the open sea. Longer sounds, comprising a higher number of faster repeated pulses, were found during the chorus and were used as a proxy of spawning activity; similar sound features have been recorded in different captive Sciaenids during spawning. The three inlets were classified as more or less suitable for spawning on the basis of the vocal rhythms identified, demonstrating a clear preference along a north–south gradient and indicating higher spawning activity in the internal‐facing areas of the inlets, compared with the seaward‐facing areas. The chorus occurred in localized areas consistently throughout the breeding season, suggesting that spawning is concentrated in preferred areas. For the first time a relationship between the sound features and vocal rhythms of fish has been highlighted by an in situ study. This validates the use of the chorus as a reliable natural indicator of S. umbra breeding sites, and in turn suggests a potential non‐invasive approach based on PAM for mapping the key reproductive areas of this vulnerable species in the Mediterranean Sea.

show abstract

Sound production associated with reproductive behavior of Nassau grouper Epinephelus striatus at spawning aggregations

Cited by 38 publications

References 27 publications

Reproductive behaviour and concurrent sound production of Gulf grouper Mycteroperca jordani (Epinephelidae) at a spawning aggregation site

Reproductive behaviour and concurrent sound production of Gulf grouper Mycteroperca jordani (Epinephelidae) at a spawning aggregation site

Passive monitoring of phenological acoustic patterns reveals the sound of the camouflage grouper, Epinephelus polyphekadion

Sound features and vocal rhythms as a proxy for locating the spawning ground of Sciaena umbra in the wild

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About