Presentation Abstract
Structured biogenic habitats are biodiversity hotspots that host a wide range of soniferous species. Glass Sponge Reefs (GSRs) are rare and sensitive systems that have only been documented in shelf habitats in the Northeast Pacific from Portland Canal to the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada. Galiano Reef is a GSR located in the Salish Sea, in the Outer Gulf Islands Sponge Reef fishing closure, British Columbia, Canada. Little is known about the soundscapes of these deep-water systems and the potential impacts of anthropogenic noise on them. Here we describe the biophony and the anthropophony on and outside of Galiano reef. In September of 2016 we deployed three underwater acoustic recorders that captured sound continuously for approximately four days. The two recordings from the reef (within and at the margin of the reef footprint) were significantly louder in the mid- and high-frequency bands (100-1000 Hz and 1-10 kHz respectively) than the recordings made in soft-bottom habitat away from the reef. These frequency bands are known to correlate with aspects of the biological community as well as benthic cover in shallow-water systems; visual surveys conducted in the area confirmed the presence of several known soniferous species. More fish sounds were recorded on the reef compared to the off-reef site. There was a significant difference in the influence of vessel traffic on Sound Pressure Levels at the three locations across all frequency bands, with the greatest influence in the low frequency band at the reef-margin location. Our results suggest that GSRs have a distinct soundscape, which warrants the use of passive acoustics as a tool to monitor the ecosystem.
Session Title
Species and Habitats of Emerging Concern
Keywords
Sponge reef, Bioacoustics, Ship noise
Conference Track
SSE11: Species and Food Webs
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE11-167
Start Date
6-4-2018 11:00 AM
End Date
6-4-2018 11:15 AM
Type of Presentation
Oral
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Hexactinellide--Galiano Island (B.C.); Reefs--Environmental aspects--Galiano Island (B.C.); Sponges--Effect of noise on--Galiano Island (B.C.)
Geographic Coverage
Galiano Island (B.C.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Included in
Fresh Water Studies Commons, Marine Biology Commons, Natural Resources and Conservation Commons, Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons
Using passive acoustics to monitor Galiano glass sponge reef
Structured biogenic habitats are biodiversity hotspots that host a wide range of soniferous species. Glass Sponge Reefs (GSRs) are rare and sensitive systems that have only been documented in shelf habitats in the Northeast Pacific from Portland Canal to the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia, Canada. Galiano Reef is a GSR located in the Salish Sea, in the Outer Gulf Islands Sponge Reef fishing closure, British Columbia, Canada. Little is known about the soundscapes of these deep-water systems and the potential impacts of anthropogenic noise on them. Here we describe the biophony and the anthropophony on and outside of Galiano reef. In September of 2016 we deployed three underwater acoustic recorders that captured sound continuously for approximately four days. The two recordings from the reef (within and at the margin of the reef footprint) were significantly louder in the mid- and high-frequency bands (100-1000 Hz and 1-10 kHz respectively) than the recordings made in soft-bottom habitat away from the reef. These frequency bands are known to correlate with aspects of the biological community as well as benthic cover in shallow-water systems; visual surveys conducted in the area confirmed the presence of several known soniferous species. More fish sounds were recorded on the reef compared to the off-reef site. There was a significant difference in the influence of vessel traffic on Sound Pressure Levels at the three locations across all frequency bands, with the greatest influence in the low frequency band at the reef-margin location. Our results suggest that GSRs have a distinct soundscape, which warrants the use of passive acoustics as a tool to monitor the ecosystem.
