Science.- Shrimp make more noise due to higher temperatures – Publimetro México

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Science.- Shrimp make more noise due to higher temperatures – Publimetro México

Madrid, 19 (European press)

Research published by scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) in Frontiers in Marine Science has confirmed their previous observations that rising temperatures are making the crackling sound of shrimp, small crustaceans found in temperate marine and tropical coastal environments from around the world.

In the first study of its kind, WHO marine ecologists Ashley Lillis and T. Aran Mooney established a clear relationship between warming and the frequency and volume of sound emitted by two species of abrupt shrimp, with implications for both underwater navigation and communication. . humans and animals.

The continuous clicking sounds produced by the shrimp, reminiscent of the sizzling sound of bacon, are so loud and cover a wide sound range that they interfere with boat sonar and fish finders. Research shows that whales and dolphins may rely on the sound of shrimp to orient themselves along the shoreline, and the different soundscapes help attract fish, shellfish, and coral larvae to appropriate settlement sites.

“These shrimp are the most prevalent producer of sound in the ocean, and we now have evidence that temperature has a significant impact on their behavior and on the acoustic environment in general,” said Lillis, a visiting researcher at the World Health Organization and principal ocean acoustic scientist. “This is relevant to everything from migrating whales to caterpillars trying to use the acoustic landscape, to humans using the sea for extraction or military purposes.”

Lillis analyzed prawn records from oyster reefs off the North Carolina coast and found a 1 to 2 decibel increase, as well as a 15 to 60 percent increase in click rate, for each degree Celsius increase in temperature. After testing in a controlled lab environment, Lillis found that click frequency doubles with water temperatures between 68 F (20 C) and 86 F (30 C), with some variations depending on the season or social group of the shrimp.

The experiments simulate short-term heat wave effects, so it is not yet clear whether the shrimp will eventually adapt or how the increased attraction might affect physiology or the ecosystem over time. Mooney says that while it has long been understood that temperature influences crustacean behavior, the effects of warming waters on the broader sea sound scale are a critical – and often overlooked – branch of climate change.

“Climate change is affecting the marine acoustic landscape in fundamental ways,” Mooney said in a statement. “Rising water temperatures may affect how animals physically communicate and use sound to reproduce and attract friends. We don’t yet know what happens to an ecosystem when background noise levels are higher, but there are implications.” strong. “

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