Publications by year
2021
Henly L, Stewart JE, Simpson SD (2021). Drivers and implications of change in an inshore multi-species fishery.
ICES Journal of Marine Science,
78(5), 1815-1825.
Abstract:
Drivers and implications of change in an inshore multi-species fishery
Abstract
. Inshore fisheries are an important source of employment and income across Europe. However, their sustainability and management efficacy are relatively understudied, particularly in a multispecies context. Management of these data-limited fisheries can be informed by assessments of standardized catch and landings per unit effort (CPUE and LPUE) data from fishery-dependent surveys. We demonstrate the utility of this approach in the first robust assessment of the sustainability and management of a multispecies inshore fishery for live wrasse (Labridae) in southern England. Our findings have wider ramifications for assessment and management of inshore fisheries, including international live wrasse fisheries, many of which are intensely exploited but have less stringent management than the fishery studied here. Using generalized linear models, we identified ecologically relevant drivers of variation in CPUE and LPUE, alongside interspecific variation in responses to fishing pressure during 2017–2019. We also highlight robust evidence of declines in the primary target species, a protogynous hermaphrodite, that are suggestive of fishery impacts driven by management-enabled selective removal of mature females. We demonstrate the need to consider ecologically similar species separately for management purposes, and account for ecogeographical variables in assessments; a failure to do so risks erroneous conclusions regarding inshore fisheries’ sustainability.
Abstract.
Duarte CM, Chapuis L, Collin SP, Costa DP, Devassy RP, Eguiluz VM, Erbe C, Gordon TAC, Halpern BS, Harding HR, et al (2021). The soundscape of the Anthropocene ocean.
Science,
371(6529).
Abstract:
The soundscape of the Anthropocene ocean.
Oceans have become substantially noisier since the Industrial Revolution. Shipping, resource exploration, and infrastructure development have increased the anthrophony (sounds generated by human activities), whereas the biophony (sounds of biological origin) has been reduced by hunting, fishing, and habitat degradation. Climate change is affecting geophony (abiotic, natural sounds). Existing evidence shows that anthrophony affects marine animals at multiple levels, including their behavior, physiology, and, in extreme cases, survival. This should prompt management actions to deploy existing solutions to reduce noise levels in the ocean, thereby allowing marine animals to reestablish their use of ocean sound as a central ecological trait in a healthy ocean.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Sainsbury NC, Schuhmann PW, Turner RA, Grilli G, Pinnegar JK, Genner MJ, Simpson SD (2021). Trade-offs between physical risk and economic reward affect fishers’ vulnerability to changing storminess. Global Environmental Change, 69, 102228-102228.
2020
McCloskey KP, Chapman KE, Chapuis L, McCormick MI, Radford AN, Simpson SD (2020). Assessing and mitigating impacts of motorboat noise on nesting damselfish.
Environmental Pollution,
266Abstract:
Assessing and mitigating impacts of motorboat noise on nesting damselfish
Motorboats are a pervasive, growing source of anthropogenic noise in marine environments, with known impacts on fish physiology and behaviour. However, empirical evidence for the disruption of parental care remains scarce and stems predominantly from playback studies. Additionally, there is a paucity of experimental studies examining noise-mitigation strategies. We conducted two field experiments to investigate the effects of noise from real motorboats on the parental-care behaviours of a common coral-reef fish, the Ambon damselfish Pomacentrus amboinensis, which exhibits male-only egg care. When exposed to motorboat noise, we found that males exhibited vigilance behaviour 34% more often and spent 17% more time remaining vigilant, compared to an ambient-sound control. We then investigated nest defence in the presence of an introduced conspecific male intruder, incorporating a third noise treatment of altered motorboat-driving practice that was designed to mitigate noise exposure via speed and distance limitations. The males spent 22% less time interacting with the intruder and 154% more time sheltering during normal motorboat exposure compared to the ambient-sound control, with nest-defence levels in the mitigation treatment equivalent to those in ambient conditions. Our results reveal detrimental impacts of real motorboat noise on some aspects of parental care in fish, and successfully demonstrate the positive effects of an affordable, easily implemented mitigation strategy. We strongly advocate the integration of mitigation strategies into future experiments in this field, and the application of evidence-based policy in our increasingly noisy world.
Abstract.
Fernandes JA, Rutterford L, Simpson SD, Butenschön M, Frölicher TL, Yool A, Cheung WWL, Grant A (2020). Can we project changes in fish abundance and distribution in response to climate?. Global Change Biology, 26(7), 3891-3905.
Hastings RA, Rutterford LA, Freer JJ, Collins RA, Simpson SD, Genner MJ (2020). Climate Change Drives Poleward Increases and Equatorward Declines in Marine Species.
Curr Biol,
30(8), 1572-1577.e2.
Abstract:
Climate Change Drives Poleward Increases and Equatorward Declines in Marine Species.
Marine environments have increased in temperature by an average of 1°C since pre-industrial (1850) times [1]. Given that species ranges are closely allied to physiological thermal tolerances in marine organisms [2], it may therefore be expected that ocean warming would lead to abundance increases at poleward side of ranges and abundance declines toward the equator [3]. Here, we report a global analysis of abundance trends of 304 widely distributed marine species over the last century, across a range of taxonomic groups from phytoplankton to fish and marine mammals. Specifically, using a literature database, we investigate the extent that the direction and strength of long-term species abundance changes depend on the sampled location within the latitudinal range of species. Our results show that abundance increases have been most prominent where sampling has taken place at the poleward side of species ranges, and abundance declines have been most prominent where sampling has taken place at the equatorward side of species ranges. These data provide evidence of omnipresent large-scale changes in abundance of marine species consistent with warming over the last century and suggest that adaptation has not provided a buffer against the negative effects of warmer conditions at the equatorward extent of species ranges. On the basis of these results, we suggest that projected sea temperature increases of up to 1.5°C over pre-industrial levels by 2050 [4] will continue to drive latitudinal abundance shifts in marine species, including those of importance for coastal livelihoods.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Weschke E (2020). Ecological implications of motorboat noise on coral reef fish communities.
Abstract:
Ecological implications of motorboat noise on coral reef fish communities
Anthropogenic noise is recognised as a major pollutant of international concern. Motorised vessels are the dominant source of anthropogenic noise in the marine environment. Small motorboats are widespread among coastal regions, exposing shallow marine ecosystems to noise disturbance. Short-term exposure to motorboat noise can have a profound impact on fish physiology and behaviour. However, it remains unclear how such impacts translate to wild fish assemblages. No study has yet investigated the community-wide implications of motorboat noise. The aim of this thesis is to review the current understanding of motorboat noise on fish ecology; provide the first assessment of chronic motorboat noise on a wild fish community; and consider future directions in research, management and mitigation. Using existing spatial variation in motorboat traffic across coral reefs in French Polynesia we carried out visual census techniques to investigate the effect of chronic motorboat noise on a coral reef fish community. In addition, we conducted a month-long motorboat manipulation of a coral reef with minimal disturbance history to test whether community responses can be experimentally induced. There was no difference in the overall fish abundance, species richness and diversity on coral reefs exposed to chronic motorboat noise. Yet, 5 species had significantly lower abundances, whilst 8 species had significantly greater abundances on reef exposed to chronic motorboat noise, resulting in a significant difference in the overall community composition. In addition, the month-long motorboat manipulation replicated the same response in two species as the previous study; though this was not enough to significantly alter the community composition. This study demonstrates that fish species respond differently to chronic motorboat noise, and community implications are more complex than previously predicted. Future studies should consider the diversity of functional traits, noise tolerance and interspecific interactions when investigating the ecological implications of motorboat noise on fishes.
Abstract.
Ginnaw GM, Davidson IK, Harding HR, Simpson SD, Roberts NW, Radford AN, Ioannou CC (2020). Effects of multiple stressors on fish shoal collective motion are independent and vary with shoaling metric.
Animal Behaviour,
168, 7-17.
Abstract:
Effects of multiple stressors on fish shoal collective motion are independent and vary with shoaling metric
Collective movement is critical to the survival of some animals. Despite substantial progress in understanding animal collectives such as fish shoals and bird flocks, it is unknown how collective behaviour is affected by changes in multiple environmental conditions that can interact as stressors. Using a fully factorial repeated-measures design, we tested the independent and combined effects of darkness and acoustic noise on the collective motion of three-spined sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus, quantified using high-resolution tracking data from video. Corresponding to the importance of vision in shoaling behaviour, darkness increased nearest-neighbour distances and reduced coordination, measured as speed correlations and differences in directional heading between nearest neighbours. Although individual swimming speeds were not impacted by darkness, the group's centre of mass was slower, an emergent effect of reduced polarisation (i.e. greater group disorder) in darkness. While additional acoustic noise had no detectable effect on these variables, it altered group structure, with fish being more likely to be found side by side one another. Fish were also further from the arena wall (i.e. showed reduced wall following) when there was additional acoustic noise. There was only weak evidence for additive or interactive effects of the two stressors. Across the different environmental contexts, there were consistent, repeatable differences between groups (i.e. group personality variation) in the speed, turning angle and distance from the arena wall of individuals, but the only collective behaviour that was repeatable was group polarization. Our study demonstrates that multiple stressors can have independent effects that impact different aspects of behaviour and highlights the need for empirical studies on multiple stressors as their effects can be unpredictable.
Abstract.
Mills SC, Beldade R, Henry L, Laverty D, Nedelec SL, Simpson SD, Radford AN (2020). Hormonal and behavioural effects of motorboat noise on wild coral reef fish.
Environmental Pollution,
262Abstract:
Hormonal and behavioural effects of motorboat noise on wild coral reef fish
We compared both short- and longer-term exposure on the behavioural, glucocorticoid and androgen responses of free-living anemonefish, and demonstrated that androgen/glucocorticoid pathways are the plausible proximate mechanisms driving behavioural responses to anthropogenic noise.
Abstract.
Gordon TAC, Radford AN, Simpson SD, Meekan MG (2020). Marine restoration projects are undervalued.
Science,
367(6478), 635-636.
Author URL.
Maltby KM, Rutterford LA, Tinker J, Genner MJ, Simpson SD (2020). Projected impacts of warming seas on commercially fished species at a biogeographic boundary of the European continental shelf.
Journal of Applied Ecology,
57(11), 2222-2233.
Abstract:
Projected impacts of warming seas on commercially fished species at a biogeographic boundary of the European continental shelf
Projecting the future effects of climate change on marine fished populations can help prepare the fishing industry and management systems for resulting ecological, social and economic changes. Generating projections using multiple climate scenarios can provide valuable insights for fisheries stakeholders regarding uncertainty arising from future climate data. Using a range of climate projections based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change A1B, RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 climate scenarios, we modelled abundance of eight commercially important bottom dwelling fish species across the Celtic Sea, English Channel and southern North Sea through the 21st century. This region spans a faunal boundary between cooler northern waters and warmer southern waters, where mean sea surface temperatures are projected to rise by 2 to 4°C by 2098. For each species, Generalized Additive Models were trained on spatially explicit abundance data from six surveys between 2001 and 2010. Annual and seasonal temperatures were key drivers of species abundance patterns. Models were used to project species abundance for each decade through to 2090. Projections suggest important future changes in the availability and catchability of fish species, with projected increases in abundance of red mullet Mullus surmuletus L. Dover sole Solea solea L. John dory Zeus faber L. and lemon sole Microstomus kitt L. and decreases in abundance of Atlantic cod Gadus morhua L. anglerfish Lophius piscatorius L. and megrim Lepidorhombus whiffiagonis L. European plaice Pleuronectes platessa L. appeared less affected by projected temperature changes. Most projected abundance responses were comparable among climate projections, but uncertainty in the rate and magnitude of changes often increased substantially beyond 2040. Synthesis and applications. These results indicate potential risks as well as some opportunities for demersal fisheries under climate change. These changes will challenge current management systems, with implications for decisions on target fishing mortality rates, fishing effort and allowable catches. Increasingly flexible and adaptive approaches that reduce climate impacts on species while also supporting industry adaptation are required.
Abstract.
Lester EK, Langlois TJ, Simpson SD, McCormick MI, Meekan MG (2020). The hemisphere of fear: the presence of sharks influences the three dimensional behaviour of large mesopredators in a coral reef ecosystem.
OikosAbstract:
The hemisphere of fear: the presence of sharks influences the three dimensional behaviour of large mesopredators in a coral reef ecosystem
Predators can exert strong ecological effects on their prey either via consumption or by altering their behaviour and morphology. In marine systems, predators and their prey co-occur in a three-dimensional environment, but to date predator–prey studies have largely focussed on behaviours of prey on horizontal (distance from shelter) rather than vertical (height in water column) axes. We used life-size shape-models of a blacktip reef shark Carcharhinus melanopterus (threatening shape-model), a juvenile coral trout Plectropomus leopardus (non-threatening shape-model) and a shape-control to examine the impact of perceived instantaneous (measured by time to first feeding) versus sustained (measured by time to consume the entire bait) predation threats on the feeding behaviour and three-dimensional use of space by mesopredatory reef fishes in a coral reef environment. We found that mesopredatory fishes such as red snapper Lutjanus bohar and spangled emperor Lethrinus nebulosus took longer to begin feeding and to consume predation assays (fish baits) at greater distances from the shelter of a patch reef across both horizontal and vertical axes and that this phenomenon was stronger in the vertical axis than the horizontal. The presence of a life-size shape-model of a shark, which we used to increase the perception of predator threat, magnified the instantaneous effect compared to non-threatening models, but not the sustained effect. We found no evidence for a difference in the level of predation risk posed by the shape-model of the juvenile coral trout (a non-threatening reef fish) and a negative control (no shape-model). Our study suggests that mesopredators modify their behaviours in response to the perceived risk of predation across both horizontal and vertical axes away from shelter, and that this response is most severe on the vertical axis, potentially limiting daytime foraging behaviour to a hemisphere around shelter sites.
Abstract.
2019
Gordon TAC, Radford AN, Davidson IK, Barnes K, McCloskey K, Nedelec SL, Meekan MG, McCormick MI, Simpson SD (2019). Acoustic enrichment can enhance fish community development on degraded coral reef habitat.
Nature Communications,
10(1).
Abstract:
Acoustic enrichment can enhance fish community development on degraded coral reef habitat
AbstractCoral reefs worldwide are increasingly damaged by anthropogenic stressors, necessitating novel approaches for their management. Maintaining healthy fish communities counteracts reef degradation, but degraded reefs smell and sound less attractive to settlement-stage fishes than their healthy states. Here, using a six-week field experiment, we demonstrate that playback of healthy reef sound can increase fish settlement and retention to degraded habitat. We compare fish community development on acoustically enriched coral-rubble patch reefs with acoustically unmanipulated controls. Acoustic enrichment enhances fish community development across all major trophic guilds, with a doubling in overall abundance and 50% greater species richness. If combined with active habitat restoration and effective conservation measures, rebuilding fish communities in this manner might accelerate ecosystem recovery at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Acoustic enrichment shows promise as a novel tool for the active management of degraded coral reefs.
Abstract.
Gordon T, Simpson S, McCloskey K, Nedelec S (2019). Acoustic enrichment can enhance fish community development on degraded coral reef habitat (dataset).
Abstract:
Acoustic enrichment can enhance fish community development on degraded coral reef habitat (dataset)
Coral reefs worldwide are increasingly damaged by anthropogenic stressors, necessitating novel approaches for their management. Maintaining healthy fish communities counteracts reef degradation, but degraded reefs smell and sound less attractive to settlement-stage fishes than their healthy states. Here, using a six-week field experiment, we demonstrate that playback of healthy reef sound can increase fish settlement and retention to degraded habitat. We compare fish community development on acoustically enriched coral-rubble patch reefs with acoustically unmanipulated controls. Acoustic enrichment enhances fish community development across all major trophic guilds, with a doubling in overall abundance and 50% greater species richness. If combined with active habitat restoration and effective conservation measures, rebuilding fish communities in this manner might accelerate ecosystem recovery at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Acoustic enrichment shows promise as a novel tool for the active management of degraded coral reefs.
Abstract.
Harding HR, Gordon TAC, Eastcott E, Simpson SD, Radford AN (2019). Causes and consequences of intraspecific variation in animal responses to anthropogenic noise.
Behavioral Ecology,
30(6), 1501-1511.
Abstract:
Causes and consequences of intraspecific variation in animal responses to anthropogenic noise
Abstract
. Anthropogenic noise is a recognized global pollutant, affecting a wide range of nonhuman animals. However, most research considers only whether noise pollution has an impact, ignoring that individuals within a species or population exhibit substantial variation in responses to stress. Here, we first outline how intrinsic characteristics (e.g. body size, condition, sex, and personality) and extrinsic factors (e.g. environmental context, repeated exposure, prior experience, and multiple stressors) can affect responses to environmental stressors. We then present the results of a systematic search of the anthropogenic-noise literature, identifying articles that investigated intraspecific variation in the responses of nonhuman animals to noise. This reveals that fewer than 10% of articles (51 of 589) examining impacts of noise test experimentally for intraspecific variation in responses; of those that do, more than 75% report significant effects. We assess these existing studies to determine the current scope of research and findings to-date, and to provide suggestions for good practice in the design, implementation, and reporting of robust experiments in this field. We close by explaining how understanding intraspecific variation in responses to anthropogenic noise is crucial for improving how we manage captive animals, monitor wild populations, model species responses, and mitigate effects of noise pollution on wildlife. Our aim is to stimulate greater knowledge and more effective management of the harmful consequences of this global pollutant.
Abstract.
Obura DO, Aeby G, Amornthammarong N, Appeltans W, Bax N, Bishop J, Brainard RE, Chan S, Fletcher P, Gordon TAC, et al (2019). Coral Reef Monitoring, Reef Assessment Technologies, and Ecosystem-Based Management.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE,
6 Author URL.
Townhill BL, Tinker J, Jones M, Pitois S, Creach V, Simpson SD, Dye S, Bear E, Pinnegar JK (2019). Corrigendum: Harmful algal blooms and climate change: Exploring future distribution changes (ICES Journal of Marine Science (2018) 75 (1882-1893) DOI: 10.1093/icesjms/fsy113).
ICES Journal of Marine Science,
76(1).
Abstract:
Corrigendum: Harmful algal blooms and climate change: Exploring future distribution changes (ICES Journal of Marine Science (2018) 75 (1882-1893) DOI: 10.1093/icesjms/fsy113)
In the original article, the handling editor's name was incorrectly spelt. This has now been corrected.
Abstract.
Smith M (2019). Damsels and distress: Factors affecting Haemulidae distribution on Bahamian reefs.
Abstract:
Damsels and distress: Factors affecting Haemulidae distribution on Bahamian reefs
The interconnected habitats of coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass are home to a quarter of all known species in the marine environment. The interconnectivity of these areas improves species richness and density, even for species that do not use the habitats as a nursery. The communities that live as part of these ecosystems, just like many other marine species, are vulnerable to the effects of anthropogenic noise. Haemulidae spp. use the patch reef system protected by the Cape of Eleuthera as an intermediate nursery and exhibit a complex relationship with Stegastes spp. The importance of coral reef flats, such as those of Eleuthera, remains a crucial knowledge gap in our understanding of the coral reef nursery ecosystem. Also lacking is an understanding of the effect of chronic boat traffic on entire coral reef fish communities. This thesis aims to address these knowledge gaps across three chapters. Chapter 1 provides a literature review exploring Haemulidae spp. in the tropical marine environment and the importance of nursery habitats; Stegastes species in the tropical marine environment; and, the effects of anthropogenic noise in the marine environment. This highlights the current knowledge gaps and guides the data chapters. Chapter 2 presents a study in the patch reef system identifying the settlement habits of three Stegastes spp. (S. leucostictus, S. diencaeus, S. partitus) and the relationship with local Haemulidae spp. populations. This study identifies that this interaction may be an indication of reef health, as well as shedding light on a competitive hierarchy that exists amongst Stegastes spp. Chapter 3 presents a community level study (53 species, 14,970 individuals, 6 patch reefs) comparing the reactions of the patch reefs either communities protected from or exposed to chronic boat traffic. The chronic effect of boat traffic had a detrimental effect on density, species richness and recruitment compared to similar reefs. This was particularly noticeable with the Haemulidae spp. using the patch reef system as an intermediate nursery. This could mean that chronic boat traffic is influencing recruitment as well as having wider implications for reef health.
Abstract.
Gordon TAC, Radford AN, Simpson SD (2019). Grieving environmental scientists need support.
Science,
366(6462).
Author URL.
Davidson IK (2019). HEARING NEMO:. ALARM CALLING BEHAVIOUR. IN a CORAL REEF FISH.
Abstract:
HEARING NEMO:. ALARM CALLING BEHAVIOUR. IN a CORAL REEF FISH
Alarm calling behaviour—the production and use of particular vocalisations that warn of impending danger, and the response to those vocalisations—is a major anti-predator strategy seen in a wide range of bird and mammal species. Receivers of alarm calls that respond adaptively to these acoustic signals obtain fitness benefits through increased survival. Although fish are known to be highly vocal and to use acoustic signals and cues to obtain information about the environment, the potential use of alarm calls has received little empirical attention. This study adapts established terrestrial experimental protocols— combining video and audio recordings and detailed observations with simulated model predator attacks and resulting call playbacks—to explore alarm calling behaviour in the orangefin anemonefish (Amphiprion chrysopterus) in Moorea, French Polynesia. The use of ecologically relevant predator models in this study illuminates the evasive and wary/agitated anti-predator behavioural responses of this highly social species, including on the overall rate of vocalisation. Despite a high degree of variation in responses across individuals and life stages, there was also a trend towards increased response to the initial onset of alarm call playback in isolation of any visual stimulus. Thus, Amphiprion chrysopterus individuals demonstrate the three recognised stages of alarm calling behaviour: call production, call usage and call response. This research deepens our understanding of fish vocal behaviour, identifying the ecological and social contexts in which different sounds are made, and the responses they elicit. More generally, this research reflects the growing interest in understanding how fish species inhabiting coral reefs interact whilst navigating their acoustic environment.
Abstract.
Radford AN, Harding HR, Gordon TAC, Simpson SD (2019). In a noisy world, some animals are more equal than others: a response to comments on Harding et al. Behavioral Ecology, 30(6), 1516-1517.
Montgomery DW, Simpson SD, Engelhard GH, Birchenough SNR, Wilson RW (2019). Rising CO2 enhances hypoxia tolerance in a marine fish.
Scientific Reports,
9(1).
Abstract:
Rising CO2 enhances hypoxia tolerance in a marine fish
Abstract
. Global environmental change is increasing hypoxia in aquatic ecosystems. During hypoxic events, bacterial respiration causes an increase in carbon dioxide (CO2) while oxygen (O2) declines. This is rarely accounted for when assessing hypoxia tolerances of aquatic organisms. We investigated the impact of environmentally realistic increases in CO2 on responses to hypoxia in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). We conducted a critical oxygen (O2crit) test, a common measure of hypoxia tolerance, using two treatments in which O2 levels were reduced with constant ambient CO2 levels (~530 µatm), or with reciprocal increases in CO2 (rising to ~2,500 µatm). We also assessed blood acid-base chemistry and haemoglobin-O2 binding affinity of sea bass in hypoxic conditions with ambient (~650 μatm) or raised CO2 (~1770 μatm) levels. Sea bass exhibited greater hypoxia tolerance (~20% reduced O2crit), associated with increased haemoglobin-O2 affinity (~32% fall in P50) of red blood cells, when exposed to reciprocal changes in O2 and CO2. This indicates that rising CO2 which accompanies environmental hypoxia facilitates increased O2 uptake by the blood in low O2 conditions, enhancing hypoxia tolerance. We recommend that when impacts of hypoxia on aquatic organisms are assessed, due consideration is given to associated environmental increases in CO2.
Abstract.
Montgomery D, Simpson S, Birchenough S, Engelhard G, Wilson R (2019). Rising CO2 enhances hypoxia tolerance in a marine fish.
Corbett WT (2019). The Behavioural and Physiological Effects of Pile-driving Noise on Marine Species.
Abstract:
The Behavioural and Physiological Effects of Pile-driving Noise on Marine Species
Anthropogenic noise is a recognised pollutant in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. Noise levels in the ocean have risen greatly over the past few decades. The principal low-frequency background noise in the oceans is generated by commercial shipping, and can have a profound impact on fitness in a variety of marine species. Additionally, the loud impulsive noise from industrial pile-driving activity is increasingly prevalent in the oceans due to the recent development of offshore windfarms to meet renewable energy targets. Little research has explored the impact that this noise is having on marine species, especially invertebrates. The aim of this thesis is to explore the physiological and behavioural responses of marine species to playback of pile-driving noise, using playback of ambient marine sound as a control. The first study aimed to assess the physiological and behavioural response of the decapod crustacean Carcinus maenas to pile-driving noise playback in experimental tanks. In the physiological experiment, crabs did not significantly differ in their oxygen consumption or haemolymph parameters in response to pile-driving noise and ambient sound. However, in the behavioural feeding experiment, crab behaviour was significantly altered during pile-driving playback, including increased time spent immobile and decreased likelihood to feed. The second study aimed to assess the avoidance behavioural response of marine fish in their natural environment to pile-driving noise playback by use of a baited remote underwater video (BRUV) system coupled with a loudspeaker. Playback of pile-driving noise had a significant effect on the number of pelagic fish species surrounding the BRUV, indicating an avoidance effect. However, playback did not have a significant effect on the number of benthic fish species or species richness. Both these studies demonstrate that pile-driving noise causes behavioural changes in marine species, which could have potential fitness costs. Thus, exploration into ways of mitigating noise impacts when undertaking pile-driving activities in the ocean should be further explored.
Abstract.
2018
McCormick MI, Allan BJM, Harding H, Simpson SD (2018). Boat noise impacts risk assessment in a coral reef fish but effects depend on engine type.
Sci Rep,
8(1).
Abstract:
Boat noise impacts risk assessment in a coral reef fish but effects depend on engine type.
Human noise pollution has increased markedly since the start of industrialization and there is international concern about how this may impact wildlife. Here we determined whether real motorboat noise affected the behavior, space use and escape response of a juvenile damselfish (Pomacentrus wardi) in the wild, and explored whether fish respond effectively to chemical and visual threats in the presence of two common types of motorboat noise. Noise from 30 hp 2-stroke outboard motors reduced boldness and activity of fish on habitat patches compared to ambient reef-sound controls. Fish also no longer responded to alarm odours with an antipredator response, instead increasing activity and space use, and fewer fish responded appropriately to a looming threat. In contrast, while there was a minor influence of noise from a 30 hp 4-stroke outboard on space use, there was no influence on their ability to respond to alarm odours, and no impact on their escape response. Evidence suggests that anthropogenic noise impacts the way juvenile fish assess risk, which will reduce individual fitness and survival, however, not all engine types cause major effects. This finding may give managers options by which they can reduce the impact of motorboat noise on inshore fish communities.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Sainsbury NC, Genner MJ, Saville GR, Pinnegar JK, O’Neill CK, Simpson SD, Turner RA (2018). Changing storminess and global capture fisheries.
Nature Climate Change,
8(8), 655-659.
Abstract:
Changing storminess and global capture fisheries
Climate change-driven alterations in storminess pose a significant threat to global capture fisheries. Understanding how storms interact with fishery social-ecological systems can inform adaptive action and help to reduce the vulnerability of those dependent on fisheries for life and livelihood.
Abstract.
McCormick MI, Watson SA, Simpson SD, Allan BJM (2018). Effect of elevated CO<inf>2</inf> and small boat noise on the kinematics of predator – Prey interactions.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences,
285(1875).
Abstract:
Effect of elevated CO2 and small boat noise on the kinematics of predator – Prey interactions
Oceans of the future are predicted to be more acidic and noisier, particularly along the productive coastal fringe. This study examined the independent and combined effects of short-term exposure to elevated CO2 and boat noise on the predator–prey interactions of a pair of common coral reef fishes (Pomacentrus wardi and its predator, Pseudochromis fuscus). Successful capture of prey by predators was the same regardless of whether the pairs had been exposed to ambient control conditions, the addition of either playback of boat noise, elevated CO2 (925 matm) or both stressors simultaneously. The kinematics of the interaction were the same for all stressor combinations and differed from the controls. The effects of CO2 or boat noise were the same, suggesting that their effects were substitutive in this situation. Prey reduced their perception of threat under both stressors individually and when combined, and this coincided with reduced predator attack distances and attack speeds. The lack of an additive or multiplicative effect when both stressors co-occurred was notable given the different mechanisms involved in sensory disruptions and highlights the importance of determining the combined effects of key drivers to aid in predicting community dynamics under future environmental scenarios.
Abstract.
Harding HR, Gordon TAC, Hsuan RE, Mackaness ACE, Radford AN, Simpson SD (2018). Fish in habitats with higher motorboat disturbance show reduced sensitivity to motorboat noise.
Biology Letters,
14(10).
Abstract:
Fish in habitats with higher motorboat disturbance show reduced sensitivity to motorboat noise
Anthropogenic noise can negatively impact many taxa worldwide. It is possible that in noisy, high-disturbance environments, the range and severity of impacts could diminish over time, but the influence of previous disturbance remains untested in natural conditions. This study demonstrates the effects of motorboat noise on the physiology of an endemic cichlid fish in Lake Malawi. Exposure to motorboats (driven 20 - 100 m from fish) and loudspeaker playback of motorboat noise both elevated the oxygen-consumption rate at a single lower-disturbance site, characterized by low historic and current motorboat activity. Repeating this assay at further lower-disturbance sites revealed a consistent effect of elevated oxygen consumption in response to motorboat disturbance. However, when similar trials were repeated at four higher-disturbance sites, no effect of motorboat exposure was detected. These results demonstrate that disturbance history can affect local population responses to noise. Action regarding noise pollution should consider the past, as well as the present, when planning for the future.
Abstract.
Gordon TAC, Harding HR, Clever FK, Davidson IK, Davison W, Montgomery DW, Weatherhead RC, Windsor FM, Armstrong JD, Bardonnet A, et al (2018). Fishes in a changing world: learning from the past to promote sustainability of fish populations.
J Fish Biol,
92(3), 804-827.
Abstract:
Fishes in a changing world: learning from the past to promote sustainability of fish populations.
Populations of fishes provide valuable services for billions of people, but face diverse and interacting threats that jeopardize their sustainability. Human population growth and intensifying resource use for food, water, energy and goods are compromising fish populations through a variety of mechanisms, including overfishing, habitat degradation and declines in water quality. The important challenges raised by these issues have been recognized and have led to considerable advances over past decades in managing and mitigating threats to fishes worldwide. In this review, we identify the major threats faced by fish populations alongside recent advances that are helping to address these issues. There are very significant efforts worldwide directed towards ensuring a sustainable future for the world's fishes and fisheries and those who rely on them. Although considerable challenges remain, by drawing attention to successful mitigation of threats to fish and fisheries we hope to provide the encouragement and direction that will allow these challenges to be overcome in the future.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Gordon TAC, Harding HR, Wong KE, Merchant ND, Meekan MG, McCormick MI, Radford AN, Simpson SD (2018). Habitat degradation negatively affects auditory settlement behavior of coral reef fishes.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
115(20), 5193-5198.
Abstract:
Habitat degradation negatively affects auditory settlement behavior of coral reef fishes
Significance
. Climate change is causing widespread damage to the world’s tropical coral reefs, via increases in cyclones and mass bleaching. Healthy populations of reef fishes facilitate recovery from such events, and recruitment of juvenile fish is influenced by acoustic cues that guide larval orientation, habitat selection, and settlement to reefs. Our matched recordings of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef before and after recent severe degradation demonstrate major changes to natural reef sound. In field experiments using these recordings, we show the potential impact of such acoustic changes. Postdegradation reef sounds were less attractive to young fishes than their predegradation equivalents. Reductions in fish settlement, caused by acoustic changes, may threaten the recovery potential of degraded coral reefs.
Abstract.
Townhill BL, Tinker J, Jones M, Pitois S, Creach V, Simpson SD, Dye S, Bear E, Pinnegar JK (2018). Harmful algal blooms and climate change: exploring future distribution changes.
ICES JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE,
75(6), 1882-1893.
Author URL.
Piercy JJB, Smith DJ, Jompa J, Simpson SD, Codling EA (2018). High temporal resolution sampling reveals reef fish settlement is highly clustered.
Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences,
75(4), 560-568.
Abstract:
High temporal resolution sampling reveals reef fish settlement is highly clustered
Coral reef fish larvae settle on reefs predominantly at night around the new-moon phase, after an early developmental period spent in the pelagic environment. Most sampling is conducted across whole nights, and any studies that have examined the frequency of arrival within nights have typically been limited to coarse sampling time scales of 1–5 h. Here, we present results for arrival numbers of fish caught between dusk and midnight from light traps sampled every 15 min at an Indonesian coral reef, providing the finest temporal resolution for this type of study to date. A spatial analysis by distance indices analysis, adapted to temporal data, revealed clustering of reef arrival times for many species, with an increase in catches immediately after dusk dropping off towards midnight. Importantly, the timing of clusters differed among species, indicating that different factors determine the timing of arrival among taxa. Our results support the hypothesis that larval behaviour influences the timing of arrival at a coral reef for different fish species.
Abstract.
Jain-Schlaepfer S, Fakan E, Rummer JL, Simpson SD, McCormick MI (2018). Impact of motorboats on fish embryos depends on engine type.
CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY,
6 Author URL.
Meekan MG, McCormick MI, Simpson SD, Chivers DP, Ferrari MCO (2018). Never off the hook-how fishing subverts predator-prey relationships in marine teleosts.
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution,
6(OCT).
Abstract:
Never off the hook-how fishing subverts predator-prey relationships in marine teleosts
Although the behavior of most organisms evolves in response to harvest, teleost fishes in marine systems have remained susceptible to the same basic fishing techniques of hook and lines and nets for millennia. We argue that this has occurred because these techniques circumvent the evolutionary arms race that exists between all other non-human marine predators and their fish prey that codifies effective tactics of foraging and predator evasion. By removing size relationships between predator and prey, avoiding predator recognition, disrupting learning cues and through the rapid evolution of technology, fishing by humans subverts natural processes of selection on fishes that act to reduce mortality to non-human predators. This engenders high capture efficiency and explains why non-human predators in marine systems are forced to focus on naïve and young individuals as prey, whereas humans are able to target adult fishes. Our very high rates of harvest and disruption of predator-prey relationships shifts the morphology and life history of target species toward traits (small adult size etc.) that are a disadvantage in situations where they must avoid non-human predators and thus has the potential to contribute to reduced resilience of fished populations and impair the recovery of stocks when harvesting ceases.
Abstract.
Ferrari MCO, McCormick MI, Meekan MG, Simpson SD, Nedelec SL, Chivers DP (2018). School is out on noisy reefs: the effect of boat noise on predator learning and survival of juvenile coral reef fishes.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences,
285(1871), 20180033-20180033.
Abstract:
School is out on noisy reefs: the effect of boat noise on predator learning and survival of juvenile coral reef fishes
Noise produced by anthropogenic activities is increasing in many marine ecosystems. We investigated the effect of playback of boat noise on fish cognition. We focused on noise from small motorboats, since its occurrence can dominate soundscapes in coastal communities, the number of noise-producing vessels is increasing rapidly and their proximity to marine life has the potential to cause deleterious effects. Cognition—or the ability of individuals to learn and remember information—is crucial, given that most species rely on learning to achieve fitness-promoting tasks, such as finding food, choosing mates and recognizing predators. The caveat with cognition is its latent effect: the individual that fails to learn an important piece of information will live normally until the moment where it needs the information to make a fitness-related decision. Such latent effects can easily be overlooked by traditional risk assessment methods. Here, we conducted three experiments to assess the effect of boat noise playbacks on the ability of fish to learn to recognize predation threats, using a common, conserved learning paradigm. We found that fish that were trained to recognize a novel predator while being exposed to ‘reef + boat noise’ playbacks failed to subsequently respond to the predator, while their ‘reef noise’ counterparts responded appropriately. We repeated the training, giving the fish three opportunities to learn three common reef predators, and released the fish in the wild. Those trained in the presence of ‘reef + boat noise’ playbacks survived 40% less than the ‘reef noise’ controls over our 72 h monitoring period, a performance equal to that of predator-naive fish. Our last experiment indicated that these results were likely due to failed learning, as opposed to stress effects from the sound exposure. Neither playbacks nor real boat noise affected survival in the absence of predator training. Our results indicate that boat noise has the potential to cause latent effects on learning long after the stressor has gone.
Abstract.
Simpson SD, Barber I, Winfield IJ (2018). Understanding fish populations. Journal of Fish Biology, 92(3), 563-568.
2017
Townhill BL, Van Der Molen J, Metcalfe JD, Simpson SD, Farcas A, Pinnegar JK (2017). Consequences of climate-induced low oxygen conditions for commercially important fish.
Marine Ecology Progress Series,
580, 191-204.
Abstract:
Consequences of climate-induced low oxygen conditions for commercially important fish
Oxygen availability is key in determining habitat suitability for marine fish. As a result of climate change, low oxygen conditions are predicted to occur more frequently and over a greater geographic extent. Studies assessing the long-term chronic effects and impacts for commercially important fish are rare. To assess the potential effects of climate-induced low oxygen on fisheries, physiological data, such as critical thresholds, derived from laboratory experiments on 5 commercial fish species were integrated with hindcast and future oxygen projections from the hydrodynamic-biogeochemical model GETM-ERSEM. By using this approach, changes in habitat suitability from the 1970s to 2100 were identified. In the North Sea, the current extent of areas with the lowest oxygen levels is smaller than during the 1970s, with improved oxygen conditions having less impact on species' critical thresholds. Oxygen levels are expected to decrease again in the coming century due to climate change, although not to the minima of previous decades. In affected areas and years, intermediate oxygen levels could have temporary impacts in late summer on swimming, growth, ingestion and metabolic scope of adult fish. These results demonstrate that although physical model oxygen projections help to provide insight, they are insufficient by themselves to predict the full potential impacts of climate change on fish distribution and fisheries. Such modelling requires underpinning through experimentation, particularly of the physiological effects of climate change on different life stages so that effects on reproduction, growth and commercial catches can be determined and tailored, and robust management measures put in place.
Abstract.
Pinnegar JK, Garrett A, Simpson SD, Engelhard GH, van der Kooij J (2017). Fisheries.
Sherman KD, King RA, Dahlgren CP, Simpson SD, Stevens JR, Tyler CR (2017). Historical processes and contemporary anthropogenic activities influence genetic population dynamics of Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus) within the Bahamas.
Frontiers in Marine Science,
4(DEC).
Abstract:
Historical processes and contemporary anthropogenic activities influence genetic population dynamics of Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus) within the Bahamas
Severe declines of endangered Nassau grouper (Epinephelus striatus) across the Bahamas and Caribbean have spurred efforts to improve their fisheries management and population conservation. The Bahamas is reported to hold the majority of fish spawning aggregations for Nassau grouper, however, the status and genetic population structure of fish within the country is largely unknown, presenting a major knowledge gap for their sustainable management. Between August 2014-February 2017, 464 individual Nassau grouper sampled from the Bahamas were genotyped using 15 polymorphic microsatellite loci to establish measures of population structure, genetic diversity and effective population size (Ne). Nassau grouper were characterized by mostly high levels of genetic diversity, but we found no evidence for geographic population structure. Microsatellite analyses revealed weak, but significant genetic differentiation of Nassau grouper throughout the Bahamian archipelago (Global FST 0.00236, p = 0.0001). Temporal analyses of changes in Ne over the last 1,000 generations provide evidence in support of a pronounced historic decline in Bahamian Nassau grouper that appears to pre-date anthropogenic fishing activities. M-ratio results corroborate significant reductions in Ne throughout the Bahamas, with evidence for population bottlenecks in three islands and an active fish spawning aggregation along with apparent signs of inbreeding at two islands. Current estimates of Ne for Nassau grouper are considerably lower compared with historic levels. These findings represent important new contributions to our understanding of the evolutionary history, demographics and genetic connectivity of this endangered species, which are of critical importance for advancing their sustainable management.
Abstract.
Nedelec SL, Mills SC, Radford AN, Beldade R, Simpson SD, Nedelec B, Côté IM (2017). Motorboat noise disrupts co-operative interspecific interactions. Scientific Reports, 7(1).
Nedelec SL, Radford AN, Pearl L, Nedelec B, McCormick MI, Meekan MG, Simpson SD (2017). Motorboat noise impacts parental behaviour and offspring survival in a reef fish.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences,
284(1856), 20170143-20170143.
Abstract:
Motorboat noise impacts parental behaviour and offspring survival in a reef fish
. Anthropogenic noise is a pollutant of international concern, with mounting evidence of disturbance and impacts on animal behaviour and physiology. However, empirical studies measuring survival consequences are rare. We use a field experiment to investigate how repeated motorboat-noise playback affects parental behaviour and offspring survival in the spiny chromis (
. Acanthochromis polyacanthus
. ), a brooding coral reef fish. Repeated observations were made for 12 days at 38 natural nests with broods of young. Exposure to motorboat-noise playback compared to ambient-sound playback increased defensive acts, and reduced both feeding and offspring interactions by brood-guarding males. Anthropogenic noise did not affect the growth of developing offspring, but reduced the likelihood of offspring survival; while offspring survived at all 19 nests exposed to ambient-sound playback, six of the 19 nests exposed to motorboat-noise playback suffered complete brood mortality. Our study, providing field-based experimental evidence of the consequences of anthropogenic noise, suggests potential fitness consequences of this global pollutant.
.
Abstract.
Townhill B, Pinnegar J, Tinker J, Jones M, Simpson S, Stebbing P, Dye S (2017). Non-native marine species in north-west Europe: Developing an approach to assess future spread using regional downscaled climate projections. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 27(5), 1035-1050.
Rossi T, Nagelkerken I, Simpson SD, Pistevos JCA, Watson SA, Merillet L, Fraser P, Munday PL, Connell SD (2017). Ocean acidification boosts larval fish development but reduces the window of opportunity for successful settlement.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences,
282(1821).
Abstract:
Ocean acidification boosts larval fish development but reduces the window of opportunity for successful settlement
© 2015 the Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. Locating appropriate settlement habitat is a crucial step in the life cycle of most benthic marine animals. In marine fish, this step involves the use of multiple senses, including audition, olfaction and vision. To date, most investigations of larval fish audition focus on the hearing thresholds to various frequencies of sounds without testing an ecological response to such sounds. Identifying responses to biologically relevant sounds at the development stage in which orientation is most relevant is fundamental. We tested for the existence of ontogenetic windows of reception to sounds that could act as orientation cues with a focus on vulnerability to alteration by human impacts. Here we show that larvae of a catadromous fish species (barramundi, Lates calcarifer) were attracted towards sounds from settlement habitat during a surprisingly short ontogenetic window of approximately 3 days. Yet, this auditory preference was reversed in larvae reared under end-of-century levels of elevated CO 2 , such that larvae are repelled from cues of settlement habitat. These future conditions also reduced the swimming speeds and heightened the anxiety levels of barramundi. Unexpectedly, an acceleration of development and onset of metamorphosis caused by elevated CO 2. were not accompanied by the earlier onset of attraction towards habitat sounds. This mismatch between ontogenetic development and the timing of orientation behaviour may reduce the ability of larvae to locate habitat or lead to settlement in unsuitable habitats. The misinterpretation of key orientation cues can have implications for population replenishment, which are only exacerbated when ontogenetic development decouples from the specific behaviours required for location of settlement habitats.
Abstract.
Castro JM, Amorim MCP, Oliveira AP, Gonçalves EJ, Munday PL, Simpson SD, Faria AM (2017). Painted goby larvae under high-CO2 fail to recognize reef sounds.
PLoS ONE,
12(1).
Abstract:
Painted goby larvae under high-CO2 fail to recognize reef sounds
© 2017 Castro et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Atmospheric CO 2. levels have been increasing at an unprecedented rate due to anthropogenic activity. Consequently, ocean pCO 2. is increasing and pH decreasing, affecting marine life, including fish. For many coastal marine fishes, selection of the adult habitat occurs at the end of the pelagic larval phase. Fish larvae use a range of sensory cues, including sound, for locating settlement habitat. This study tested the effect of elevated CO 2. on the ability of settlement-stage temperate fish to use auditory cues from adult coastal reef habitats. Wild late larval stages of painted goby (Pomatoschistus pictus) were exposed to control pCO 2. (532 μatm, pH 8.06) and high pCO 2. (1503 μatm, pH 7.66) conditions, likely to occur in nearshore regions subjected to upwelling events by the end of the century, and tested in an auditory choice chamber for their preference or avoidance to nighttime reef recordings. Fish reared in control pCO 2. conditions discriminated reef soundscapes and were attracted by reef recordings. This behaviour changed in fish reared in the high CO 2. conditions, with settlement-stage larvae strongly avoiding reef recordings. This study provides evidence that ocean acidification might affect the auditory responses of larval stages of temperate reef fish species, with potentially significant impacts on their survival.
Abstract.
Bruintjes R, Harding HR, Bunce T, Birch F, Lister J, Spiga I, Benson T, Rossington K, Jones D, Tyler CR, et al (2017). Shipbuilding Docks as Experimental Systems for Realistic Assessments of Anthropogenic Stressors on Marine Organisms.
BIOSCIENCE,
67(9), 853-859.
Author URL.
2016
Simpson SD, Radford AN, Nedelec SL, Ferrari MCO, Chivers DP, McCormick MI, Meekan MG (2016). Anthropogenic noise increases fish mortality by predation. Nature Communications, 7(1).
Radford AN, Purser J, Bruintjes R, Voellmy I, Everley K, Wale M, Holles S, Simpson SD (2016). Beyond a simple effect: variable and changing responses to anthropogenic noise. In Popper AN, Hawkins A (Eds.) The Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life II, Springer New York, 901-907.
Poulton DA, Porteus CS, Simpson SD (2016). Combined impacts of elevated CO₂ and anthropogenic noise on European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax).
ICES Journal of Marine Science: journal du conseilAbstract:
Combined impacts of elevated CO₂ and anthropogenic noise on European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax)
Ocean acidification (OA) and anthropogenic noise are both known to cause stress and induce physiological and behavioural changes in fish, with consequences for fitness. OA is also predicted to reduce the ocean's capacity to absorb low-frequency sounds produced by human activity. Consequently, anthropogenic noise could propagate further under an increasingly acidic ocean. For the first time, this study investigated the independent and combined impacts of elevated carbon dioxide (CO₂) and anthropogenic noise on the behaviour of a marine fish, the European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). In a fully factorial experiment crossing two CO₂ levels (current day and elevated) with two noise conditions (ambient and pile driving), D. labrax were exposed to four CO₂/noise treatment combinations: 400 µatm/ambient, 1000 µatm/ambient, 400 µatm/pile-driving, and 1000 µatm/pile-driving. Pile-driving noise increased ventilation rate (indicating stress) compared with ambient noise conditions. Elevated CO2 did not alter the ventilation rate response to noise. Furthermore, there was no interaction effect between elevated CO₂ and pile-driving noise, suggesting that OA is unlikely to influence startle or ventilatory responses of fish to anthropogenic noise. However, effective management of anthropogenic noise could reduce fish stress, which may improve resilience to future stressors.
Abstract.
Purser J, Bruintjes R, Simpson SD, Radford AN (2016). Condition-dependent physiological and behavioural responses to anthropogenic noise.
Physiology & Behavior,
155, 157-161.
Abstract:
Condition-dependent physiological and behavioural responses to anthropogenic noise
Anthropogenic (man-made) noise, a global pollutant of international concern, is known to affect the physiology and behaviour of a range of organisms. However, experimental studies have tended to focus on trait means; intra-population variation in responses are likely, but have rarely been explored. Herewe use established experimental methods to demonstrate a condition-dependent effect of additional noise. We show that juvenile European eels (Anguilla anguilla) in good condition do not respond differently to playbacks of ambient coastal noise and coastal noise with passing ships. By contrast, the additional noise of ship passes caused an increase in ventilation rate and a decrease in startling to a looming predatory stimulus in poor condition eels. Intrapopulation
variation in responses to noise has important implications both for population dynamics and the planning of mitigation measures.
Abstract.
Purser J, Bruintjes R, Simpson SD, Radford AN (2016). Condition-dependent physiological and behavioural responses to anthropogenic noise.
PHYSIOLOGY & BEHAVIOR,
155, 157-161.
Author URL.
Roberts L, Harding HR, Voellmy I, Bruintjes R, Simpson SD, Radford AN, Breithaupt T, Elliott M (2016). Exposure of benthic invertebrates to sediment vibration: from laboratory experiments to outdoor simulated pile-driving.
Abstract:
Exposure of benthic invertebrates to sediment vibration: from laboratory experiments to outdoor simulated pile-driving
Abstract.
Nedelec SL, Campbell J, Radford AN, Simpson SD, Merchant ND (2016). Particle motion: the missing link in underwater acoustic ecology. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 7(7), 836-842.
Evans SM, McKenna C, Simpson SD, Tournois J, Genner MJ (2016). Patterns of species range evolution in Indo-Pacific reef assemblages reveal the Coral Triangle as a net source of transoceanic diversity.
Biology Letters,
12(6), 20160090-20160090.
Abstract:
Patterns of species range evolution in Indo-Pacific reef assemblages reveal the Coral Triangle as a net source of transoceanic diversity
The Coral Triangle in the Indo-Pacific is a region renowned for exceptional marine biodiversity. The area could have acted as a ‘centre of origin’ where speciation has been prolific or a ‘centre of survival’ by providing refuge during major environmental shifts such as sea-level changes. The region could also have acted as a ‘centre of accumulation’ for species with origins outside of the Coral Triangle, owing to it being at a central position between the Indian and Pacific oceans. Here, we investigated support for these hypotheses using population-level DNA sequence-based reconstructions of the range evolution of 45 species (314 populations) of Indo-Pacific reef-associated organisms. Our results show that populations undergoing the most ancient establishment were significantly more likely to be closer to the centre of the Coral Triangle than to peripheral locations. The data are consistent with the Coral Triangle being a net source of coral-reef biodiversity for the Indo-Pacific region, suggesting that the region has acted primarily as a centre of survival, a centre of origin or both. These results provide evidence of how a key location can influence the large-scale distributions of biodiversity over evolutionary timescales.
Abstract.
Holles S, Simpson SD, Lecchini D, Radford AEN (2016). Playback experiments for noise exposure.
,
875, 461-466.
Abstract:
Playback experiments for noise exposure
Playbacks are a useful tool for conducting well-controlled and replicated experiments on the effects of anthropogenic noise, particularly for repeated exposures. However, playbacks are unlikely to fully reproduce original sources of anthropogenic noise. Here we examined the sound pressure and particle acceleration of boat noise playbacks in a field experiment and reveal that although there remain recognized limitations, the signal-to-noise ratios of boat playbacks to ambient noise do not exceed those of a real boat. The experimental setup tested is therefore of value for use in experiments on the effects of repeated exposure of aquatic animals to boat noise.
Abstract.
Bruintjes R, Purser J, Everley KA, Mangan S, Simpson SD, Radford AN (2016). Rapid recovery following short-term acoustic disturbance in two fish species.
Royal Society Open Science,
3Abstract:
Rapid recovery following short-term acoustic disturbance in two fish species
Noise from human activities is known to impact organisms in a variety of taxa, but most experimental studies on the behavioural effects of noise have focused on examining responses associated with the period of actual exposure. Unlike most pollutants, acoustic noise is generally short-lived, usually dissipating quickly after the source is turned off or leaves the area. In a series of experiments, we use established experimental paradigms to examine how fish behaviour and physiology are affected, both during short-term (2 min) exposure to playback of recordings of anthropogenic noise sources and in the immediate aftermath of noise exposure. We considered the anti-predator response and ventilation rate of juvenile European eels (Anguilla anguilla), and ventilation rate of juvenile European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax). As previously found, additional-noise exposure decreased eel anti-predator responses, increased startle latency and increased ventilation rate relative to ambient-noise-exposed controls. Our results show for the first time that those effects quickly dissipated; eels showed rapid recovery of startle responses and startle latency, and rapid albeit incomplete recovery of ventilation rate in the 2 min after noise cessation. Seabass in both laboratory and open-water conditions showed an increased ventilation rate during playback of additional noise compared to ambient conditions. However, within 2 min of noise cessation, ventilation rate showed complete recovery to levels equivalent to ambient-exposed control individuals. Care should be taken in generalizing these rapid-recovery results, as individuals might have accrued other costs during noise exposure and other species might show different recovery times. Nonetheless, our results from two different fish species provide tentative cause for optimism concerning recovery following short-duration noise exposure, and suggest that considering periods following noise exposures could be important for mitigation and management decisions.
Abstract.
Radford AN, Lèbre L, Lecaillon G, Nedelec SL, Simpson SD (2016). Repeated exposure reduces the response to impulsive noise in European seabass. Global Change Biology, 22(10), 3349-3360.
Nedelec SL, Mills SC, Lecchini D, Nedelec B, Simpson SD, Radford AN (2016). Repeated exposure to noise increases tolerance in a coral reef fish.
Environ Pollut,
216, 428-436.
Abstract:
Repeated exposure to noise increases tolerance in a coral reef fish.
Some anthropogenic noise is now considered pollution, with evidence building that noise from human activities such as transportation, construction and exploration can impact behaviour and physiology in a broad range of taxa. However, relatively little research has considered the effects of repeated or chronic noise; extended exposures may result in habituation or sensitisation, and thus changes in response. We conducted a field-based experiment at Moorea Island to investigate how repeated exposure to playback of motorboat noise affected a coral reef fish (Dascyllus trimaculatus). We found that juvenile D. trimaculatus increased hiding behaviour during motorboat noise after two days of repeated exposure, but no longer did so after one and two weeks of exposure. We also found that naïve individuals responded to playback of motorboat noise with elevated ventilation rates, but that this response was diminished after one and two weeks of repeated exposure. We found no strong evidence that baseline blood cortisol levels, growth or body condition were affected by three weeks of repeated motorboat-noise playback. Our study reveals the importance of considering how tolerance levels may change over time, rather than simply extrapolating from results of short-term studies, if we are to make decisions about regulation and mitigation.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Simpson SD, Radford AN, Holles S, Ferrari MCO, Chivers DP, McCormick MI, Meekan MG (2016). Small boat noise impacts natural settlement behaviour of coral reef fish larvae. In Popper AN, Hawkins A (Eds.) The Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life II, Springer New York, 1041-1048.
Bruintjes R, Simpson SD, Harding H, Bunce T, Benson T, Rossington K, Jones D (2016). The impact of experimental impact pile driving on oxygen uptake in black seabream and plaice.
2015
Simpson SD, Purser J, Radford AN (2015). Anthropogenic noise compromises antipredator behaviour in European eels.
Global Change Biology,
21(2), 586-593.
Abstract:
Anthropogenic noise compromises antipredator behaviour in European eels
Increases in noise-generating human activities since the Industrial Revolution have changed the acoustic landscape of many terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Anthropogenic noise is now recognized as a major pollutant of international concern, and recent studies have demonstrated impacts on, for instance, hearing thresholds, communication, movement and foraging in a range of species. However, consequences for survival and reproductive success are difficult to ascertain. Using a series of laboratory-based experiments and an open-water test with the same methodology, we show that acoustic disturbance can compromise antipredator behaviour - which directly affects survival likelihood - and explore potential underlying mechanisms. Juvenile European eels (Anguilla anguilla) exposed to additional noise (playback of recordings of ships passing through harbours), rather than control conditions (playback of recordings from the same harbours without ships), performed less well in two simulated predation paradigms. Eels were 50% less likely and 25% slower to startle to an 'ambush predator' and were caught more than twice as quickly by a 'pursuit predator'. Furthermore, eels experiencing additional noise had diminished spatial performance and elevated ventilation and metabolic rates (indicators of stress) compared with control individuals. Our results suggest that acoustic disturbance could have important physiological and behavioural impacts on animals, compromising life-or-death responses.
Abstract.
Simpson SD, Purser J, Radford AN (2015). Anthropogenic noise compromises antipredator behaviour in European eels.
Glob Chang Biol,
21(2), 586-593.
Abstract:
Anthropogenic noise compromises antipredator behaviour in European eels.
Increases in noise-generating human activities since the Industrial Revolution have changed the acoustic landscape of many terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Anthropogenic noise is now recognized as a major pollutant of international concern, and recent studies have demonstrated impacts on, for instance, hearing thresholds, communication, movement and foraging in a range of species. However, consequences for survival and reproductive success are difficult to ascertain. Using a series of laboratory-based experiments and an open-water test with the same methodology, we show that acoustic disturbance can compromise antipredator behaviour--which directly affects survival likelihood--and explore potential underlying mechanisms. Juvenile European eels (Anguilla anguilla) exposed to additional noise (playback of recordings of ships passing through harbours), rather than control conditions (playback of recordings from the same harbours without ships), performed less well in two simulated predation paradigms. Eels were 50% less likely and 25% slower to startle to an 'ambush predator' and were caught more than twice as quickly by a 'pursuit predator'. Furthermore, eels experiencing additional noise had diminished spatial performance and elevated ventilation and metabolic rates (indicators of stress) compared with control individuals. Our results suggest that acoustic disturbance could have important physiological and behavioural impacts on animals, compromising life-or-death responses.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Radford AN, Purser J, Bruintjes R, Wale M, Everley KA, Voellmy I, Holles S, Simpson SD (2015). Beyond a simple effect: Variable and changing responses to anthropogenic noise. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
Voellmy I, Purser J, Simpson SD, Radford AN (2015). Effects of previous acoustic experience on behavioral responses to experimental sound stimuli and implications for research. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
Rutterford L, Simpson SD, Jennings S, Johnson MP, Blanchard JL, Schön P-J, Sims DW, Tinker J, Genner MJ (2015). Future fish distributions constrained by depth in warming seas. Nature Climate Change
Townhill BL, Maxwell D, Engelhard GH, Simpson SD, Pinnegar JK (2015). Historical Arctic Logbooks Provide Insights into Past Diets and Climatic Responses of Cod.
PLoS One,
10(9).
Abstract:
Historical Arctic Logbooks Provide Insights into Past Diets and Climatic Responses of Cod.
Gadus morhua (Atlantic cod) stocks in the Barents Sea are currently at levels not seen since the 1950s. Causes for the population increase last century, and understanding of whether such large numbers will be maintained in the future, are unclear. To explore this, we digitised and interrogated historical cod catch and diet datasets from the Barents Sea. Seventeen years of catch data and 12 years of prey data spanning 1930-1959 cover unexplored spatial and temporal ranges, and importantly capture the end of a previous warm period, when temperatures were similar to those currently being experienced. This study aimed to evaluate cod catch per unit effort and prey frequency in relation to spatial, temporal and environmental variables. There was substantial spatio-temporal heterogeneity in catches through the time series. The highest catches were generally in the 1930s and 1940s, although at some localities more cod were recorded late in the 1950s. Generalized Additive Models showed that environmental, spatial and temporal variables are all valuable descriptors of cod catches, with the highest occurring from 15-45°E longitude and 73-77°N latitude, at bottom temperatures between 2 and 4°C and at depths between 150 and 250 m. Cod diets were highly variable during the study period, with frequent changes in the relative frequencies of different prey species, particularly Mallotus villosus (capelin). Environmental variables were particularly good at describing the importance of capelin and Clupea harengus (herring) in the diet. These new analyses support existing knowledge about how the ecology of the region is controlled by climatic variability. When viewed in combination with more recent data, these historical relationships will be valuable in forecasting the future of Barents Sea fisheries, and in understanding how environments and ecosystems may respond.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Williams R, Wright AJ, Ashe E, Blight LK, Bruintjes R, Canessa R, Clark CW, Cullis-Suzuki S, Dakin DT, Erbe C, et al (2015). Impacts of anthropogenic noise on marine life: publication patterns, new discoveries, and future directions in research and management.
Ocean & Coastal Management,
115, 17-24.
Abstract:
Impacts of anthropogenic noise on marine life: publication patterns, new discoveries, and future directions in research and management
Anthropogenic underwater noise is now recognized as a world-wide problem, and recent studies have shown a broad range of negative effects in a variety of taxa. Underwater noise from shipping is increasingly recognized as a significant and pervasive pollutant with the potential to impact marine ecosystems on a global scale.We reviewed six regional case studies as examples of recent research and
management activities relating to ocean noise in a variety of taxonomic groups, locations, and approaches. However, as no six projects could ever cover all taxa, sites and noise sources, a brief bibliometric analysis places these case studies into the broader historical and topical context of the peer-reviewed ocean noise literature as a whole. The case studies highlighted emerging knowledge of impacts, including the ways that non-injurious effects can still accumulate at the population level, and
detailed approaches to guide ocean noise management. They build a compelling case that a number of anthropogenic noise types can affect a variety of marine taxa. Meanwhile, the bibliometric analyses
revealed an increasing diversity of ocean noise topics covered and journal outlets since the 1940s. This could be seen in terms of both the expansion of the literature from more physical interests to ecological impacts of noise, management and policy, and consideration of a widening range of taxa. However, if our scientific knowledge base is ever to get ahead of the curve of rapid industrialization of the ocean, we are going to have to identify naïve populations and relatively pristine seas, and construct mechanistic models, so that we can predict impacts before they occur, and guide effective mitigation for the most vulnerable populations.
Abstract.
Nedelec SL, Simpson SD, Morley EL, Nedelec B, Radford AN (2015). Impacts of predictable and unpredictable noise on the behaviour, growth and condition of larval Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). Proceedings of the Royal Society B
Everley KA, Radford AN, Simpson SD (2015). Pile-driving noise impairs anti-predator behavior of the European sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
Holles S, Simpson SD, Lecchini D, Radford AN (2015). Playback experiments for repeated boat noise exposure. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
One of 51 Authors, Simpson SD (2015). Prioritisation of knowledge-needs for sustainable aquaculture: a national and global perspective. Fish and Fisheries
Simpson SD, Radford AN, Holles S, Ferrari MCO, Chivers DP, McCormick MI, Meekan MG (2015). Small boat noise impacts natural settlement behaviour of coral reef fish larvae. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
Nedelec SL, Simpson SD, Holderied MW, Radford AN, Lecellier G, Radford C, Lecchini D (2015). Soundscapes and living communities in coral reefs: temporal and spatial variation. Marine Ecology: Progress Series
Piercy JJB, Smith DJ, Codling EA, Hill AJ, Simpson SD (2015). The good, the bad and the distant: Soundscape cues for larval fish. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology
Parmentier E, Berten L, Rigo P, Aubrun F, Nedelec S, Simpson SD, Lecchini D (2015). The influence of various reef sounds on coral fish larvae behaviour. Journal of Fish Biology
Parmentier E, Berten L, Rigo P, Aubrun F, Nedelec SL, Simpson SD, Lecchini D (2015). The influence of various reef sounds on coral-fish larvae behaviour.
Journal of Fish Biology,
86(5), 1507-1518.
Abstract:
The influence of various reef sounds on coral-fish larvae behaviour
The swimming behaviour of coral-reef fish larvae from 20 species of 10 different families was tested under natural and artificial sound conditions. Underwater sounds from reef habitats (barrier reef, fringing reef and mangrove) as well as a white noise were broadcasted in a choice chamber experiment. Sixteen of the 20 species tested significantly reacted to at least one of the habitat playback conditions, and a range of responses was observed: fishes were (1) attracted by a single sound but repelled by none (e.g. white-banded triggerfish Rhinecanthus aculeatus was attracted by the barrier-reef sound), (2) repelled by one or more sounds but attracted by none (e.g. bridled cardinalfish Pristiapogon fraenatus was repelled by the mangrove and the bay sounds), (3) attracted by all sounds (e.g. striated surgeonfish Ctenochaetus striatus), (4) attracted and repelled by several sounds (e.g. whitetail dascyllus Dascyllus aruanus was attracted by the barrier-reef sound and repelled by the mangrove sound) and (5) not influenced by any sound (e.g. convict surgeonfish Acanthurus triostegus). Overall, these results highlight two settlement strategies: a direct selection of habitats using sound (45% of the species), or a by-default selection by avoidance of certain sound habitats (35%). These results also clearly demonstrated the need to analyse the influence of sounds at the species-specific level since congeneric and confamilial species can express different behaviours when exposed to the same sounds.
Abstract.
2014
Bruintjes R, Armstrong-Smith E, Botterell Z, Renshaw E, Tozer B, Benson T, Rossington K, Jones D, Simpson SD (2014). A tool to predict the impact of anthropogenic noise on fish.
Radford AN, Kerridge E, Simpson SD (2014). Acoustic communication in a noisy world: can fish compete with anthropogenic noise?. Behavioral Ecology, 25, 1022-1030.
Simpson SD, Purser J, Radford AN (2014). Acoustic disturbance compromises fish anti-predator behaviour. Global Change Biology
Voellmy IK, Purser J, Flynn D, Kennedy P, Simpson SD, Radford AN (2014). Acoustic noise reduces foraging success in two sympatric species via different mechanisms. Animal Behaviour, 89, 191-198.
Nedelec S, Radford AN, Simpson SD, Nedelec B, Lecchini D, Mills SC (2014). Anthropogenic noise playback impairs embryonic development and increases mortality in a marine invertebrate. Nature Scientific Reports, 4
Voellmy I, Purser J, Simpson SD, Radford AN (2014). Assessing effects of increased noise levels on fish behaviour.
Read J, Jones G, Radford AN (2014). Fitness costs as well as benefits are important when considering responses to anthropogenic noise.
BEHAVIORAL ECOLOGY,
25(1), 4-7.
Author URL.
Piercy JBB, Codling EA, Hill AJ, Smith DJ, Simpson SD (2014). Habitat quality affects sound production and likely distance of detection on coral reefs. Marine Ecology: Progress Series, 516, 35-47.
Voellmy IK, Purser J, Simpson SD, Radford AN (2014). Increased noise levels have contrasting impacts on anti-predator behaviour in two sympatric fish species. PLoS One, 7(9).
Simpson SD, Harrison HB, Claereboudt MR, Planes S (2014). Long-distance dispersal via ocean currents connects Omani clownfish populations throughout entire species range. PLoS One, 9(9).
Appleby T, Everard M, Palmer R, Simpson SD (2014). Plenty More Fish in the Sea? a working paper on the legal issues related to fishing beyond maximum sustainable yield: a UK case study.
Abstract:
Plenty More Fish in the Sea? a working paper on the legal issues related to fishing beyond maximum sustainable yield: a UK case study
Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) is about to become a centre stage issue.
The EU now has a commitment that fishing will progressively be managed at levels that correspond to MSY, and setting of quotas will respect scientific advice. Where possible, this is to be attained by 2015, and all fish stocks will be managed at MSY by 2020 at the latest.
What the term ‘maximum sustainable yield’ means will dominate the next seven years of fisheries discussions.
MSY has two different interpretations. Scientists use
the term to mean the ability of a fish stock to support a sustainable fishing industry. Lawyers use it when assessing the obligations of a country in respect of its sovereign fishing rights. This report focuses on the legal interpretation of MSY. The report’s findings are particularly important as the EU has consistently over-allocated quota and ignored scientific advice, with the result that 75% of EU fish stocks are overfished.
The starting point of a thorough investigation of MSY is the nature of fishing rights themselves. Fisheries were traditionally open access and seen as being inexhaustible. The origins of this approach date at least as far back as the era of the Roman Empire, but even then interpretation by the Roman courts created some perverse outcomes. The principle of open access became established for the English fishery in the 12th century. Before then, it is likely that all viable tidal fisheries were granted by the Crown into private hands following the Norman conquest. Indeed, some of these private tidal fisheries still persist today.
In the seventeenth century, the mare liberum (freedom of the seas) debate confirmed open access on the high seas, but the position for territorial waters (within the 3 mile limit) was more complex. Under the common law, fishers operated under the public right to fish which permitted open access and has come to be interpreted as being based on the principle of inexhaustibility of the stock. Where this myth of inexhaustibility has come from is difficult to tell. It is often attributed to the Victorian scientist Thomas Huxley because of his pronouncement on the fecundity of some fish species, but Huxley himself highlights fisheries which were vulnerable to over-fishing and recognises that, on the high seas, no regulatory mechanisms were available, so this aspect of his findings was theoretical. Moreover, the negative impacts of some fisheries were known to the legislators at least
since the Middle Ages and it is tempting to posit that public authorities, in whatever form they manifested themselves, have always been aware that some fishing methods can cause significant harm. As it stands, the basic principle the courts still adhere to is that the right to fish is untrammelled, but whether this principle would withstand direct judicial scrutiny is questionable.
The United Nations Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) changed everything. Coastal states now enjoy sovereign rights over a far larger area of sea than they did previously. UK territorial waters now extend to 12 nautical miles and its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) extends up to 200 nautical miles. UNCLOS recognises sovereign rights for fisheries but also imposes duties on coastal states to restore stocks to levels which can produce MSY within their EEZs. Sovereign fishing rights are not untrammelled; they are qualified by a duty to restore stocks and to preserve the marine environment. Similar obligations are contained in the Convention on Biodiversity (with a target for 2020) and by virtue of the World Summit for Sustainable Development (with a target of 2015 for depleted stocks). Increasingly, international obligations of this nature are being enforced through the domestic courts.
Many countries (including the UK itself for its Crown Dependencies and overseas territories) vest their fishing rights in an identifiable legal entity which then not just regulates the fishery, but also acts as an owner in the
way it disposes of the fishery to commercial operators. Unfortunately, for the waters immediately adjacent to the UK, it is not clear in what Crown entity the UK’s fishing rights actually vest. The UK fishery is clearly some form of public asset and it is likely that there is a Crown trust in existence. The terms of this trust would place similar duties to maintain and restore fish stocks as those contained within UNCLOS.
Despite a first instance decision to the contrary, it is possible that the terms of that trust are enforceable by third parties.
There is a well-established principle in English law of nemo dat quod non habet (you cannot dispose of something
you don’t own). The fact that the UK’s sovereign rights are qualified to MSY mean that the UK cannot grant to its fishers (or fishers of other Member States operating in UK waters) untrammelled rights which it does not possess itself. The same principle applies to the EU Common Fisheries Policy; the UK cannot confer on the EU greater fishing rights than those acknowledged by UNCLOS.
The scientific origins of the term MSY were in the work of Beverton and Holt and related to a theoretical maximum, where a capture fishery will sustain itself. The legal meaning of the term gives discretion to fisheries managers to establish a management system which uses the best available science to determine what actions needs to be taken. The legal interpretation of MSY is therefore much broader than the scientific one and has the following features:
• it is constantly evolving relating to the best available science of the time;
• it defines the limits of a coastal state’s sovereign rights;
• it may relate to the setting of fishing quota (where calculations of scientific MSY are particularly predominant), but many obligations for the attainment of MSY may also be satisfied by the imposition of technical or area-based management techniques such as marine protected areas;
• it provides the framework in which fisheries should be managed; and
• it can be used to show where stocks or areas of sea are not being properly managed, and thus direct where management resources should be targeted.
The introduction of the ecosystem approach to fisheries management means that legal MSY can now take into consideration a much wider range of services provided by the fishery in the calculation and management of that fishery. UNCLOS itself permits taking into consideration relevant environmental and economic factors, including the economic needs of coastal fishing communities, but the ecosystem approach takes that a stage further by assessing all the services provided by the fishery. This shifts the focus away from simply treating the fishery as a commercial resource, to ensure that management benefits a much broader constituency.
In 2008, the environmental non-governmental organisation (NGO), WWF tried to take the European Commission to the European Court of Justice for failing to allocate cod quota according to scientific advice. However, WWF was unable to access the European court system because the ECJ refused access to NGOs; ECJ rules at the time did not grant an NGO the right to be heard in court. Those rules are under scrutiny once again because they seem incompatible with the Aarhus Convention, so this position may change shortly. There are also other legal forums for testing the point. The UK courts do not have the same access restrictions as the ECJ, so a case launched in the UK courts concerning UK fishing rights or the voting patterns of the UK Minister in the EU could come to trial. The former President of the International Tribunal for the Laws of the Sea (ITLOS), Rüdiger Wolfrum, recommended ITLOS as having suitable jurisdiction to ensure compliance with MSY requirements
The legal regime has dramatically moved away from the impossibility of mare liberum and open access fisheries to
the possibility of effective regulation. Clearer sovereignty over the sea and better technology informing enforceable law means the legal context of fisheries have changed fundamentally for the better. There is an understanding that fisheries are held on trust for future generations. Fishing to MSY and trusteeship amount to the same thing; the legal interpretation of coastal states’ rights and responsibilities under MSY and the obligations of a Crown trust are the same. The ecosystem approach provides the matrix to understand who the beneficiaries of that trust are and where management effort needs to be directed. All these pieces are now in place and the hard law is there at the edges to ensure that reform remains on track.
In short there are two key points to be drawn from this report:
• it is illegal for coastal states to permit fishing beyond MSY; and
• it is highly likely that this law is enforceable through the court system.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Radford AN, Simpson SD (2014). Response to comments on how fish might adjust their acoustic communication in anthropogenic noise. Behavioral Ecology, 25, 1035-1036.
Broudic M, Berggren P, Laing S, Pace F, Neves S, Voellmy I, Dobbins P, Radford A, Simpson SD, Robinson S, et al (2014). Underwater noise emission from the NOAH’s drilling operation at the narec site, Blyth, UK. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Environmental Interactions of Marine Renewable Energy Technologies (EIMR2014). 28th Apr - 2nd May 2014.
Abstract:
Underwater noise emission from the NOAH’s drilling operation at the narec site, Blyth, UK
Abstract.
2013
Holles S, Simpson SD, Radford AN, Berten L, Lecchini D (2013). Boat noise disrupts orientation behaviour in a coral reef fish. Marine Ecology: Progress Series, 485, 295-300.
Simpson SD, Blanchard, JL, Genner, MG (2013). Impacts of climate change on fish. 11 pages.
Harding H, Rutterford L, Genner M, Jennings S, Simpson SD (2013). Impacts of climate change on the body size of horse mackerel in the North Sea. ICES Annual Science Conference.
Abstract:
Impacts of climate change on the body size of horse mackerel in the North Sea
Abstract.
Simpson SD, Piercy JJ, King J, Codling EA (2013). Modelling larval dispersal and behaviour of coral reef fishes. Ecological Complexity
Simpson SD, Piercy JJB, King J, Codling EA (2013). Modelling larval dispersal and behaviour of coral reef fishes. Ecological Complexity, 16, 68-76.
Simpson SD (2013). Never say never in a noisy world. Behavioral Ecology, 24, 798-799.
Wale MA, Simpson SD, Radford AN (2013). Noise negatively affects foraging and antipredator behaviour in shore crabs. Animal Behaviour
Wale MA, Simpson SD, Radford AN (2013). Noise negatively affects foraging and antipredator behaviour in shore crabs. Animal Behaviour, 86(1), 111-118.
Wale M, Simpson SD, Radford AN (2013). Playback of ship noise negatively affects foraging and anti-predator behaviour in shore crabs. Animal Behaviour
Wale M, Simpson SD, Radford AN (2013). Size-dependent physiological responses of shore crabs to single and repeated playback of ship noise. Biology Letters, 9, 20121194-20121194.
Lecchini D, Waqalevu VP, Holles S, LeRohellec M, Brié C, Simpson SD (2013). Vertical and horizontal distributions of coral reef fish larvae in open water immediately prior to reef colonization. Journal of Fish Biology
Lecchini D, Waqalevu VP, Holles S, Lerohellec M, Brie C, Simpson SD (2013). Vertical and horizontal distributions of coral-reef fish larvae in open water immediately prior to reef colonization.
Journal of Fish Biology,
82(6), 2135-2140.
Abstract:
Vertical and horizontal distributions of coral-reef fish larvae in open water immediately prior to reef colonization
To explore the vertical and horizontal distributions of fish larvae near the end of their pelagic period, six light traps were set up over four lunar months at different depths (sub-surface, midwater and bottom) and different habitat types (reef slope: 50m horizontal distance from the reef crest; frontier zone: 110m horizontal distance; sandy zone: 200m horizontal distance) on the outer reef slope of Moorea Island, French Polynesia. The highest captures were in sub-surface traps on the reef slope and the frontier zone, and in bottom traps on the sandy zone and the frontier zone. It is hypothesized that fish larvae move towards the surface near the reef slope to avoid reef-based planktivores and to get into a favourable position for surfing over the reef crest. © 2013 the Authors Journal of Fish Biology © 2013 the Fisheries Society of the British Isles.
Abstract.
Nagelkerken I, Simpson SD (2013). Who’s hot and who’s not: ocean warming alters species dominance through competitive displacement. Journal of Animal Ecology, 82, 287-289.
2012
Huijbers CM, Nagelkerken I, Lössbroek PAC, Schulten IE, Siegenthaler A, Holderied MW, Simpson SD (2012). A test of the senses: Fish select novel habitats by responding to multiple cues.
Ecology,
93(1), 46-55.
Abstract:
A test of the senses: Fish select novel habitats by responding to multiple cues
Habitat-specific cues play an important role in orientation for animals that move through a mosaic of habitats. Environmental cues can be imprinted upon during early life stages to guide later return to adult habitats, yet many species must orient toward suitable habitats without previous experience of the habitat. It is hypothesized that multiple sensory cues may enable animals to differentiate between habitats in a sequential order relevant to the spatial scales over which the different types of information are conveyed, but previous research, especially for marine organisms, has mainly focused on the use of single cues in isolation. In this study, we investigated novel habitat selection through the use of three different sensory modalities (hearing, vision, and olfaction). Our model species, the French grunt, Haemulon flavolineatum, is a mangrove/seagrass-associated reef fish species that makes several habitat transitions during early life. Using several in situ and ex situ experiments, we tested the response of fish toward auditory, olfactory, and visual cues from four different habitats (seagrass beds, mangroves, rubble, and coral reef). We identified receptivity to multiple sensory cues during the same life phase, and found that different cues induced different reactions toward the same habitat. For example, early-juvenile fish only responded to sound from coral reefs and to chemical cues from mangroves/seagrass beds, while visual cues of conspecifics overruled olfactory cues from mangrove/seagrass water. Mapping these preferences to the ecology of ontogenetic movements, our results suggest sequential cue use would indeed aid successful orientation to novel key habitats in early life. © 2012 by the Ecological Society of America.
Abstract.
Greenstreet SPR, Fraser HM, Rogers SI, Trenkel VM, Simpson SD, Pinnegar JK (2012). Redundancy in metrics describing the composition, structure, and functioning of the North Sea demersal fish community.
ICES Journal of Marine Science,
69(1), 8-22.
Abstract:
Redundancy in metrics describing the composition, structure, and functioning of the North Sea demersal fish community
Broader ecosystem management objectives for North Sea demersal fish currently focus on restoring community size structure. However, most policy drivers explicitly concentrate on restoring and conserving biodiversity, and it has not yet been established that simply restoring demersal fish size composition will be sufficient to reverse declines in biodiversity and ensure a generally healthy community. If different aspects of community composition, structure, and function vary independently, then to monitor all aspects of community general health will require application of a suite of metrics. This assumes low redundancy among the metrics used in any such suite and implies that addressing biodiversity issues specifically will require explicit management objectives for particular biodiversity metrics. This issue of metric redundancy is addressed, and 15 metrics covering five main attributes of community composition, structure, and function are applied to groundfish survey data. Factor analysis suggested a new interpretation of the metric information and indicated that a minimum suite of seven metrics was necessary to ensure that all changes in the general health of the North Sea demersal fish community were monitored properly. Covariance among size-based and species-diversity metrics was low, implying that restoration of community size structure would not necessarily reverse declines in species diversity. © Crown copyright 2011. Published by Oxford University Press.
Abstract.
Spencer M, Mieszkowska N, Robinson LA, Simpson SD, Burrows MT, Birchenough SNR, Capasso E, Cleall-Harding P, Crummy J, Duck C, et al (2012). Region-wide changes in marine ecosystem dynamics: State-space models to distinguish trends from step changes.
Global Change Biology,
18(4), 1270-1281.
Abstract:
Region-wide changes in marine ecosystem dynamics: State-space models to distinguish trends from step changes
Regime shifts are sudden changes in ecosystem structure that can be detected across several ecosystem components. The concept that regime shifts are common in marine ecosystems has gained popularity in recent years. Many studies have searched for the step-like changes in ecosystem state expected under a simple interpretation of this idea. However, other kinds of change, such as pervasive trends, have often been ignored. We assembled over 300 ecological time series from seven UK marine regions, covering two to three decades. We developed state-space models for the first principal component of the time series in each region, a common measure of ecosystem state. Our models allowed both trends and step changes, possibly in combination. We found trends in three of seven regions and step changes in two of seven regions. Gradual and sudden changes are therefore important trajectories to consider in marine ecosystems. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Abstract.
2011
Simpson SD, Radford AN, Tickle EJ, Meekan MG, Jeffs AG (2011). Adaptive avoidance of reef noise.
PLoS One,
6(2).
Abstract:
Adaptive avoidance of reef noise.
Auditory information is widely used throughout the animal kingdom in both terrestrial and aquatic environments. Some marine species are dependent on reefs for adult survival and reproduction, and are known to use reef noise to guide orientation towards suitable habitat. Many others that forage in food-rich inshore waters would, however, benefit from avoiding the high density of predators resident on reefs, but nothing is known about whether acoustic cues are used in this context. By analysing a sample of nearly 700,000 crustaceans, caught during experimental playbacks in light traps in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon, we demonstrate an auditory capability in a broad suite of previously neglected taxa, and provide the first evidence in any marine organisms that reef noise can act as a deterrent. In contrast to the larvae of species that require reef habitat for future success, which showed an attraction to broadcasted reef noise, taxa with a pelagic or nocturnally emergent lifestyle actively avoided it. Our results suggest that a far greater range of invertebrate taxa than previously thought can respond to acoustic cues, emphasising yet further the potential negative impact of globally increasing levels of underwater anthropogenic noise.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Simpson SD, Jennings S, Johnson MP, Blanchard JL, Schön P-J, Sims DW, Genner MJ (2011). Continental shelf-wide response of a fish assemblage to rapid warming of the sea.
Curr Biol,
21(18), 1565-1570.
Abstract:
Continental shelf-wide response of a fish assemblage to rapid warming of the sea.
Climate change affects marine biological processes from genetic to ecosystem levels [1-3]. Recent warming in the northeast Atlantic [4, 5] has caused distributional shifts in some fish species along latitudinal and depth gradients [6, 7], but such changes, as predicted by climate envelope models [8], may often be prevented because population movement requires availability of suitable habitat. We assessed the full impacts of warming on the commercially important European continental shelf fish assemblage using a data-driven Eulerian (grid-based) approach that accommodates spatial heterogeneity in ecological and environmental conditions. We analyzed local associations of species abundance and community diversity with climatic variables, assessing trends in 172 cells from records of >100 million individuals sampled over 1.2 million km(2) from 1980-2008. We demonstrate responses to warming in 72% of common species, with three times more species increasing in abundance than declining, and find these trends reflected in international commercial landings. Profound reorganization of the relative abundance of species in local communities occurred despite decadal stability in the presence-absence of species. Our analysis highlights the importance of focusing on changes in species abundance in established local communities to assess the full consequences of climate change for commercial fisheries and food security.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Lo-Yat A, Simpson SD, Meekan M, Lecchini D, Martinez E, Galzin R (2011). Extreme climatic events reduce ocean productivity and larval supply in a tropical reef ecosystem.
Global Change Biology,
17(4), 1695-1702.
Abstract:
Extreme climatic events reduce ocean productivity and larval supply in a tropical reef ecosystem
Increasing ocean temperatures due to global warming are predicted to have negative effects on coral reef fishes. El Niño events are associated with elevated water temperatures at large spatial (1000s of km) and temporal (annual) scales, providing environmental conditions that enable temperature effects on reef fishes to be tested directly. We compared remote sensing data of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies, surface current flow and chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration with monthly patterns in larval supply of coral reef fishes in nearshore waters around Rangiroa Atoll (French Polynesia) from January 1996 to March 2000. This time included an intense El Niño (April 1997-May 1998) event between two periods of La Niña (January-March 1996 and August 1998-March 2000) conditions. There was a strong relationship between the timing of the El Niño event, current flow, ocean productivity (as measured by Chl-a) and larval supply. In the warm conditions of the event, there was an increase in the SST anomaly index up to 3.5°C above mean values and a decrease in the strength of the westward surface current toward the reef. These conditions coincided with low concentrations of Chl-a (mean: 0.06mgm-3, SE ± 0.004) and a 51% decline in larval supply from mean values. Conversely, during strong La Niña conditions when SST anomalies were almost 2°C below mean values and there was a strong westward surface current, Chl-a concentration was 150% greater than mean values and larval supply was 249% greater. A lag in larval supply suggested that productivity maybe affecting both the production of larvae by adults and larval survival. Our results suggest that warming temperatures in the world's oceans will have negative effects on the reproduction of reef fishes and survival of their larvae within the plankton, ultimately impacting on the replenishment of benthic populations. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
Abstract.
Radford CA, Stanley JA, Simpson SD, Jeffs AG (2011). Juvenile coral reef fish use sound to locate habitats.
Coral Reefs,
30(2), 295-305.
Abstract:
Juvenile coral reef fish use sound to locate habitats
There is limited knowledge of the orientation cues used by reef fish in their movement among different habitats, especially those cues used during darkness. Although acoustic cues have been found to be important for settlement-stage fish as they seek settlement habitats, only a small number of studies support the possible role of acoustic cues in the orientation of post-settled and adult reef fish. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine whether habitat-specific acoustic cues were involved in the nocturnal movements of juvenile reef fish to small experimental patch reefs that were broadcasting sound previously recorded from different habitats (Fringing Reef, Lagoon, Silent). Juvenile fish arriving at each patch reef were caught the next morning by divers and were identified. There were a greater number of occasions when juvenile fish (from all species together) moved onto the patch reefs broadcasting Fringing Reef and Lagoon sound (43 and 38%, respectively) compared to Silent reefs (19%) (χ2 = 33. 5; P < 0. 05). There were significantly more occasions when juvenile fish from the family Nemipteridae were attracted to the patch reefs broadcasting Lagoon sound (63%) versus those reefs broadcasting either Fringing Reef sound (31%) or Silent (6%). In contrast, there were more occasions when juveniles from the family Pomacentridae were attracted to the patch reefs broadcasting Fringing Reef sound (56%) than either Lagoon (24%) or Silent patch reefs (20%) (χ2 = 19. 5; P < 0. 05). These results indicate that some juvenile fish use specific habitat sounds to guide their nocturnal movements. Therefore, the fish are able to not only use the directional information contained in acoustic cues, but can also interpret the content of the acoustic signals for relevant habitat information which is then used in their decision-making for orientation. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.
Abstract.
Simpson SD, Munday PL, Wittenrich ML, Manassa R, Dixson DL, Gagliano M, Yan HY (2011). Ocean acidification erodes crucial auditory behaviour in a marine fish.
Biol Lett,
7(6), 917-920.
Abstract:
Ocean acidification erodes crucial auditory behaviour in a marine fish.
Ocean acidification is predicted to affect marine ecosystems in many ways, including modification of fish behaviour. Previous studies have identified effects of CO(2)-enriched conditions on the sensory behaviour of fishes, including the loss of natural responses to odours resulting in ecologically deleterious decisions. Many fishes also rely on hearing for orientation, habitat selection, predator avoidance and communication. We used an auditory choice chamber to study the influence of CO(2)-enriched conditions on directional responses of juvenile clownfish (Amphiprion percula) to daytime reef noise. Rearing and test conditions were based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predictions for the twenty-first century: current-day ambient, 600, 700 and 900 µatm pCO(2). Juveniles from ambient CO(2)-conditions significantly avoided the reef noise, as expected, but this behaviour was absent in juveniles from CO(2)-enriched conditions. This study provides, to our knowledge, the first evidence that ocean acidification affects the auditory response of fishes, with potentially detrimental impacts on early survival.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Spencer M, Birchenough SNR, Mieszkowska N, Robinson LA, Simpson SD, Burrows MT, Capasso E, Cleall-Harding P, Crummy J, Duck C, et al (2011). Temporal change in UK marine communities: Trends or regime shifts?.
Marine Ecology,
32(SUPPL. 1), 10-24.
Abstract:
Temporal change in UK marine communities: Trends or regime shifts?
A regime shift is a large, sudden, and long-lasting change in the dynamics of an ecosystem, affecting multiple trophic levels. There are a growing number of papers that report regime shifts in marine ecosystems. However, the evidence for regime shifts is equivocal, because the methods used to detect them are not yet well developed. We have collated over 300 biological time series from seven marine regions around the UK, covering the ecosystem from phytoplankton to marine mammals. Each time series consists of annual measures of abundance for a single group of organisms over several decades. We summarised the data for each region using the first principal component, weighting either each time series or each biological component (e.g. plankton, fish, benthos) equally. We then searched for regime shifts using Rodionov's regime shift detection (RSD) method, which found regime shifts in the first principal component for all seven marine regions. However, there are consistent temporal trends in the data for six of the seven regions. Such trends violate the assumptions of RSD. Thus, the regime shifts detected by RSD in six of the seven regions are likely to be artefacts caused by temporal trends. We are therefore developing more appropriate time series models for both single populations and whole communities that will explicitly model temporal trends and should increase our ability to detect true regime shift events. © 2010 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.
Abstract.
2010
Simpson SD, Meekan MG, Larsen NJ, McCauley RD, Jeffs A (2010). Behavioral plasticity in larval reef fish: Orientation is influenced by recent acoustic experiences.
Behavioral Ecology,
21(5), 1098-1105.
Abstract:
Behavioral plasticity in larval reef fish: Orientation is influenced by recent acoustic experiences
Animals use many different cues to orient in their environment, solve directional movement challenges, and select suitable habitat. Recent work has highlighted the importance of the ambient soundscape in providing orientation cues for larvae of coral reef fishes at the key life-history phase when they recruit from open ocean to coral reef environments. In this study, we combined acoustic conditioning with binary choice chambers and used 442 settlement-stage larvae from 4 Pomacentridae (damselfish) species (Pomacentrus amboinensis, P. brachialis, P. moluccensis, and P. nagasakiensis) to test whether responses to acoustic cues are fixed or whether behavior is influenced by recent acoustic experience. Over 8 trials, groups of wild-caught larvae that experienced noise (natural reef noise or artificial tone noise) during a 12-h conditioning period showed a positive directional response to reef noise in the chambers. Groups conditioned with reef noise responded adversely to the tone noise, whereas groups conditioned to the artificial tones were subsequently attracted by them. This plasticity in behavior suggests that settlement-stage larval reef fish (∼20 days old) are influenced by, and can retain information from, recent acoustic experiences. Behavioral plasticity may enable greater control by larvae over their selection of settlement sites but could also mean that anthropogenic sounds have more than masking effects on the orientation behavior of fishes. © 2010 the Author.
Abstract.
Vermeij MJA, Marhaver KL, Huijbers CM, Nagelkerken I, Simpson SD (2010). Coral larvae move toward reef sounds.
PLoS ONE,
5(5).
Abstract:
Coral larvae move toward reef sounds
Free-swimming larvae of tropical corals go through a critical life-phase when they return from the open ocean to select a suitable settlement substrate. During the planktonic phase of their life cycle, the behaviours of small coral larvae (,1 mm) that influence settlement success are difficult to observe in situ and are therefore largely unknown. Here, we show that coral larvae respond to acoustic cues that may facilitate detection of habitat from large distances and from upcurrent of preferred settlement locations. Using in situ choice chambers, we found that settling coral larvae were attracted to reef sounds, produced mainly by fish and crustaceans, which we broadcast underwater using loudspeakers. Our discovery that coral larvae can detect and respond to sound is the first description of an auditory response in the invertebrate phylum Cnidaria, which includes jellyfish, anemones, and hydroids as well as corals. If, like settlement-stage reef fish and crustaceans, coral larvae use reef noise as a cue for orientation, the alleviation of noise pollution in the marine environment may gain further urgency. © 2010 Vermeij et al.
Abstract.
Kennedy EV, Holderied MW, Mair JM, Guzman HM, Simpson SD (2010). Spatial patterns in reef-generated noise relate to habitats and communities: Evidence from a Panamanian case study.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY,
395(1-2), 85-92.
Author URL.
Genner MJ, Halliday NC, Simpson SD, Southward AJ, Hawkins SJ, Sims DW (2010). Temperature-driven phenological changes within a marine larval fish assemblage.
Journal of Plankton Research,
32(5), 699-708.
Abstract:
Temperature-driven phenological changes within a marine larval fish assemblage
Most marine teleosts have a pelagic phase during their early life history, but few studies have investigated how the timing of events within the planktonic larval fish assemblage is related to environmental variability. We examined this issue using a data series of 534 larval fish samples collected between 1975 and 1987 in the Western English Channel, near Plymouth, UK. Two sets of species were identified: spring spawning (April to July) and summer spawning (July to September). The timing of appearance of the spring-spawning group in the plankton was significantly dependent on sea temperatures the previous November and December, with earlier appearance during cooler years. We suggest that this could be due to colder years triggering earlier winter migration of adults from cool inshore habitat to warmer offshore overwintering grounds, which in turn results in earlier gonad maturation and spawning. In contrast, the timing of appearance of the summer-spawning group was significantly dependent on sea temperatures the preceding March, with earlier spawning during warmer years. This may be due exclusively to more rapid gonad maturation in offshore waters. These data emphasize that marine fish populations do not always respond uniformly to temperature change. Moreover, since appropriate timing of larval fish appearance in the plankton may be critical for the match or mismatch with essential trophic resources, the thermally induced phenological changes identified have potential to influence annual recruitment success. © the Author 2010. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.
Abstract.
2009
Heenan A, Simpson SD, Meekan MG, Healy SD, Braithwaite VA (2009). Restoring depleted coral-reef fish populations through recruitment enhancement: a proof of concept.
J Fish Biol,
75(7), 1857-1867.
Abstract:
Restoring depleted coral-reef fish populations through recruitment enhancement: a proof of concept.
To determine whether enhancing the survival of new recruits is a sensible target for the restorative management of depleted coral-reef fish populations, settlement-stage ambon damsel fish Pomacentrus amboinensis were captured, tagged and then either released immediately onto small artificial reefs or held in aquaria for 1 week prior to release. Holding conditions were varied to determine whether they affected survival of fish: half the fish were held in bare tanks (non-enriched) and the other half in tanks containing coral and sand (enriched). Holding fish for this short period had a significantly positive effect on survivorship relative to the settlement-stage treatment group that were released immediately. The enrichment of holding conditions made no appreciable difference on the survival of fish once released onto the reef. It did, however, have a positive effect on the survival of fish while in captivity, thus supporting the case for the provision of simple environmental enrichment in fish husbandry. Collecting and holding settlement-stage fish for at least a week before release appear to increase the short-term survival of released fish; whether it is an effective method for longer-term enhancement of locally depleted coral-reef fish populations will require further study.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Heenan A, Simpson SD, Braithwaite VA (2009). Testing the generality of acoustic cue use at settlement in larval coral reef fish. 11th International Coral Reef Symposium.
Abstract:
Testing the generality of acoustic cue use at settlement in larval coral reef fish
Abstract.
2008
Gagliano M, Depczynski M, Simpson SD, Moore JAY (2008). Dispersal without errors: Symmetrical ears tune into the right frequency for survival.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences,
275(1634), 527-534.
Abstract:
Dispersal without errors: Symmetrical ears tune into the right frequency for survival
Vertebrate animals localize sounds by comparing differences in the acoustic signal between the two ears and, accordingly, ear structures such as the otoliths of fishes are expected to develop symmetrically. Sound recently emerged as a leading candidate cue for reef fish larvae navigating from open waters back to the reef. Clearly, the integrity of the auditory organ has a direct bearing on what and how fish larvae hear. Yet, the link between otolith symmetry and effective navigation has never been investigated in fishes. We tested whether otolith asymmetry influenced the ability of returning larvae to detect and successfully recruit to favourable reef habitats. Our results suggest that larvae with asymmetrical otoliths not only encountered greater difficulties in detecting suitable settlement habitats, but may also suffer significantly higher rates of mortality. Further, we found that otolith asymmetries arising early in the embryonic stage were not corrected by any compensational growth mechanism during the larval stage. Because these errors persist and phenotypic selection penalizes asymmetrical individuals, asymmetry is likely to play an important role in shaping wild fish populations. © 2007 the Royal Society.
Abstract.
Simpson SD, Jeffs A, Montgomery JC, McCauley RD, Meekan MG (2008). Nocturnal relocation of adult and juvenile coral reef fishes in response to reef noise.
Coral Reefs,
27(1), 97-104.
Abstract:
Nocturnal relocation of adult and juvenile coral reef fishes in response to reef noise
Juvenile and adult reef fishes often undergo migration, ontogenic habitat shifts, and nocturnal foraging movements. The orientation cues used for these behaviours are largely unknown. In this study, the use of sound as an orientation cue guiding the nocturnal movements of adult and juvenile reef fishes at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef was examined. The first experiment compared the movements of fishes to small patch reefs where reef noise was broadcast, with those to silent reefs. No significant responses were found in the 79 adults that were collected, but the 166 juveniles collected showed an increased diversity each morning on the reefs with broadcast noise, and significantly greater numbers of juveniles from three taxa (Apogonidae, Gobiidae and Pinguipedidae) were collected from reefs with broadcast noise. The second experiment compared the movement of adult and juvenile fishes to reefs broadcasting high (>570 Hz), or low (
Abstract.
Simpson SD, Meekan MG, Jeffs A, Montgomery JC, McCauley RD (2008). Settlement-stage coral reef fish prefer the higher-frequency invertebrate-generated audible component of reef noise.
Animal Behaviour,
75(6), 1861-1868.
Abstract:
Settlement-stage coral reef fish prefer the higher-frequency invertebrate-generated audible component of reef noise
The importance of the acoustic cuescape is often overlooked in studies of animal orientation. Recent studies have shown that reef noise affects the behaviour and orientation of settlement-stage coral reef fish. This response may simply facilitate orientation to reefs; alternatively, acoustic habitat cues could also facilitate the remote selection of suitable settlement habitats. To test which components of reef noise evoke behavioural responses in larval fish, we used light traps to measure the responses of a diverse range of settlement-stage fish to the filtered 'high' (570-2000 Hz)- and 'low' (10 individuals, four (Pomacentridae, Apogonidae, Lethrinidae and Gobiidae) were caught in significantly greater numbers in the high-frequency traps than either the low-frequency or the silent traps. The Syngnathidae preferred high- to low-frequency traps, while the Blenniidae preferred high-frequency to silent traps. Only the Siganidae showed no preference between any of the sound treatments. Although some species-level variation in response was found, the general trend was a preference for high-frequency traps. This study suggests that most settlement-stage fish select the higher-frequency audible component of reef noise, which is produced mainly by marine invertebrates, as a means of selectively orienting towards suitable settlement habitats. The results highlight potential impacts of anthropogenic noise pollution and habitat modification in affecting the natural behaviour of reef fish at a critical stage in their life history. © 2007 the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Abstract.
Simpson SD (2008). The sounds of the reef: can we learn to listen before it is too late?. Bioacoustics: the international journal of animal sound and its recording, 17, 28-29.
2007
Simpson SD (2007). Behaviour of fish in noisy environments. Proceedings of the Institute of Acoustics, 29(PART 3), 241-248.
Dytham C, Simpson SD (2007). Elevated mortality of fish larvae on coral reefs drives the evolution of larval movement patterns.
Marine Ecology Progress Series,
346, 255-264.
Abstract:
Elevated mortality of fish larvae on coral reefs drives the evolution of larval movement patterns
Coral reef fishes typically undergo a pelagic larval phase prior to recruitment to reef habitat. This is potentially risky, but likely to be important in connecting populations and avoiding local crowding. Predation pressures on larvae on and off the reef are likely to differ both in origin and intensity. In this study, we used individual-based models to explore in isolation the effect of elevated levels of larval mortality on the reef in 22 different landscapes. We allowed the movement of highly simplified larvae to evolve through selection and mutation events and tracked emerging strategies over 180 generations. The pressure of increased larval mortality on the reef affected overall population sizes and selected for higher levels of larval movement. However, the evolution of movement was constrained, and self-recruitment back to the reef of origin was prevalent, with levels rarely dropping below 50%. The evolved strategies were highly landscape specific, suggesting that movement in contiguous reefs is more readily evolved than at isolated reefs. Future development of this simulation approach will provide a valuable research tool for exploring important evolutionary, ecological, and management-based questions. © Inter-Research 2007.
Abstract.
Codling EA, Pitchford JW, Simpson SD (2007). Group navigation and the "many-wrongs principle" in models of animal movement.
Ecology,
88(7), 1864-1870.
Abstract:
Group navigation and the "many-wrongs principle" in models of animal movement
Traditional studies of animal navigation over both long and short distances have usually considered the orientation ability of the individual only, without reference to the implications of group membership. However, recent work has suggested that being in a group can significantly improve the ability of an individual to align toward and reach a target direction or point, even when all group members have limited navigational ability and there are no leaders. This effect is known as the "many-wrongs principle" since the large number of individual navigational errors across the group are suppressed by interactions and group cohesion. In this paper, we simulate the many-wrongs principle using a simple individualbased model of movement based on a biased random walk that includes group interactions. We study the ability of the group as a whole to reach a target given different levels of individual navigation error, group size, interaction radius, and environmental turbulence. In scenarios with low levels of environmental turbulence, simulation results demonstrate a navigational benefit from group membership, particularly for small group sizes. In contrast, when movement takes place in a highly turbulent environment, simulation results suggest that the best strategy is to navigate as individuals rather than as a group. © 2007 by the Ecological Society of America.
Abstract.
Simpson SD (2007). The Kindergarten Diaries.
Planet Earth(SUMMER), 10-11.
Abstract:
The Kindergarten Diaries
A recent research on the Australian Great Barrier Reef focused on trying to understand how the behavior of larvae plays a part in dispersal and focused on nights of the new moon periods, as this period is where the larvae have the highest chance of survival from predators. Their larvae tend to arrive on reefs weeks after born. One discovery is that noises from the reef could attract fish larvae. It was found that noisy traps attracted twice as many reef fish from several different families, suggesting a general attraction to reef noise. Noisy reefs attracted both adult and juvenile fish, suggesting that reef noise may be an important cue in later life as well as at the larval stage. Results from this studies will provide an insight into how oceanography, behavior, habitat availability and community composition affect the generic structure of the populations that make up a whole species.
Abstract.
Odling-Smee L, Simpson SD, Braithwaite VA (2007). The Role of Learning in Fish Orientation. In (Ed) Fish Cognition and Behavior, 119-138.
2006
Montgomery JC, Jeffs A, Simpson SD, Meekan M, Tindle C (2006). Sound as an Orientation Cue for the Pelagic Larvae of Reef Fishes and Decapod Crustaceans.
Advances in Marine Biology,
51, 143-196.
Abstract:
Sound as an Orientation Cue for the Pelagic Larvae of Reef Fishes and Decapod Crustaceans
The pelagic life history phase of reef fishes and decapod crustaceans is complex, and the evolutionary drivers and ecological consequences of this life history strategy remain largely speculative. There is no doubt, however, that this life history phase is very significant in the demographics of reef populations. Here, we initially discuss the ecology and evolution of the pelagic life histories as a context to our review of the role of acoustics in the latter part of the pelagic phase as the larvae transit back onto a reef. Evidence is reviewed showing that larvae are actively involved in this transition. They are capable swimmers and can locate reefs from hundreds of metres if not kilometres away. Evidence also shows that sound is available as an orientation cue, and that fishes and crustaceans hear sound and orient to sound in a manner that is consistent with their use of sound to guide settlement onto reefs. Comparing particle motion sound strengths in the field (8 × 10-11 m at 5 km from a reef) with the measured behavioural and electrophysiological threshold of fishes of (3 × 10-11 m and 10 × 10-11, respectively) provides evidence that sound may be a useful orientation cue at a range of kilometres rather than hundreds of metres. These threshold levels are for adult fishes and we conclude that better data are needed for larval fishes and crustaceans at the time of settlement. Measurements of field strengths in the region of reefs and threshold levels are suitable for showing that sound could be used; however, field experiments are the only effective tool to demonstrate the actual use of underwater sound for orientation purposes. A diverse series of field experiments including light-trap catches enhanced by replayed reef sound, in situ observations of behaviour and sound-enhanced settlement rate on patch reefs collectively provide a compelling case that sound is used as an orientation and settlement cue for these late larval stages. © 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Abstract.
2005
Simpson SD, Meekan M, Montgomery J, McCauley R, Jeffs A (2005). Homeward sound.
Science,
308(5719).
Abstract:
Homeward sound.
Despite spending weeks at sea as larvae, potentially scattered over many kilometers, young coral reef fish find suitable settlement habitat and in some cases return to their natal reefs. We report that some dominant families of larval reef fish use the sounds made by fish and shrimp resident on reefs to help them locate and settle on reefs and that some fish groups use specific components of the reef sound to guide their behavior. These findings could offer potential for active management of reef fisheries.
Abstract.
Author URL.
Simpson SD, Yan HY, Wittenrich ML, Meekan MG (2005). Response of embryonic coral reef fishes (Pomacentridae: Amphiprion spp.) to noise.
Marine Ecology Progress Series,
287, 201-208.
Abstract:
Response of embryonic coral reef fishes (Pomacentridae: Amphiprion spp.) to noise
We investigated the ability of embryonic clownfishes Amphiprion ephippium and A. rubrocinctus to detect sound during incubation in benthic nests. The heart rates of embryos within eggs were monitored as the young fish were exposed to sounds in the range of 100 to 1200 Hz at levels of 80 to 150 dB (re 1 μPa at 1 m) on each day of incubation. We found that, from 3 d after fertilisation, the heart rates of the embryos significantly increased when exposed to sound. As the embryos developed, a response in heart rate was found over a broader spectrum of sound (from 400 to 700 Hz at 3 d to a maximum of 100 to 1200 kHz at 9 d after fertilisation) and sensitivity also increased, with response threshold minima at 700 Hz dropping from 139.1 dB at 3 d to 88.3 dB at 9 d after fertilisation. We discuss these findings with respect to recent work that demonstrates the importance of sound as a settlement cue in coral reef fishes. © Inter-Research 2005.
Abstract.
2004
Simpson SD, Meekan MG, McCauley RD, Jeffs A (2004). Attraction of settlement-stage coral reef fishes to reef noise.
Marine Ecology Progress Series,
276(1), 263-268.
Abstract:
Attraction of settlement-stage coral reef fishes to reef noise
We compared catches of settlement-stage reef fishes in light traps attached to underwater speakers playing reef sounds with those of silent traps during a summer recruitment season at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia. of the total 40191 reef fishes we collected, significantly more (67 %; Wilcoxon and Binomial tests: p < 0.001) appeared in the traps with broadcast reef noise. Traps deployed with speakers consistently caught a greater diversity of species (Wilcoxon test: p < 0.001, total 81 vs 68) than did silent traps. This study provides a clear demonstration that the settlement-stages of a broad range of families of coral reef fishes are attracted to reef sounds.
Abstract.
Codling EA, Hill NA, Pitchford JW, Simpson SD (2004). Random walk models for the movement and recruitment of reef fish larvae.
Marine Ecology Progress Series,
279, 215-224.
Abstract:
Random walk models for the movement and recruitment of reef fish larvae
The factors influencing the movement and recruitment of settlement stage larvae are investigated using random walk models. Individual-based sensing and orientating abilities are included explicitly in the model. We consider 2 simple reef environment models consisting of a simple circular reef with and without a constant cross-current. The sensing ability of the larvae is modelled as either fixed or spatially dependent, together with a fixed orientating ability. The survival probability is found to be highly sensitive to both the sensing and orientating abilities of the larvae, as well as to the properties of the reef environment itself.
Abstract.
2002
Watson M, Power R, Simpson SD, Munro JL (2002). Low cost light traps for coral reef fishery research and sustainable ornamental fisheries.
Naga, the ICLARM Quarterly,
25, 4-7.
Abstract:
Low cost light traps for coral reef fishery research and sustainable ornamental fisheries
Two relatively inexpensive light traps to capture pre-settling reef fish and invertebrates are described. A trap made from a plastic bucket (with plastic bottles, a small plastic waste bin and two sheets of plywood) that costs US$15 appears to be just as effective as a large aluminium and plexiglass trap that costs US$275.
Abstract.
2001
Ducrotoy JPA, Simpson SD (2001). Developments in the application of photography to ecological monitoring, with reference to algal beds.
Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems,
11(2), 123-135.
Abstract:
Developments in the application of photography to ecological monitoring, with reference to algal beds
1. The potential for using photographic methods in ecological monitoring of intertidal rocky shores was investigated at two scales: the scale of a bay, and at sampling quadrat level. 2. The macroalgal beds at Selwicks Bay, Flamborough Head (north Humberside Coast, England) were used as a case study. 3. At each station on three 90 m transects, a photograph was taken of a 50 cm2 quadrat. These images were analysed using SigmaScan™ to measure the cover of algal species. These data were highly correlated with field data collected using a grid quadrat. 4. Ground techniques were developed for drawing a scaled overhead map of the bay. The potential for a quantitative survey of the extent of the algal beds using cliff top photographs was investigated. The photographs were merged, and rectified using Arc/Info™ (a Geographical Information System package) to produce scaled overhead images of the bay. 5. The two complementary methods developed are suitable for involving amateur naturalists into field-data collection. They were also designed to meet long-term statutory monitoring requirements. They are quick, so are well suited to intertidal areas where field sampling windows are limited. In long-term monitoring strategies, the use of photography produces interactive permanent records of the sample area for back reference. Reporting on the conservation status of sites of European interest could be greatly facilitated by such techniques. 6. There are obvious applications for overseas monitoring and base-line surveys, which demand large data sets to be collected in limited periods of time. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Abstract.