Data from: The effects of vessel noise on the communication network of humpback whales ...

• Main Author: Dunlop, Rebecca
• Format: Dataset
• Language: English
• Published: Dryad 2019
• Subjects: Megaptera novaeangliae; baleen whale
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.65j00m3; https://datadryad.org/stash/dataset/doi:10.5061/dryad.65j00m3

Humpback whales likely rely on acoustic communication to mediate social interactions. The distance to which these social signals propagate from the signaller defines its communication space, and therefore communication network (number of potential receivers). As humpback whales migrate along populated coastlines, they are likely to encounter noise from vessel traffic which will mask their social signals. Since no empirical data exists on baleen whale hearing, the consequences of this are usually assumed, being the modelled reduction in their communication space. Here, the communication space and network of migrating humpback whales was compared in increasing wind-dominated and vessel noise. Behavioural data on their social interactions were then used to inform these models. In typical wind noise, a signaller’s communication space was estimated to extend to 4 km, which agreed with the maximum separation distance between groups that socially interacted. An increase in vessel noise reduced the modelled ... : all.vocalsignal measures in boat and wind noise ...