Changes in the Movement and Calling Behavior of Minke Whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in Response to Navy Training
Many marine mammals rely on sound for foraging, maintaining group cohesion, navigation, finding mates, and avoiding predators. These behaviors are potentially disrupted by anthropogenic noise. Behavioral responses to sonar have been observed in a number of baleen whale species but relatively little...
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Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.660122 https://doaj.org/article/5d5518a4b52a40d19b31dbfa1be7da3b |
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:5d5518a4b52a40d19b31dbfa1be7da3b 2023-05-15T15:36:07+02:00 Changes in the Movement and Calling Behavior of Minke Whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in Response to Navy Training Ian N. Durbach Catriona M. Harris Cameron Martin Tyler A. Helble E. Elizabeth Henderson Glenn Ierley Len Thomas Stephen W. Martin 2021-07-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.660122 https://doaj.org/article/5d5518a4b52a40d19b31dbfa1be7da3b EN eng Frontiers Media S.A. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.660122/full https://doaj.org/toc/2296-7745 2296-7745 doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.660122 https://doaj.org/article/5d5518a4b52a40d19b31dbfa1be7da3b Frontiers in Marine Science, Vol 8 (2021) naval sonar passive acoustic monitoring behavioral response animal movement minke whale Science Q General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 article 2021 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.660122 2022-12-31T06:57:18Z Many marine mammals rely on sound for foraging, maintaining group cohesion, navigation, finding mates, and avoiding predators. These behaviors are potentially disrupted by anthropogenic noise. Behavioral responses to sonar have been observed in a number of baleen whale species but relatively little is known about the responses of minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). Previous analyses demonstrated a spatial redistribution of localizations derived from passive acoustic detections in response to sonar activity, but the lack of a mechanism for associating localizations prevented discriminating between movement and cessation of calling as possible explanations for this redistribution. Here we extend previous analyses by including an association mechanism, allowing us to differentiate between movement responses and calling responses, and to provide direct evidence of horizontal avoidance responses by individual minke whales to sonar during U.S. Navy training activities. We fitted hidden Markov models to 627 tracks that were reconstructed from 3 years of minke whale (B. acutorostrata) vocalizations recorded before, during, and after naval training events at the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, Hawaii. The fitted models were used to identify different movement behaviors and to investigate the effect of sonar activity on these behaviors. Movement was faster and more directed during sonar exposure than in baseline phases. The mean direction of movement differed during sonar exposure, and was consistent with movement away from sonar-producing ships. Animals were also more likely to cease calling during sonar. There was substantial individual variation in response. Our findings add large-sample support to previous demonstrations of horizontal avoidance responses by individual minke whales to sonar in controlled exposure experiments, and demonstrate the complex nature of behavioral responses to sonar activity: some, but not all, whales exhibited behavioral changes, which took the form of horizontal ... Article in Journal/Newspaper Balaenoptera acutorostrata baleen whale minke whale Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Pacific Frontiers in Marine Science 8 |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
English |
topic |
naval sonar passive acoustic monitoring behavioral response animal movement minke whale Science Q General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 |
spellingShingle |
naval sonar passive acoustic monitoring behavioral response animal movement minke whale Science Q General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 Ian N. Durbach Catriona M. Harris Cameron Martin Tyler A. Helble E. Elizabeth Henderson Glenn Ierley Len Thomas Stephen W. Martin Changes in the Movement and Calling Behavior of Minke Whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in Response to Navy Training |
topic_facet |
naval sonar passive acoustic monitoring behavioral response animal movement minke whale Science Q General. Including nature conservation geographical distribution QH1-199.5 |
description |
Many marine mammals rely on sound for foraging, maintaining group cohesion, navigation, finding mates, and avoiding predators. These behaviors are potentially disrupted by anthropogenic noise. Behavioral responses to sonar have been observed in a number of baleen whale species but relatively little is known about the responses of minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata). Previous analyses demonstrated a spatial redistribution of localizations derived from passive acoustic detections in response to sonar activity, but the lack of a mechanism for associating localizations prevented discriminating between movement and cessation of calling as possible explanations for this redistribution. Here we extend previous analyses by including an association mechanism, allowing us to differentiate between movement responses and calling responses, and to provide direct evidence of horizontal avoidance responses by individual minke whales to sonar during U.S. Navy training activities. We fitted hidden Markov models to 627 tracks that were reconstructed from 3 years of minke whale (B. acutorostrata) vocalizations recorded before, during, and after naval training events at the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Missile Range Facility, Kauai, Hawaii. The fitted models were used to identify different movement behaviors and to investigate the effect of sonar activity on these behaviors. Movement was faster and more directed during sonar exposure than in baseline phases. The mean direction of movement differed during sonar exposure, and was consistent with movement away from sonar-producing ships. Animals were also more likely to cease calling during sonar. There was substantial individual variation in response. Our findings add large-sample support to previous demonstrations of horizontal avoidance responses by individual minke whales to sonar in controlled exposure experiments, and demonstrate the complex nature of behavioral responses to sonar activity: some, but not all, whales exhibited behavioral changes, which took the form of horizontal ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Ian N. Durbach Catriona M. Harris Cameron Martin Tyler A. Helble E. Elizabeth Henderson Glenn Ierley Len Thomas Stephen W. Martin |
author_facet |
Ian N. Durbach Catriona M. Harris Cameron Martin Tyler A. Helble E. Elizabeth Henderson Glenn Ierley Len Thomas Stephen W. Martin |
author_sort |
Ian N. Durbach |
title |
Changes in the Movement and Calling Behavior of Minke Whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in Response to Navy Training |
title_short |
Changes in the Movement and Calling Behavior of Minke Whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in Response to Navy Training |
title_full |
Changes in the Movement and Calling Behavior of Minke Whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in Response to Navy Training |
title_fullStr |
Changes in the Movement and Calling Behavior of Minke Whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in Response to Navy Training |
title_full_unstemmed |
Changes in the Movement and Calling Behavior of Minke Whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) in Response to Navy Training |
title_sort |
changes in the movement and calling behavior of minke whales (balaenoptera acutorostrata) in response to navy training |
publisher |
Frontiers Media S.A. |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.660122 https://doaj.org/article/5d5518a4b52a40d19b31dbfa1be7da3b |
geographic |
Pacific |
geographic_facet |
Pacific |
genre |
Balaenoptera acutorostrata baleen whale minke whale |
genre_facet |
Balaenoptera acutorostrata baleen whale minke whale |
op_source |
Frontiers in Marine Science, Vol 8 (2021) |
op_relation |
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmars.2021.660122/full https://doaj.org/toc/2296-7745 2296-7745 doi:10.3389/fmars.2021.660122 https://doaj.org/article/5d5518a4b52a40d19b31dbfa1be7da3b |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2021.660122 |
container_title |
Frontiers in Marine Science |
container_volume |
8 |
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1766366443592482816 |