Dear Colleagues,

Please find the recent paper, "Sound patterns of snapping shrimp, fish, and 
dolphins in an estuarine soundscape of the southeastern USA" published in 
Marine Ecology Progress Series. Vol. 609: 49-68, 2019 
https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12813

Authors: Agnieszka Monczak, Claire Mueller, Michaela E. Miller, Yiming Ji, 
Stephen A. Borgianini, and Eric W. Montie
Corresponding Author: Eric W. Montie 
([email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>), University of South Carolina 
Beaufort, Bluffton, SC USA

ABSTRACT: Soundscape ecology is a relatively new scientific field that uses 
sound to characterize ecosystems, which can be helpful in tracking species, 
estimating relative population sizes, and monitoring behavior and overall 
habitat quality. Estuarine soundscapes are acoustically rich, and sound 
patterns in these systems are understudied. Therefore, the goal of this study 
was to understand the soundscape of a deep tidal river estuary, the May River, 
South Carolina, USA. Acoustic recorders (DSG-Oceans) were deployed to collect 
sound samples for 2 min every 20 min at 6 stations from February to November 
2014. Acoustic data revealed that sound pressure levels (i.e. broadband, low, 
and high frequency) varied spatially and temporally, exhibiting distinct 
rhythmic patterns. Acoustic detection rates and diversity of biophonic (e.g. 
snapping shrimp, fish, and bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus) and 
anthrophonic sounds (e.g. boat noise) were higher near the river mouth and 
decreased towards the headwaters. The soundscape exhibited strong temporal 
patterns of snapping shrimp (genus Alpheus and Synalpheus) snaps, fish calls 
and choruses (e.g. silver perch Bairdiella chrysoura, black drum Pogonias 
cromis, oyster toadfish Opsanus tau, spotted seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus, and 
red drum Sciaenops ocellatus), bottlenose dolphin vocalizations, and vessel 
noise. Depending upon the species, certain variables (i.e. location, month, day 
length, lunar phase, day/night, tide, and temperature anomaly) influenced sound 
production. These data provide new tools and baseline measurements to better 
understand how soundscapes can be used to gauge habitat quality and impacts of 
stormwater runoff, climate change, and noise pollution.

If you have any questions, please contact the corresponding author: Eric W. 
Montie ([email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>).

Eric W. Montie, M.S., Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Biology
Director of the Marine Sensory and Neurobiology Lab &
The Lowcountry Dolphin Conservation Program
Department of Natural Sciences
University of South Carolina Beaufort
One University Boulevard
Bluffton, SC 29909

Office Phone: (843) 208-8107
Fax: (843) 208-8294
Email: [email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>
https://www.uscb.edu/montie
http://marinebiology.cofc.edu/about-the-program/faculty-listing/montie-eric.php
https://www.facebook.com/MarineNeuroLabAtUSCB/

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