Temperature affects the acoustic communication of fish

Recently published in the scientific journal Marine Environmental Research, the study ‘Turning up the heat: Effects of temperature on agonistic acoustic communication in the two-spotted goby (Pomatoschistus flavescens)’ studied the effect of temperature on acoustic communication between gobies.

Acoustic communication is crucial in many animals, but in the current climate change scenario, sound signals may be affected by rising temperatures. This is particularly relevant for ectothermic organisms such as fish. It should be noted that underwater sound can be very important for animals to obtain information about the environment and to communicate. So much so that many fish produce sounds in social interactions, especially during the breeding season.

In this context, a team of researchers, including MARE researchers Manuel Vieira, Raquel O. Vasconcelos and M. Clara P. Amorim, in collaboration with researchers from CIIMAR, CE3C, Lusófona University and the University of Saint-Étienne (France), studied in the laboratory the effect of different temperatures on the acoustic characteristics of the sounds produced by males during territorial defence. It was found that at higher temperatures the agonistic sounds were shorter, had fewer pulses and shorter intervals between pulses, but the sound frequency was not affected. This study also characterised for the first time the hearing of these animals, which showed greater sensitivity below 400 Hz, corresponding to the frequency band of the sounds produced. The results of this study suggest that an increase in temperature could potentially affect acoustic communication in this species by reducing the duration of the sounds produced.

This study is one of several that MARE has participated in to better understand the effect of temperature on fish, using the swimming goby (Pomatoschistus flavescens) as a model.

To access the article click HERE

To listen to the fish sounds click HERE