![]() ![]() However, little is known about how the complexity of their calls changes in response to real-time ambient noise levels experienced by the animals. Vessel traffic and noise have been found to affect marine mammal foraging behaviour and the sound frequency of their calls. One of the best-studied odontocete species, the bottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus), produces whistles that serve a critical role in social communication, conveying individual identity and other information through contour shape. Odontocetes have complex social structures that are probably maintained through their diverse and individually specific vocalizations. If communication is impaired, this may lead to behavioural changes, which can affect fitness and recruitment. Vocal adjustments may compensate for increased ambient noise, but there may be constraints that limit this ability or ecological consequences to modified signals. ![]() Vocal communication plays a critical role in many species, such as in parent–offspring interactions, warning calls, mating signals and territorial defence. ) as well as negative impacts on health and reproduction. Increased ambient noise levels can reduce the ability of animals to perceive acoustic signals (masking) and have been associated with alterations in animal vocalizations (e.g. Consequently, the noise-induced simplification of dolphin whistles may reduce the information content in these acoustic signals and decrease effective communication, parent–offspring proximity or group cohesion.Īmbient noise levels vary spatially and temporally and are affected by numerous activities and processes, both natural and anthropogenic. ![]() Increases in ship noise, both within and below the dolphins' call bandwidth, resulted in higher dolphin whistle frequencies and a reduction in whistle contour complexity, an acoustic feature associated with individual identification. Elevated ambient noise levels were mainly caused by ship noise. We investigated the effects of concurrent ambient noise levels on social whistle calls produced by bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus) in the western North Atlantic. However, the effects of increasing ambient noise levels on marine species, such as marine mammals that primarily rely on sound for communication, are not well understood. Increased ambient noise levels can cause signal masking and communication impairment, affecting fitness and recruitment success. Ocean noise varies spatially and temporally and is driven by natural and anthropogenic processes. ![]()
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