How sound affects the marine environment as a pollutant and for reef restoration

Abstract

Coral reefs are one of the most biodiverse and valuable ecosystems in the world, yet they are facing dramatic alterations from a myriad of anthropogenic stressors. There is burgeoning evidence to suggest that stressors have detrimental effects, including hormonal, physiological and behavioural impacts, on a wide variety of taxa. Whereas the soundscapes of these reefs were once healthy and full of different dynamic sounds, they are now falling quiet. However, little is known about the cumulative impact of anthropogenic stressors on reef habitats and the marine organisms which depend on them. Given that these threats are projected to increase, novel mitigation and restoration approaches are required if there is hope of accelerating the recovery of coral reefs. In this thesis, I first investigate the impacts of dual stressor conditions arising from a combination of anthropogenic noise and bleaching on the behavioural interactions on coral reef fish. I found no evidence that either motorboat noise alone or in combination with anemone bleaching influenced the social interactions of orange-fin anemonefish (Amphiprion chrysopterus) with conspecific and heterospecific domino damselfish (Dascyllus trimaculatus). Second, I report on a field experiment exploring how structural and acoustic enrichment could be applied into reef management strategies in the Caribbean, to enhance
juvenile fish recruitment. There was an indication that fewer fish seemingly recruited to acoustically and structurally enriched reefs compared to the control reefs, which was unexpected. Together, the results of these studies highlight areas where future work is
required to provide a more comprehensive understanding about the effects of multi-stressors in the coral reef environment and how these impacts can be mitigated using novel restoration strategies. Developing our knowledge in both of these areas is essential for
there to be effective reef restoration established on a global scale, especially in the face of further unprecedented change.

Date of Award	5 Dec 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bristol
Supervisor	Andrew N Radford (Supervisor) & Steve Simpson (Supervisor)