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This content will become publicly available on April 2, 2026

Title: The turbulent soundscape of intertidal oyster reefs
Turbulence and sound are important cues for oyster reef larval recruitment. Numerous studies have found a relationship between turbulence intensity and swimming behaviors of marine larvae, while others have documented the importance of sounds in enhancing larval recruitment to oyster reefs. However, the relationship between turbulence and the reef soundscape is not well understood. In this study we made side-by-side acoustic Doppler velocimeter turbulence measurements and hydrophone soundscape recordings over 2 intertidal oyster reefs (1 natural and 1 restored) and 1 adjacent bare mudflat as a reference. Sound pressure levels (SPL) were similar across all three sites, although SPL >  2000 Hz was highest at the restored reef, likely due to its larger area that contained a greater number of sound-producing organisms. Flow noise (FN), defined as the mean of pressure fluctuations recorded by the hydrophone atf<  100 Hz, was significantly related to mean flow speed, turbulent kinetic energy, and turbulence dissipation rate (ε), agreeing with theoretical calculations for turbulence. Our results also show a similar relationship between ε andFNto what has been previously reported for ε vs. downward larval swimming velocity (wb), with bothFNandwbdemonstrating rapid growth at ε >  0.1 cm2s−3. These results suggest that reef turbulence and sounds may attract oyster larvae in complementary and synergistic ways.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
1851424
PAR ID:
10629579
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ;
Editor(s):
Fernández_Robledo, José A
Publisher / Repository:
https://doi.org/10.6073/ pasta/3a372383f1bbaf8367232adc592e135e
Date Published:
Journal Name:
PLOS ONE
Volume:
20
Issue:
4
ISSN:
1932-6203
Page Range / eLocation ID:
e0309503
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
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