Lost at sea: ocean acidification undermines larval fish orientation via altered hearing and marine soundscape modification.

ABSTRACT: The dispersal of larvae and their settlement to suitable habitat is fundamental to the replenishment of marine populations and the communities in which they live. Sound plays an important role in this process because for larvae of various species, it acts as an orientational cue towards suitable settlement habitat. Because marine sounds are largely of biological origin, they not only carry information about the location of potential habitat, but also information about the quality of habitat. While ocean acidification is known to affect a wide range of marine organisms and processes, its effect on marine soundscapes and its reception by navigating oceanic larvae remains unknown. Here, we show that ocean acidification causes a switch in role of present-day soundscapes from attractor to repel

SUBMITTER: Rossi T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4785932 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature