Monitoring of vocal species
Sounds as natural trackers
In collaboration with the Stareso oceanographic research station in Calvi, I characterized the sounds produced by the Mediterranean dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus during its breeding season, as well as the behaviors associated with sound production by means of long-term recordings made during the summers of 2012 and 2013. The results showed that grouper sounds consist of low frequency pulsations that can be defined as series of "booms". These boums were associated with an approach behavior, observed in the early stages of the courtship displays. These sounds were detected on passive acoustic recordings conducted in Calvi, and in the Cerbère-Banyuls marine reserve in 2013. During the breeding season, the number of sounds increases in the late afternoon before dusk and reaches a peak of production around 23h. This acoustic pattern seems to follow the reproductive activity pattern of the species.
In another study, we tested the hypothesis that sounds could be used on a large spatial and temporal scale. We looked at the family Sciaenidae by studying the brown meagre (Sciaena umbra), another emblematic species of the Mediterranean that produces sounds during the spawning season. The acoustic characteristics of sounds recorded in the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian Seas (Corsica and Sardinia) show strong similarities with the results of studies in the Adriatic. The sounds also exhibited stability of their acoustic characteristics over time since some of these recordings were separated by a 17-year period. This reinforces the use of passive acoustics to track populations of vulnerable species. The high fidelity to the site of this species outside the breeding season and its life expectancy (18 years) would thus make it possible to establish plans for research, monitoring and management of populations, based on acoustic and on a long term perspective.
These studies of acoustic ecology made it possible to know the vocal activity of 2 species. Since 2004, the dusky grouper has been ranked as threatened in the IUCN Red List. With the brown meagre, they are subject to a fishing moratorium in the Mediterranean. Sounds can thus help identify spawning areas, detect the onset and duration of breeding periods for example to periodically limit access to areas and ensure optimal and sustainable reproduction of these species.
Selection of articles
Parmentier E, Bertucci F, Bolgan M & Lecchini D. 2021. How many fish could be vocal? An estimation from a coral reef (Moorea Island). Belgian Journal of Zoology, 151: 1-29.
Bertucci F, Parmentier E, Hillion A, Cordonnier S, Lecchini D & René-Trouillefou M. 2021. First highlight of sound production in the glassy sweeper Pempheris schomburgkii (Pempheridae). Marine Biology, 168(3): 32
Jublier N, Bertucci F, Kever L, Colleye O, Ballesta L, Nemeth RS, Lecchini D, Rhodes KL & Parmentier E. 2020. Passive monitoring of phenological acoustic patterns reveals the sound of the camouflage grouper, Epinephelus polyphekadion. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, 30: 42-52.
Parmentier E, Di Iorio L, Picciulin M, Malavasi S, Lagardère JP & Bertucci F. 2017. Consistency in spatio-temporal sound features supports the use of passive acoustics for long-term monitoring. Animal Conservation, 21(3): 211-220.
Bertucci F, Lejeune P, Payrot J & Parmentier E. 2015. Sound production by dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus at spawning aggregation sites. J. Fish Biol., 87, 400-421.