Interpreting diel activity patterns from acoustic telemetry: the need for controls

Abstract

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 419:295-301 (2010) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08864 NOTE Interpreting diel activity patterns from acoustic telemetry: the need for controls Nicholas L. Payne1,*, Bronwyn M. Gillanders1, Dale M. Webber2, Jayson M. Semmens3 1Southern Seas Ecology Laboratories, University of Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia 2Vemco, Amirix Systems Inc., Halifax, Nova Scotia B3S 0B9, Canada 3Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute, University of Tasmania, Taroona, Tasmania 7001, Australia *Email: nicholas.payne@adelaide.edu.au ABSTRACT: Acoustic telemetry has emerged as a leading approach to infer diel, tidal and lunar rhythmicity in the movements of aquatic organisms in a range of taxa. Typically, studies examine the relative frequency of detections from individuals tagged with acoustic transmitters, and then infer patterns in the species’ behaviour, but studies to date have not controlled for factors that may influence tag detection patterns in the absence of animal behaviour. We compared patterns in acoustic detections from tagged cuttlefish Sepia apama and several fixed-location control tags, and used these data to highlight the danger of misinterpreting patterns in the absence of adequate controls. Cuttlefish and control tags displayed similar detection patterns, and correcting cuttlefish-detection data for the influence of environmental factors resulted in the opposite pattern of cuttlefish activity displayed prior to correction. This study highlights the danger of using acoustic data to infer animal behaviour in the absence of adequate controls. KEY WORDS: Acoustic telemetry · Rhythmicity · Behaviour · Diel · Activity · Temporal Full text in pdf format PreviousCite this article as: Payne NL, Gillanders BM, Webber DM, Semmens JM (2010) Interpreting diel activity patterns from acoustic telemetry: the need for controls. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 419:295-301. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps08864 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 419. Online publication date: November 30, 2010 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2010 Inter-Research.