THE SOUNDSCAPE OF MAR CHIQUITA COASTAL LAGOON (ARGENTINA).

CERAULO, MARÍA; SAL MOYANO, MARÍA P.; BAZTERRICA, M CIELO; FERNANDO HIDALGO; PAPALE, ELENA; GRAMMAUTA, ROSARIO; GAVIO, MARÍA ANDREA; MAZZOLA, SALVATORE; BUSCAINO, GIUSEPPA

Mar del Plata

Congreso; XVIII Congreso Latinoamericano de Ciencias del Mar; 2019

Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, INIDEP

The study was conducted in the framework of the Italian-Argentinian scientificcooperation (project CAIMAR JL - 2017-2020 - funded by CNR and BOSS funded byItalian Ministry of Foreign Affair - MAECI) and aimed to investigate the temporal andspatial patterns of the soundscape in the Mar Chiquita coastal lagoon (Buenos Aires,Argentina). It is an important biodiversity area used for tourism and recreation activities,categorized as Man and the Biosphere Reserve (MAB, UNESCO). The study wasconducted in 2017 during autumn-winter (May and June) and spring (November)seasons. Acoustic data were collected using 4 autonomous recorders located adifferent distance from the mouth to the headlands of the lagoon. A 5th hydrophone waslocated close to the aggregates ("reefs") of an invading polychaete in order toinvestigate their effect on the soundscape. The reef-like constructions are an importantsource of habitat for a number of species, including the highly abundant crabCyrtograpsus angulatus. Through visual and automatic analysis of data collected, weshowed that the biophonic component of the soundscape is dominated by fishes(mostly Pogonias cromis chorus) and crustaceans sounds that presented bothseasonal (increasing during reproduction activity) and different spatial patterns, withhigher activity during spring in the locations closer to the mouth of the coastal lagoon.These areas are also the most affected by human generated noise. The analysis ofacoustic energy revealed that the strongest driver for soundscape in the area is lowfrequency(< 100 Hz) noise related to the geophonical component. It showed a strongperiodicity, probably connected to tide dynamics. The polychaete reefs determinedchanges on the lagoon soundscape both due to its biophonical presence andgeophonical component, making it discriminable from the closest site far from reefs.Using soundscape approach, help to reveal ecological dynamics as reproductiveperiods and spawning areas in the system. The presence of reefs makes thesoundscape locally distinguishable and this information could be used by crustaceansand fish as cue for orientation along the lagoon