#underwater research

[thepotentialof2007]

Using a remote-controlled underwater 3D video camera, study author Andrea Asúnsolo Rivera, who conducted the research at the University of Western Australia, and her colleagues observed how mesopredators [meso = middle or intermediate] reacted when they experienced approaches from five different objects: a snorkeler, a life-size model of a blacktip reef shark, a replica of a non-threatening green turtle, a white PVC pipe, and a clear rectangle of acrylic.

The turtle, pipe, and acrylic shape went by barely noticed: most of the time, they elicited no response. But about 90 percent of fishes reacted with “antipredator behaviors” such as darting off or hiding when the fake shark came by, and a whopping 96 percent of them did so when met with the snorkeler.

Recent research into how predators control environments suggests their presence has an effect on an ecosystem beyond preying on animals. The new study supports this idea: as long as the fishes are scared—whether the threat is real or not—they have less time to feed, compete for territory, and mate. In addition, if fishes are afraid when researchers are around, it may lead to biased observations about fish behavior or skewed population estimates.

Fish behavior in areas teeming with snorkelers might be fundamentally different, too, Asúnsolo Rivera says, although that hypothesis calls for more research. “Sometimes we forget that we are a predator, and we have the features of a predator,” she says. “We’re definitely going to cause a reaction, and we’re going to alter the behavior of a prey.”

While the headline’s attention grabbing takeaway that Humans Scare Fish More Than Sharks Do is technically true, the following abstract from the (freely available) actual study notes it’s not clear the difference was significant:

Both sharks and humans present a potentially lethal threat to mesopredatory fishes in coral reef systems, with implications for both population dynamics and the role of mesopredatory fishes in reef ecosystems. This study quantifies the antipredator behaviours mesopredatory fishes exhibit towards the presence of large coral reef carnivores and compares these behavioural responses to those elicited by the presence of snorkelers.

Here, we used snorkelers and animated life‐size models of the blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) to simulate potential predatory threats to mesopredatory reef fishes (lethrinids, lutjanids, haemulids and serranids). The responses of these reef fishes to the models and the snorkelers were compared to those generated by three non‐threatening controls (life‐size models of a green turtle [Chelonia mydas], a PVC‐pipe [an object control] and a Perspex shape [a second object control]). A Remote Underwater Stereo‐Video System (Stereo‐RUV) recorded the approach of the different treatments and controls and allowed accurate measurement of Flight Initiation Distance (FID) and categorization of the type of flight response by fishes.

We found that mesopredatory reef fishes had greater FIDs in response to the approach of threatening models (1402 ± 402–1533 ± 171 mm; mean ± SE) compared to the controls (706 ± 151–896 ± 8963 mm). There was no significant difference in FID of mesopredatory fishes between the shark model and the snorkeler, suggesting that these treatments provoked similar levels of predator avoidance behaviour.

This has implications for researchers monitoring behaviour in situ or using underwater census as a technique to estimate the abundance of reef fishes. Our study suggests that, irrespective of the degree to which sharks actually consume these mesopredatory reef fishes, they still elicit a predictable and consistent antipredator response that has the potential to create risk effects.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-33415-5

[womanbellyblog]

[biologist4ever]

Dulphin giving birth

[fishyfishyfishtimes]

Make one about abyssal halosaur or I shall cry tears; Thy time shalt not be wasted upon trivialities!

finsh

Woe, fish fact be upon ye!

Daily fish fact #596

Abyssal halosaur!

They tend to hold their elongated and slender pectoral fins upwards, which is theorised to help them with sensing motion! Their lateral line is also highly developed for this purpose, as there is no light in their deep ocean habitat of up to 3 500 meters (11 500 feet)!

[sitting-on-me-bum]

An underwater photo of the "seabed gardens" on a Mariana Trench seamount, taken by Chinese scientists on the research vessel KEXUE on May 28, 2019.

(Image credit: Xinhua/Alamy Stock Photo)

[frogonamelon]

It's that time of year again where it gets a little warmer and I remember that Amphibia is a show I very much enjoy thinking about. Have some Anne outfits, as a treat <3

If you would like to see what aspect of headcanon/ au worldbuilding had consumed my consciousness like a pestering maggot, feel free to continue below.

Hello! Welcome to I focus on researching one very specific detail until I burn out!

My entire day has been consumed by figuring out how Amphibia's farming works. Like... amphibians are carnivores why do they have farms?

Well, I'll tell you why! The Plantars grow animal feed for predominantly crickets but also others such as silkworms, spiders, snails, etc. They grow produce like cabbage, mushrooms, parsnips, potatoes, dandelions, and turnips as well as heartfruit, a fruit not found on Earth.

In the past, the original amphibian hunter/gatherer societies found that mealworms were attracted to fallen heartfruit, among others. They began to use this knowledge to make traps and eventually began both containing the worms as well as growing the fruit.

Despite mealworms historical prominence in the farming and feeding of Amphibia, crickets are more popular nowadays due to their higher levels of protein. They also began growing a larger variety of produce to further increase efficiency.

Heartfruit is a kind of tree grown fruit with the color of a raspberry, size of a kumquat, and shape of a peach (hence the name). The Plantar's orchard is the only producer of this fruit as its traditionally significant but not necessary for frog kind. They are Anne's personal favorite of the Plantar's produce, being chalk full of nutrients and somehow feels nostalgic to her.

Speaking of Anne, she survives mostly on the Plantar's produce along with cricket meat (knowing that she can at least eat crickets).

After discovering that the amphibians hibernate, she begins to plant pole beans, blueberries, elderberries, and other produce and herbs in her greenhouse to cultivate while she forages and stockpiles for winter. She preps and stores wild rice, pecans, and sunflower seeds (discovered through trial and error). She keeps spare root veggies and other product in the basement. The Plantars help her do this, once they understand the situation, drying heartfruit and salting and smoking fish as well as making jerky out of bugs that they know she can have.

Anne's gonna learn to survive, even if the first winter is especially hard.

[incandescent-creativity]

Roleplay-heavy dnd sessions my beloved

[radioves]

nimbus

[id : a drawing of lizzie ldshadowlady. lizzie is a lady with pale skin and long, curly pink hair, tied in to two buns with the rest hanging down to her lower back. she is facing towards the left, looking off into the top right corner with a small smile. she is wearing a blue dress with puffy sleeves, decorated with white ruffles, along with a dark blue pinstripe corset. there is a pink bow tied to her back, with a smaller bow tied around her collar. she has golden freckles dotted across her cheeks, with gold beads in her hair, buttons, and earrings to match. she holds a bouquet of flowers in her hands, with a matching flower crown placed atop her head. she is standing within a field of similar flowers that grow tall, with shorter pale grass at the bottom. the sky is a pale greenish-blue color, mottled with clouds. there is an overlay that makes the image appear as if it is underwater, supported by the pale, featureless fish that swim behind her. a pale yellow halo is behind her head, silhouetting her. end id]

[bogwitchlesbian]

Steve: I love you dearly, but sometimes talking to you viscerally upsets me

Eddie:.... YOU CANT JUST SAY THAT AND GO BACK TO BAKING LIKE YOU DIDNT UPEND MY ENTIRE PERCEPTION OF MYSELF, STEVE

[seasonplacko1973blog]

[dndsettingsinfo]

Deep Sea Lab [18×22] by Moonlight Maps Sci-Fi

[ladyblue-laragazzadelmare]

#BadOceanComics

Get ready, the aliens are among us!

These two sperm whales are acting weirdly. What Carl does have onto its head? And why George is wearing a helmet?

Well, because the aliens are among them!

Researchers use those devices, called DTAGs (better shaped in reality, as you may see below). They are equipped with different sensors, including one or more hydrophones, to record the animals' vocalizations. Basically, they are listening to them and discovering interesting facts about their biology and ecology.

This is also part of my career path, as I am shaping my experiences within the bioacoustic world of cetaceans. Of course, it's not possible to really know what they are saying each other, but within decades, researchers managed to find some categories of sounds and associates them with particular behaviours. Thanks to these devices, it has been discovered that the huge head of a sperm whales is used for sound production and how it works (Madsen, P. T. (2002). Sperm Whale Sound Production.). They produce a variety of sounds, including echolocation clicks to feed in the deep ocean, and codas for social communication.

Isn't it so fascinating? For me, this world is irresistible. I found myself always so curious and full of questions. Of course, in particular of sperm whales.

They better protect their brains with helmets, aliens are listening to them!

[biologist4ever]

Whale giving birth

[sol-flo]

are there any (preferrably good) deep sea horror movies? i mean set entirely underwater. feels like there are many prominent games but i can't think of any movies. i guess they wouldn't work as well maybe

[noaasanctuaries]

Check this out! 🐋

Dr. Tammy Silva (piloting) and Michael Thompson (pole tagging), of NOAA’s Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, place a synchronous motion, acoustic and video recording tag (CATS tag) on the back of a fin whale. The tag, which is held in place by suction cups, will allow the team to investigate the whale’s foraging behavior and the noise field received by the whale. It is one of only a few fin whales to be tagged with such sophisticated instrumentation.

The team includes scientists from Syracuse University, University of Michigan, University of California Santa Cruz, Center for Coastal Studies and Ocean Alliance.

Research is conducted under permit No. 18059 issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service to Dr. David Wiley, the sanctuary’s Research Ecologist. Video credit: D. Wiley

[nellasbookplanet]

If Fjord and Jester were to have an underwater wedding, would Beau and Yasha have a... skyhigh wedding?

Not pictured: Jester standing on the ground and shouting as she tries to officiate.

For beauyasha week: post canon