ABSTRACT: Parrotfishes are prominent members of the herbivore/detritivore feeding guild on coral reefs. Their feeding activity is important for the removal of algae and detritus, the clearing of new settlement sites for coral and other larvae, and the bioerosion and redistribution of sand across the reef. Estimates of parrotfish feeding activity are normally obtained by divers that may influence or overlook fish behaviors, and are of short duration, limited to shallow habitats, and have limited temporal resolution to associate feeding activity with ecological processes. Excavator and scraper parrotfishes have a robust beak-like jaw morphology that produces a unique sound as the teeth scrape the surface of hard coral rock. We tested the hypothesis that ambient parrotfish bite sounds can be used to estimate their temporal patterns of feeding and associations with environmental variates in the area of an acoustic recorder. Acoustic recorders were deployed on 2 Hawaiian reefs to collect ambient fish sounds for a period of 3 yr. Parrotfish bite sounds showed distinct and repetitive variations in daily, seasonal, and annual feeding patterns, and were statistically correlated with factors of day length and tide range. This study demonstrates the utility of using parrotfish bite sounds to estimate patterns of feeding at coral reef sites. We suggest that regular sampling by multiple acoustic monitors may be a cost-efficient and valuable tool for monitoring the health, degradation, and recovery of large coral reef areas.

中文翻译：

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鹦嘴鱼的声景：对珊瑚礁管理的意义

摘要：鹦嘴鱼是食草动物/毁灭性鱼类在珊瑚礁上行会的重要成员。它们的摄食活动对于清除藻类和碎屑，清理珊瑚和其他幼虫的新定居点以及在整个礁石上对沙子进行生物侵蚀和重新分布非常重要。鹦鹉鱼的摄食活动估计值通常是由潜水员获得的，这些潜水员可能会影响或忽略鱼的行为，且持续时间短，限于浅水生境，并且时间分辨率有限，无法将摄食活动与生态过程联系起来。挖掘机和刮板鹦嘴鱼具有坚固的喙状下巴形态，当牙齿刮擦坚硬的珊瑚岩石表面时会发出独特的声音。我们测试了以下假设：周围的鹦嘴鱼叮咬声可用于估计其暂时的进食模式，并与声记录器区域中的环境变量相关联。声学记录器部署在2个夏威夷礁上，以收集周围3年的鱼类声音。鹦嘴鱼的叮咬声在每日，季节性和每年的喂养方式中显示出明显且重复的变化，并且与日长和潮汐范围的因素在统计上相关。这项研究证明了使用鹦嘴鱼叮咬声来估计珊瑚礁场所的觅食方式的实用性。我们建议由多个声学监测仪进行定期采样可能是一种经济高效且有价值的工具，用于监测大型珊瑚礁地区的健康，退化和恢复。