Rising Temperatures Increases the Warning Sound of a Snapping Shrimp

Scientists have verified their earlier findings that the sound of snapping shrimp, a tiny crustacean prevalent in temperate and tropical coastal marine settings all over the world, increases when temperatures rise.

Snapping Shrimp

(Photo : Dawid W/Unsplash)

Crustaceans known as snapping shrimp are found in both tropical and arctic oceans. This shrimp can reach a length of 5 cm (2 inches), and their typical hue is dirty green.

A claw that is noticeably bigger than the other one is their most distinguishing physical trait, as per Discovery Of Sound Of The Sea.

The most notable characteristic of snapping shrimp is this claw. To stun food, fend off predators, and connect with others, a snapping shrimp quickly closes its claw, making a loud snap.

The fast opening and closing of the bigger claw cause a bubble to pop, which creates sound.

The expanded claw's muscle contraction forces it to close so quickly that the water cavitates and forms a vapor bubble. The disintegration of the bubble generates sound.

 Due to the tremendous heat and pressure inside the bubble, scientists have also discovered that light is formed when the bubble breaks.

The only species that is known to use this cavitation technique to make sound is Alpheus heterochaelis. In some parts of the planet, the combined sound of big groups of snapping shrimp is so common that it hinders underwater research and communications.

Read more: Silent Oceans Threaten World Fish Populations, Researchers Say

The warning signal comes from the Snapping Shrimp

In the first investigation of its sort, according to WHOI marine ecologists Ashlee Lillis and T. Aran Mooney, rising temperatures and the intensity and frequency of the sound produced by two kinds of snapping shrimp were clearly correlated, as per ScienceDaily.

 This finding has ramifications for both human and animal underwater communication and navigation. Fish finders and ship sonar are also affected by the constant popping noises created by snapping shrimp, which resemble the sound of frying bacon.

These noises are just so loud and cover a such broad acoustic spectrum. According to research, whales and dolphins may use the sound of snapping shrimp to help them find their way down the shore. Additionally, a variety of soundscapes are known to draw fish, shellfish, and coral larvae to suitable settling areas.

According to Lillis, a WHOI guest investigator and principal scientist at Sound Ocean Science, these shrimp are the most common sound producer in the ocean, and now they have proof that temperature does have a significant influence on their behavior and the whole soundscape.

Lillis examined recordings of snapping shrimp from an oyster reef off the coast of North Carolina and discovered that for every Celsius degree of temperature change, both the volume and frequency of the snapping increased by 1 to 2 decibels and 15 to 60 percent, respectively.

Tested in a controlled lab environment, Lillis discovered that snap frequency increased by over twofold at water temperatures from 68F (20C) and 86F (30C), with certain variations based on the time of year or the shrimps' social group.

It is yet unclear if the shrimp will eventually adjust or whether the increased snapping will affect their physiology or even the environment in the long run because the experiments only mimicked the impacts of a brief heat wave.

Although it has long been known that temperature affects crustacean behavior, Mooney argues that one significant and sometimes disregarded implication of climate change is the impact of warming water on the entire marine soundscape.

Related Article: Snapping Shrimp: Noisy Habits Indicate Reef Health, Study Shows