Crabs sound out their ideal reef home Coastal acoustics Sounds
given off by coastal reefs help crab larvae to settle into their
ideal coastal home, say New Zealand researchers. Marine
scientist Dr Jenni Stanley and colleagues from the University of
Auckland report their findings today in the journal Proceedings
of the Royal Society B. "The reef is a very very noisy place,"
says Stanley, who says there is a range of noises produced by
reef-dwelling animals. These include low-frequency grunts and
howls from fighting and mating fish, the click of crustacean
claws and the chorus of sea urchin teeth grazing on algae, she
says. "The noisiest organism is the snapping shrimp that produce
a pop and crackle that sounds like something frying in a fry
pan." Stanley says previous studies have found such sounds,
which can reach up to 130 decibels, help guide marine larvae
towards the coast where they mature and reproduce. She and
colleagues studied the role of sound in the helping five species
of marine crabs to settle on