MELBOURNE, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- An international team of biologists has found that the growing hum of boats above is changing how tiny reef species behave on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
The study found that the burrow-digging snapping shrimp and its vigilant housemate, Steinitz's goby, react differently to various boat engines, but their unusual communication remains intact, according to a news release of Australia's Monash University on Wednesday.
Using high-definition underwater video at Lizard Island on the Great Barrier Reef, researchers compared how four-stroke and two-stroke boat engines affected the shrimp-goby duo, said researchers from Australia, New Zealand and Sweden.
The goby, acting as lookout, ducked for cover more often when four-stroke boats passed overhead. The shrimp, meanwhile, reacted more strongly to two-stroke motors, proof that not all engine noise sounds the same underwater, suggesting the species' distinct acoustic sensitivities, according to the findings published in Behavioral Ecology.
"We found gobies and shrimp each have their own sensitivities, yet despite the stress, their relationship holds strong," said the study's lead author Jack Manera, who conducted the study as an honors student at the Monash University's School of Biological Sciences.
Despite the individual jitters, Manera said, the animals continued to communicate through touch, while the goby's gentle fin flicks still signaled "all clear" to the shrimp below.
"Understanding how our technology shapes life beneath the surface is key to protecting reefs already under pressure," Manera said, adding that different engines have unique ecological fingerprints, so regulating marine traffic should consider noise type, not just noise level.
"It's a reminder that some partnerships in nature are surprisingly resilient, but it doesn't mean the noise isn't taking a toll," said Maria Palacios, study co-author and field operations lead. ■