Acoustic comparison of a patchy Mediterranean shallow water seascape: Posidonia oceanica meadow and sandy bottom habitats

Abstract Soundscapesare strongly linked with the physical structure and biological features of the habitatsand their study can reveal ecological processes of the underwater environment. Objective of this study is to characterize two Mediterranean habitats, the Posidonia oceanicameadow and the sandy bottom, and demonstrate their acoustic diversification basing on their soundscapes. Firstly, the habitatshave been compared using two different acoustic metrics, the Power Spectral Density (PSD) and the Acoustic Complexity Index( ACI), measured in different frequency band. Then, the acoustic biological component of the habitatshas been identified and characterized: five biological signals were described and their acoustic properties and temporal patterns were defined. Finally, the geophonicaland anthropogenic components of the two habitatshave been compared. In the low frequency ( Results demonstrated not only the possibility to discriminate habitatsthrough the sound information but also the need to protect marine ecosystemsfrom the human noise.