[All-postdocs] Bioseminar - Carolin Nieder

[Ana Velez]

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Biology Department Seminar

Thursday, March 5, 2026 - 12:00 pm
Redfield Auditorium

Carolin Nieder
Postdoctoral Investigator, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

>From Sharks to Corals: Investigating Hearing and Sound Perception in Marine Keystone Species
Sharks and rays are ecologically important predators that can function as keystone species in marine ecosystems and have inhabited our oceans for over 400 million years. They possess inner ears capable of detecting underwater sound. But how do we determine what these animals can hear and how they use sound in their environment? In this talk, I briefly introduce the two fundamental components of underwater sound (pressure and particle motion) and outline current understanding of acoustic ecology and the growing impacts of anthropogenic noise on sharks and rays. I then share examples from my PhD research at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, where I used behavioral conditioning and electro-physiological approaches to investigate hearing and sound perception in sharks. This work revealed species-specific differences in sensitivity and led to the unexpected discovery that New Zealand rig sharks can actively produce sounds, raising new questions about acoustic communication in a group long considered silent. Building on this vertebrate-focused research, I then shift to reef-building corals. Although research and management have largely focused on marine mammals and fishes, foundational invertebrates such as corals may also be sensitive to underwater sound. I present recent postdoctoral work at WHOI examining behavioral responses of corals to acoustic exposure and discuss what these findings suggest about the potential impacts of rising ocean noise on reef ecosystems. Together, this work expands the study of marine hearing from sharks to corals and highlights how widespread acoustic sensitivity may be across marine life.

Biology Seminar Web Page<https://www.whoi.edu/what-we-do/understand/departments-centers-labs/bio/bio-highlights-events/>

For questions, contact:

Ana Maria Velez
Biology Pre-Award Administrative Associate
Ph: 508-289-2334
[signature_1005462319]

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