Aaron Rice

Principal Ecologist

Expertise

Bioacoustics • Conservation Biology • Fish Biology • Marine Ecology • Animal Behavior

I’m a research scientist who studies how animals produce and perceive sound, and how we can use these animal sounds to examine changes in populations across time and space. I am also interested in the influence of human activities on animal populations and their habitats. My focus is on fishes and whales, but I also examine similar questions in frogs and birds.

Education

Ph.D., Organismal Biology, University of Chicago
M.S., Organismal Biology, University of Chicago
M.A., Marine Biology, Boston University
B.S., Biology, Davidson College

Recent Publications

Van Hoeck, R. V., T. J. Rowell, M. J. Dean, A. N. Rice, and S. M. Van Parijs (2023). Comparing Atlantic cod temporal spawning dynamics across a biogeographic boundary: insights from passive acoustic monitoring. Marine and Coastal Fisheries 15:e10226.
Estabrook, B. J., J. T. Tielens, A. Rahaman, D. W. Ponirakis, C. W. Clark, and A. N. Rice (2022). Dynamic spatiotemporal acoustic occurrence of North Atlantic right whales in the offshore Rhode Island and Massachusetts Wind Energy Areas. Endangered Species Research 49:115–133.
Fournet, M. EH., E. Stabenau, S. Madhusudhana, and A. N. Rice (2022). Altered acoustic community structure indicates delayed recovery following ecosystem perturbations. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 274:107948.
Getchell, R. G., E. George, A. N. Rice, J. M. Malatos, B. M. Chambers, A. Griefen, C. Nieder, and L. G. Rudstam (2022). Effects of ultrasonic algal control devices on fish. Lake and Reservoir Management 38:240–255.
Parsons, M. J. G., T.-H. Lin, T. A. Mooney, C. Erbe, F. Juanes, M. Lammers, S. Li, S. Linke, A. Looby, S. L. Nedelec, I. Van Opzeeland, et al. (2022). Sounding the call for a global library of underwater biological sounds. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 10.
Popper, A. N., L. Hice-Dunton, E. Jenkins, D. M. Higgs, J. Krebs, A. Mooney, A. Rice, L. Roberts, F. Thomsen, K. Vigness-Raposa, D. Zeddies, and K. A. Williams (2022). Offshore wind energy development: Research priorities for sound and vibration effects on fishes and aquatic invertebrates. Journal of the Acoustic Society of America 151.
Rice, A. N., S. C. Farina, A. J. Makowski, I. M. Kaatz, P. S. Lobel, W. E. Bemis, and A. H. Bass (2022). Evolutionary patterns in sound production across fishes. Ichthyology & Herpetology 110:1–12.
DeGregorio, B. A., P. J. Wolff, and A. N. Rice (2021). Evaluating hydrophones for detecting underwater-calling frogs: implications for monitoring imperiled species. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 16:513–524.
Cusack, C., S. A. Sethi, A. N. Rice, J. D. Warren, R. Fujita, J. Ingles, J. Flores, E. Garchitorena, and S. V. Mesa (2021). Marine ecotourism for small pelagics as a source of alternative income generating activities to fisheries in a tropical community. Biological Conservation 261:109242.
Bailey, H., A. D. Fandel, K. Silva, E. Gryzb, E. McDonald, A. L. Hoover, M. B. Ogburn, and A. N. Rice (2021). Identifying and predicting occurrence and abundance of a vocal animal species based on individually specific calls. Ecosphere 12:e03685.
Fournet, M. E. H., M. Silvestri, C. W. Clark, H. Clink, and A. N. Rice (2021). Limited vocal compensation for elevated ambient noise in bearded seals: implications for an industrializing Arctic Ocean. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 288.
Pyć, C. D., J. Vallarta, A. N. Rice, D. G. Zeddies, E. E. Maxner, and S. Denes (2021). Vocal behavior of the endangered splendid toadfish and potential masking by anthropogenic noise. Conservation Science and Practice.
Backhouse, F., A. H. Dalziell, R. D. Magrath, A. N. Rice, T. L. Crisologo, and J. A. Welbergen (2021). Differential geographic patterns in song components of male Albert's lyrebirds. Ecology and Evolution 11:2701–2716.
Odom, K. J., M. Araya‐Salas, J. L. Morano, R. A. Ligon, G. M. Leighton, C. C. Taff, A. H. Dalziell, A. C. Billings, R. R. Germain, M. Pardo, L. G. de Andrade, et al. (2021). Comparative bioacoustics: a roadmap for quantifying and comparing animal sounds across diverse taxa. Biological Reviews. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12695
Morano, J. L., J. T. Tielens, C. A. Muirhead, B. J. Estabrook, P. J. Sullivan, P. J. Dugan, C. W. Clark, and A. N. Rice (2020). Seasonal movements of Gulf of Mexico sperm whales following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the limitations of impact assessments. Marine Pollution Bulletin 161.
Zeh, J. M., M. L. Rekdahl, A. N. Rice, C. W. Clark, and H. C. Rosenbaum (2020). Detections of humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) vocalizations on an acoustic sensor in the New York Bight. Marine Mammal Science. https://doi.org/10.1111/mms.12775
Fandel, A. D., A. Garrod, A. L. Hoover, J. E. Wingfield, V. Lubchich, K. B. Hodge, A. N. Rice, and H. Bailey (2020). Effects of intense storm events on dolphin movements and foraging behavior. Science Reports 10.
Davis, G. E., M. F. Baumgartner, P. J. Corkeron, J. Bell, C. Berchok, J. M. Bonnell, J. B. Thornton, S. Brault, G. A. Buchanan, D. Cholewiak, C. W. Clark, et al. (2020). Exploring movement patterns and changing distributions of baleen whales in the western North Atlantic using a decade of passive acoustic data. Global Change Biology n/a.
Caiger, P. E., M. J. Dean, A. I. DeAngelis, L. T. Hatch, A. N. Rice, J. A. Stanley, C. Tholke, D. R. Zemeckis, and S. M. Van Parijs (2020). A decade of monitoring Atlantic cod Gadus morhua spawning aggregations in Massachusetts Bay using passive acoustics. Marine Ecology Progress Series 635:89–103.
Andres, K. J., S. A. Sethi, E. Duskey, J. M. Lepak, A. N. Rice, B. J. Estabrook, K. B. Fitzpatrick, E. George, B. Marcy-Quay, M. R. Paufve, K. Perkins, and A. E. Scofield (2020). Seasonal habitat use indicates that depth may mediate the potential for invasive round goby impacts in inland lakes. Freshwater Biology 11.
Fournet, M. E. H., E. Stabenau, and A. N. Rice (2019). Relationship between salinity and sonic fish advertisement behavior in a managed sub-tropical estuary: Making the case for an acoustic indicator species. Ecological Indicators 106.
Bailey, H., V. Lyubchich, J. Wingfield, A. Fandel, A. Garrod, and A. N. Rice (2019). Empirical evidence that large marine predator foraging behavior is consistent with area‐restricted search theory. Ecology 100.
Bass, A. H., A. N. Rice, and N. Y. Feng (2019). Singing behavior in fishes: Hormones, neurons, and evolution. In Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior (J. C. Choe, Editor). Second Edition. Academic Press, Oxford, pp. 340–351.
Charif, R. A., Y. Shiu, C. A. Muirhead, C. W. Clark, S. E. Parks, and A. N. Rice (2019). Phenological changes in North Atlantic right whale habitat use in Massachusetts Bay. Global Change Biology:1–12.
Garrod, A., A. D. Fandel, J. E. Wingfield, L. Fauda, A. N. Rice, and H. Bailey (2018). Validating automated click detector dolphin detection rates and investigating factors affecting performance. Journal of the Acoustical Society of America 144:931–939.
Fouda, L., J. E. Wingfield, A. D. Fandel, A. Garrod, K. B. Hodge, A. N. Rice, and H. Bailey (2018). Dolphins simplify their vocal calls in response to increased ambient noise. Biology Letters 14.
Muirhead, C. A., A. M. Warde, I. S. Biedron, A. N. Mihnovets, C. W. Clark, and A. N. Rice (2018). Seasonal acoustic occurrence of blue, fin, and North Atlantic right whales in the New York Bight. Aquatic Conservation 1–10.
Cooper, W. J., C. B. Carter, A. J. Conith, A. N. Rice, and M. W. Westneat (2017). The evolution of jaw protrusion mechanics is tightly coupled to bentho-pelagic divergence in damselfishes (Pomacentridae). The Journal of Experimental Biology 220:652–666.
McDonald, E. M., J. L. Morano, A. I. DeAngelis, and A. N. Rice (2017). Building time-budgets from bioacoustic signals to measure population-level changes in behavior: a case study with sperm whales in the Gulf of Mexico. Ecological Indicators 72:360–364.
Davis, G. E., M. F. Baumgartner, J. M. Bonnell, J. Bell, C. Berchok, J. B. Thornton, S. Brault, G. Buchanan, R. A. Charif, C. W. Clark, H. Klinck, et al. (2017). Long-term passive acoustic recordings track the changing distribution of North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) from 2004 to 2014. Scientific Reports 7:13460.
Kaatz, I. M., A. N. Rice, and P. S. Lobel (2017). How fishes use sound: quiet to loud and simple to complex signaling. In Reference Module in Life Sciences. Elsevier Academic Press.
Wingfield, J. E., M. O’Brien, V. Lyubchich, J. J. Roberts, P. N. Halpin, A. N. Rice, and H. Bailey (2017). Year-round spatiotemporal distribution of harbour porpoises within and around the Maryland wind energy area. PLoS ONE 12.
Rice, A. N., M. S. Soldevilla, and J. A. Quinlan (2017). Nocturnal patterns in fish chorusing off the coasts of Georgia and eastern Florida. Bulletin of Marine Science. https://doi.org/10.5343/bms.2016.1043
Estabrook, B., D. Ponirakis, C. Clark, and A. Rice (2016). Widespread spatial and temporal extent of anthropogenic noise across the northeastern Gulf of Mexico shelf ecosystem. Endangered Species Research 30:267–282.
Rice, A. N., J. L. Morano, K. B. Hodge, and C. A. Muirhead (2016). Spatial and temporal patterns of toadfish and black drum chorusing activity in the South Atlantic Bight. Environmental Biology of Fishes 99:705–716.
Salisbury, D. P., C. W. Clark, and A. N. Rice (2016). Right whale occurrence in the coastal waters of Virginia, U.S.A.: Endangered species presence in a rapidly developing energy market. Marine Mammal Science 32:508–519.
Aaron Rice
Center K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics
Work607-254-2178
Email arice@cornell.edu

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