Annebelle Kok
Postdoc
- Name
- Dr. A.C.M. Kok
- Telephone
- +31 71 527 2727
- a.c.m.kok@biology.leidenuniv.nl
- ORCID iD
- 0000-0001-6619-0191
I am interested in the effect of abiotic disturbances on interactions within and between species. Specifically, I would like to know how predator-prey interactions in the marine environment are affected by anthropogenic sound.
Brief biography
- 2020-present: PostDoc at Scripps Institute of Oceanography, USA
- 2015-2020: PhD project on the effects of anthropogenic noise on predator-prey interactions in marine communities studying marine mammals and their prey. Promotor: Prof. Carel ten Cate. Co-promotors: Dr. Hans Slabbekoorn & Dr. Fleur Visser
- 2014-2015: Freelance researcher at Fascimare
- 2010-2013: MSc Evolution, Biodiversity and Conservation at Leiden University
- 2007-2010: BSc Biology at Leiden University
Research
I am interested in the effect of abiotic disturbances on interactions within and 
between species. Specifically, I would like to know how predator-prey interactions in the marine environment are affected by anthropogenic sound.
Sound is an important medium of signal perception and production in the marine environment. I focus on two groups of species that are sensitive to sound: marine mammals and fish. Marine mammals rely on sound for social communication and foraging purposes, but fish are sensitive to sound as well. In the past decades, anthropogenic noise has been increasing, not only in terrestrial environments, but also underwater.
Sound may lead to changes in behaviour, such as a decrease in foraging efficiency and a decreased ability to avoid predators. I am intrigued by this phenomenon: who will benefit from this alteration in behaviour, predator or prey? And is the mechanism behind the alteration similar for foraging and anti-predator behaviour? With a combination of experiments and observational studies in the field, as well as theoretical modelling, I hope to gain more insight into this topic. Ultimately, knowledge that I obtain may be useful in predicting population-level consequences of anthropogenic sound and aid in mitigation strategies.
Publications
- Liew, T.S., Kok, A.C.M., Schiltuizen, M. and Urdy, S. 2014 On growth and form of irregularly coiled shell of a terrestrial snail: Plectostoma concinnum (Fulton 1901) (Mollusca: Caenogastropoda: Diplommatinidae). PeerJ 2: e383; DOI 10.7717/peerj.383
Teaching
During spring I am involved in the BSc. theoretical course and field course Behavioural Biology. Furthermore, I supervise BSc and MSc students on research projects of several months. Positions fill up quickly, but if you are interested, do not hesitate to contact me.
Postdoc
- Science
- Instituut Biologie Leiden
- IBL Animal Sciences
- Kok A.C.M., Hulten D. van, Timmerman K.H., Lankhorst J., Visser F. & Slabbekoorn H.W. (2021), Interacting effects of short-term and long-term noise exposure on antipredator behaviour in sand gobies, Animal Behaviour 172: 93-102.
- Kok A.C.M., Bruil L., Berges B., Sakinan S., Debusschere E., Reubens J., Haan D. de, Norro A. & Slabbekoorn H.W. (2021), An echosounder view on the potential effects of impulsive noise pollution on pelagic fish around windfarms in the North Sea, Environmental Pollution 290: 118063.
- Kok A.C.M. Kolfshoten L. van Campbell J.A. Benda-Beckmann A.M. von Miller P.J.O. Slabbekoorn H. Visser F. (2020), Diving apart together: call propagation in diving long-finned pilot whales, The Journal of Experimental Biology 223(10): jeb207878.
- Kok A.C.M. (15 April 2020), The noise of the hunt: Effects of noise on predator-prey relationships in a marine ecosystem (Dissertatie. Institute of Biology (IBL), Faculty of Science, Leiden University). Supervisor(s) and Co-supervisor(s): Cate C.J. ten, Slabbekoorn H.W. & Visser F.
- Kok A.C.M., Engelberts J.P., Kastelein R.A., Helder-Hoek L., Voorde S. van de, Visser F. & Slabbekoorn H.W. (2018), Spatial avoidance to experimental increase of intermittent and continuous sound in two captive harbour porpoises, Environmental Pollution 233: 1024-1036.
- Visser F., Kok A.C.M., Oudejans M.G., Scott-Hayward L.A.S., DeRuiter S.L., Alves A.C., Antunes R.N., Isojunno S., Pierce G.J., Slabbekoorn H., Huisman J. & Miller P.J.O. (2017), Vocal foragers and silent crowds: context-dependent vocal variation in Northeast Atlantic long-finned pilot whales, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 71(170): 1-13.
- Kok A.C.M., Engelberts J.P., Visser F. & Slabbekoorn H.W. (2016), Spatial behavior, swimming speed and surfacing rate of two captive harbor porpoises in ambient sound control conditions, Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics 27(1): 010037.
- Liew T.S., Kok A.C.M., Schilthuizen M. & Urdy S. (2014), On growth and form of irregular coiled-shell of a terrestrial snail: Plectostoma concinnum (Fulton, 1901) (Mollusca: Caenogastropoda: Diplommatinidae), PeerJ 2: e383.