Environmental noise reduces predation rate in an aquatic invertebrate (original) (raw)
Related papers
Noise affects resource assessment in an invertebrate
Biology Letters, 2017
Anthropogenic noise is a global pollutant, affecting animals across taxa. However, how noise pollution affects resource acquisition is unknown. Hermit crabs ( Pagurus bernhardus ) engage in detailed assessment and decision-making when selecting a critical resource, their shell; this is crucial as individuals in poor shells suffer lower reproductive success and higher mortality. We experimentally exposed hermit crabs to anthropogenic noise during shell selection. When exposed to noise, crabs approached the shell faster, spent less time investigating it, and entered it faster. Our results demonstrate that changes in the acoustic environment affect the behaviour of hermit crabs by modifying the selection process of a vital resource. This is all the more remarkable given that the known cues used in shell selection involve chemical, visual and tactile sensory channels. Thus, our study provides rare evidence for a cross-modal impact of noise pollution.
Human activities can create noise pollution and there is increasing international concern about how this may impact wildlife. There is evidence that anthropogenic noise may have detrimental effects on behaviour and physiology in many species but there are few examples of experiments showing how fitness may be directly affected. Here we use a split-brood, counterbalanced, field experiment to investigate the effect of repeated boat-noise playback during early life on the development and survival of a marine invertebrate, the sea hare Stylocheilus striatus at Moorea Island (French Polynesia). We found that exposure to boat-noise playback, compared to ambient-noise playback, reduced successful development of embryos by 21% and additionally increased mortality of recently hatched larvae by 22%. Our work, on an understudied but ecologically and socio-economically important taxon, demonstrates that anthropogenic noise can affect individual fitness. Fitness costs early in life have a fundamental influence on population dynamics and resilience, with potential implications for community structure and function.
Anthropogenic noise disrupts mating behavior and metabolic rate in a marine invertebrate
5th International Conference on the Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life
Anthropogenic underwater noise can have detrimental impacts on marine invertebrates; however, its effects on mating and metabolism are not fully understood. In the rock shrimp Rhynchocinetes typus two morphotypes of mature males, "typus" and "robustus", compete for sexually receptive females. Robustus are the dominant, whereas typus utilize an "alternative mating tactic" (sneaking). The stress proxies, metabolic rate, and hemolymph protein and glucosa concentration, of males and females were measured in the presence and absence of recordings of outboard motor noise in laboratory settings. Mating experiments were simultaneously conducted. In the absence of noise, typus had a higher metabolic rate than robustus, however, when noise was applied, typus decreased their metabolic rate while robustus maintained theirs. Protein and glucose concentrations in individuals from the field were higher than in laboratory animals, but they were also higher in robustus under noise. In mating experiments, typus had more interactions with the female whilst exposed to noise because robustus became less active. These results suggest that males of the rock shrimp perceive and respond to outboard motor noise, and it may modify their individual fitness. Therefore, anthropogenic noise may be considered as a selective force for this and probably for other marine invertebrate.
Aquatic noise pollution: implications for individuals, populations, and ecosystems
Anthropogenically driven environmental changes affect our planet at an unprecedented scale and are considered to be a key threat to biodiversity. According to the World Health Organization, anthropogenic noise is one of the most hazardous forms of anthropogenically driven environmental change and is recognized as a major global pollutant. However, crucial advances in the rapidly emerging research on noise pollution focus exclusively on single aspects of noise pollution, e.g. on behaviour, physiology, terrestrial ecosystems, or on certain taxa. Given that more than two-thirds of our planet is covered with water, there is a pressing need to get a holistic understanding of the effects of anthropogenic noise in aquatic ecosystems. We found experimental evidence for negative effects of anthropogenic noise on an individual's development, physiology, and/or behaviour in both invertebrates and vertebrates. We also found that species differ in their response to noise, and highlight the potential underlying mechanisms for these differences. Finally, we point out challenges in the study of aquatic noise pollution and provide directions for future research, which will enhance our understanding of this globally present pollutant.
Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 2016
Marine invertebrates at the base of oceanic trophic webs play important ecological and economical roles supporting worldwide fi sheries worth millions. There is an increasing concern about the effects of anthropogenic noise on marine fauna but little is known about its effects on invertebrates. Here the current peerreviewed literature on this subject is reviewed, dealing with different ontogenetic stages and taxa. These studies show that the noise effects on marine invertebrates range from apparently null to behavioral/physiological responses to mortalities. They emphasize the need to consider potential interactions of human activities using intense sound sources with the conservation and fi sheries of local invertebrate stocks.
Marine invertebrates and noise
Frontiers in Marine Science
Within the set of risk factors that compromise the conservation of marine biodiversity, one of the least understood concerns is the noise produced by human operations at sea and from land. Many aspects of how noise and other forms of energy may impact the natural balance of the oceans are still unstudied. Substantial attention has been devoted in the last decades to determine the sensitivity to noise of marine mammals—especially cetaceans and pinnipeds—and fish because they are known to possess hearing organs. Recent studies have revealed that a wide diversity of invertebrates are also sensitive to sounds, especially via sensory organs whose original function is to allow maintaining equilibrium in the water column and to sense gravity. Marine invertebrates not only represent the largest proportion of marine biomass and are indicators of ocean health but many species also have important socio-economic values. This review presents the current scientific knowledge on invertebrate bioac...
The Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life
The Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life
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Overview of the Fifth International Conference on the Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life
2019 International Congress on Ultrasonics
The Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life took place in Den Haag, the Netherlands, in July 2019. The potential effects on animals ranging from plankton, shrimps, crabs, and lobsters, to fishes, seals, dolphins, and whales were discussed. Reported effects include behavioral responses, auditory masking, cardiac rate changes, stress, a temporary loss of hearing, and perhaps more serious tissue and organ damage. Shortterm and long-term, individual and population-level effects were portrayed. Several studies also looked at the fundamentals of animal sound production and perception. One session dealt with the regulation and management of underwater noise. Another integral part of the meeting focused on the sounds and sound sources that might affect aquatic life. As a consequence, underwater noise from pile driving, seismic surveying, shipping, and sonars, as well as from non-anthropogenic sources such as wind and waves was examined. The social program was intended to encourage more leisurely discussions amongst conference participants in order to facilitate networking and the strengthening of relationships. The feedback from conference delegates (submitted via an online survey after the meeting) was very positive.