Anthropogenic noise and the many acoustic modalities of terrestrial invertebrates

Abstract

Anthropogenic noise is widely recognized as an issue of environmental concern. However, research to date has focused on the impacts of far-field airborne noise (i.e., pressure waves) on vertebrates while the impact of noise on invertebrates, and the other acoustic modalities they rely on, has received little attention. Although some terrestrial invertebrates use far-field sound for communication, the majority rely on near-field airborne and substrate-borne sound (i.e., particle motion and vibrations, respectively). We discuss what little information is known about the impact of anthropogenic noise on invertebrates and make predictions based on studies of invertebrate bioacoustics. Furthermore, we discuss the ways that noise in each acoustic modality (far-field airborne, near-field airborne, and substrate-borne) might affect communication of terrestrial invertebrates and highlight the most pressing lines of inquiry for future research.