Impacts of noise on the behavior and physiology of marine invertebrates: A meta-analysis

Abstract

Human-generated noise over the last 60 years has increased concerns regarding the implications for marine species. Many species have been documented to display behavioral and physiological responses to increased noise pollution in our oceans, but the majority of this research has focused on higher trophic organisms. Recently, investigations assessing the impacts of changing soundscapes on entire aquatic ecosystems have begun. To understand the impacts of underwater noise on invertebrate communities, a meta-analysis was conducted on the behavioral and physiological impacts of noise on invertebrates. A systematic review of the literature revealed 1,105 potential studies, which 25 were extracted for data analysis. The studies resulted in 473 data points evaluating the impacts of a plethora of acoustic stimuli on a wide range of marine invertebrate taxa. Here, two acoustic stimuli (ship noise and seismic surveys) were further broken down into behavioral and physiological parameters. Shipping noise had a negative effect size on the behavior and physiology of marine invertebrates. However, seismic surveys resulted in a positive effect size, which was not predicted. While further analysis is required to understand the impacts of these stimuli fully, this meta-analysis reveals the implications that elevated underwater noise levels may have on marine invertebrate communities.