Abstract
Anthropogenic noise in the ocean has increased substantially in recent decades, and motorized vessels produce what is likely the most common form of underwater noise pollution. Noise has the potential to induce physiological stress in marine fishes, which may have negative ecological consequences. In this study, physiological effects of increased noise (playback of boat noise recorded in the field) on a coastal marine fish (the giant kelpfish, Heterostichus rostratus) were investigated by measuring the stress responses (cortisol concentration) of fish to increased noise of various temporal dynamics and noise levels. Giant kelpfish exhibited acute stress responses when exposed to intermittent noise, but not to continuous noise or control conditions (playback of recorded natural ambient sound). These results suggest that variability in the acoustic environment may be more important than the period of noise exposure for inducing stress in a marine fish, and provide information regarding noise levels at which physiological responses occur.
Highlights
The importance of naturally occurring sound has been demonstrated for a variety of marine organisms through its influence on ecological processes
Juvenile giant kelpfish exposed to random intermittent noise exhibited significantly higher cortisol concentrations than those that were exposed to continuous noise and control treatments (ANOVA, F3,20 = 4.27, p = 0.018, Fig 3; S3 Data)
This study demonstrates that the occurrence and magnitude of the stress response of giant kelpfish to increased noise depends on the temporal pattern and level of noise events, with intermittent noise of high sound pressure levels (SPLs) inducing the greatest response
Summary
The importance of naturally occurring sound has been demonstrated for a variety of marine organisms through its influence on ecological processes. Such processes include orientation toward suitable habitat during settlement of fishes [1,2] and invertebrates [3], the timing of settlement [4] and metamorphosis [5] of invertebrates, and the reproductive behavior of fishes involving sound production [6,7]. The use of sound by many aquatic organisms is not surprising considering the efficiency with which it transmits information underwater. This suggests that sound has the potential to be very useful to aquatic organisms. When considering anthropogenic noise as a pollutant of natural habitats, these physical properties could make noise pollution highly disruptive in aquatic environments
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