Abstract
Noise from human activities is known to impact organisms in a variety of taxa, but most experimental studies on the behavioural effects of noise have focused on examining responses associated with the period of actual exposure. Unlike most pollutants, acoustic noise is generally short-lived, usually dissipating quickly after the source is turned off or leaves the area. In a series of experiments, we use established experimental paradigms to examine how fish behaviour and physiology are affected, both during short-term (2 min) exposure to playback of recordings of anthropogenic noise sources and in the immediate aftermath of noise exposure. We considered the anti-predator response and ventilation rate of juvenile European eels (Anguilla anguilla) and ventilation rate of juvenile European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax). As previously found, additional-noise exposure decreased eel anti-predator responses, increased startle latency and increased ventilation rate relative to ambient-noise-exposed controls. Our results show for the first time that those effects quickly dissipated; eels showed rapid recovery of startle responses and startle latency, and rapid albeit incomplete recovery of ventilation rate in the 2 min after noise cessation. Seabass in both laboratory and open-water conditions showed an increased ventilation rate during playback of additional noise compared with ambient conditions. However, within 2 min of noise cessation, ventilation rate showed complete recovery to levels equivalent to ambient-exposed control individuals. Care should be taken in generalizing these rapid-recovery results, as individuals might have accrued other costs during noise exposure and other species might show different recovery times. Nonetheless, our results from two different fish species provide tentative cause for optimism with respect to recovery following short-duration noise exposure, and suggest that considering periods following noise exposures could be important for mitigation and management decisions.
Highlights
Most organisms will endure some degree of anthropogenic disturbance, such as global warming, ocean acidification or chemical pollution, during their lives
We examined potential immediate and lasting impacts of additional noise on physiology by considering ventilation rate, measured as opercular beat rate (OBR)
OBR can be measured during each playback track in a given treatment, so only two treatments were needed in this experiment to consider the same question about the effect of current and recent noise exposure
Summary
Most organisms will endure some degree of anthropogenic disturbance, such as global warming, ocean acidification or chemical pollution, during their lives. Recent laboratory-based experiments have demonstrated that juvenile European eels (Anguilla anguilla) are less likely to startle to a looming predatory stimulus and exhibit increased ventilation rates (indicative of greater stress) during exposure to additional noise (playback of recordings of ships passing through harbours) compared to control conditions (playback of recordings of the same harbours without ships) [26]. Using these established methods, we carried out new experiments to examine whether juvenile eels continue to exhibit behavioural and physiological responses directly after exposure to a single short-term noise-pollution event ceases, or whether they show rapid recovery in the aftermath. Experiments in both laboratory and open-water conditions were used to test whether additional noise had an effect and if that effect was sustained once the noise ceased
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
