Fish in habitats with higher motorboat disturbance show reduced sensitivity to motorboat noise

Harding, Harry R and Gordon, Timothy A C and Hsuan, Rachel E and Mackaness, Alex C E and Radford, Andrew N and Simpson, Stephen D (2018) Fish in habitats with higher motorboat disturbance show reduced sensitivity to motorboat noise. Biology Letters, 14. ISSN 1744-9561

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Abstract

Anthropogenic noise can negatively impact many taxa worldwide. It is possible that in noisy, high-disturbance environments, the range and severity of impacts could diminish over time, but the influence of previous disturbance remains untested in natural conditions. This study demonstrates the effects of motorboat noise on the physiology of an endemic cichlid fish in Lake Malawi. Exposure to motorboats (driven 20–100 m from fish) and loudspeaker playback of motorboat noise both elevated the oxygen-consumption rate at a single lower-disturbance site, characterized by low historic and current motorboat activity. Repeating this assay at further lower-disturbance sites revealed a consistent effect of elevated oxygen consumption in response to motorboat disturbance. However, when similar trials were repeated at four higher-disturbance sites, no effect of motorboat exposure was detected. These results demonstrate that disturbance history can affect local population responses to noise. Action regarding noise pollution should consider the past, as well as the present, when planning for the future.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Biology Letters
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1101
Subjects:
?? BEHAVIOURECOLOGYENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCEAGRICULTURAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES(ALL)AGRICULTURAL AND BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (MISCELLANEOUS) ??
ID Code:
164862
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
21 Jan 2022 14:45
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
19 Sep 2023 02:44