Effects of experimental chronic traffic noise exposure on adult and nestling corticosterone levels, and nestling body condition in a free-living bird
Transportation noise affects urbanized, rural, and otherwise unaltered habitats. Given expanding transportation networks, alterations in the acoustic landscapes experienced by animals are likely to be pervasive and persistent (i.e. chronic). It is important to understand if chronic noise exposure alters behavior and physiology in free-living animals, as it may result in long-lasting impacts, such as […]
Anthropogenic noise pollution reverses grouping behaviour in hermit crabs
Noise is a form of human-induced rapid environmental change, and mounting evidence suggests that it can affect the sensory environment and consequently the decision-making ability of animals. However, while the effects of anthropogenic noise on individual organisms in the context of movement patterns, foraging and predation risk have been reported, relatively little is known about […]
Attention, noise, and implications for wildlife conservation and management
Anthropogenic stimuli are often viewed as disturbances that directly interfere with signal processing or communication, or directly harm animals. However, such sounds may also distract individuals and thus potentially interfere with their ability to make biologically important decisions about food selection, mate selection, and predator detection. This is because all of these decisions require animals […]
Great tits in urban noise benefit from high frequencies in song detection and discrimination
Field studies in urban environments have shown that birds sing with higher frequencies in response to noise, but so far there are no perceptual data showing benefits of high-frequency songs over lowfrequency songs under typical urban noise conditions. In this study we investigated the potential effects of specific frequency use in different environments on the […]
Comparative Effects of Urban Development and Anthropogenic Noise on Bird Songs
Many avian species live, breed, and communicate in urban areas. To survive and reproduce in these areas, birds must transmit their signals to intended receivers. As an arena for acoustic communication, 2 salient features of the urban environment are an abundance of reflective surfaces and a high level of low-frequency anthropogenic noise. Each presents unique […]
Urban noise undermines female sexual preferences for low-frequency songs in domestic canaries
Increasing levels of anthropogenic noise represent a challenge for animals living in urban areas and birds, especially, may suffer from noisy conditions as they use singing to attract mates. Most anthropogenic noise is low in frequency and singing at high frequencies under noisy urban conditions may avoid masking and thus be a good strategy for […]
Acoustic noise reduces foraging success in two sympatric fish species via different mechanisms
Effective foraging behaviour is essential for animals to survive and reproduce, and depends on many intrinsic and environmental factors. There is increasing evidence that man-made (anthropogenic) factors can affect the behaviour of a wide range of taxa. However, few experimental studies have investigated how foraging behaviour is affected by exposure to increased noise levels, an […]
The effects of acute exposure to mining machinery noise on the behaviour of eastern blue-tongued lizards (Tiliqua scincoides)
The mining industry is an important source of noise for wildlife, and the eastern blue-tongued (EBT) lizard (T) is an Australian animal that may be impacted. We analysed the behaviour of nine EBT lizards during and after exposure for 5 s to one of five combinations of mining machinery noise frequency and amplitude (frequency < […]
The effects of mining machinery noise of different frequencies on the behaviour, faecal corticosterone and tissue morphology of wild mice (Mus musculus)
Mining noise has a wide variety of frequency spectra and is a potential source of stress for wildlife. We evaluated the effects of mining machinery noise on behaviour and associated physiological parameters at two isoenergetic frequency ranges: high (>2 kHz) and low (≤2 kHz), the latter being less audible to mice, our model species. Effects […]