Evidence of the impact of noise pollution on biodiversity: a systematic map

Abstract

Background Ecological research now deals increasingly with the effects of noise pollution on biodiversity. Indeed, many studies have shown the impacts of anthropogenic noise and concluded that it is potentially a threat to the persistence of many species. The present work is a systematic map of the evidence of the impacts of all anthropogenic noises (industrial, urban, transportation, etc.) on biodiversity. This report describes the mapping process and the evidence base with summary figures and tables presenting the characteristics of the selected articles. Methods The method used was published in an a priori protocol. Searches included peer-reviewed and grey literature published in English and French. Two online databases were searched using English terms and search consistency was assessed with a test list. Supplementary searches were also performed (using search engines, a call for literature and searching relevant reviews). Articles were screened through three stages (titles, abstracts, full-texts). No geographical restrictions were applied. The subject population included all wild species (plants and animals excluding humans) and ecosystems. Exposures comprised all types of man-made sounds in terrestrial and aquatic media, including all contexts and sound origins (spontaneous or recorded sounds, in situ or laboratory studies, etc.). All relevant outcomes were considered (space use, reproduction, communication, etc.). Then, for each article selected after full-text screening, metadata were extracted on key variables of interest (species, types of sound, outcomes, etc.). Review findings Our main result is a database that includes all retrieved literature on the impacts of anthropogenic noise on species and ecosystems, coded with several markers (sources of noise, species concerned, types of impacts, etc.). Our search produced more than 29,000 articles and 1794 were selected after the three screening stages (1340 studies (i.e. primary research), 379 reviews, 16 meta-analyses). Some articles (n = 19) are written in French and all others are in English. This database is available as an additional file of this report. It provides an overview of the current state of knowledge. It can be used for primary research by identifying knowledge gaps or in view of further analysis, such as systematic reviews. It can also be helpful for scientists and researchers as well as for practitioners, such as managers of transportation infrastructure. Conclusion The systematic map reveals that the impacts of anthropogenic noises on species and ecosystems have been researched for many years. In particular, some taxonomic groups (mammals, birds, fishes), types of noise (transportation, industrial, abstract) and outcomes (behavioural, biophysiological, communication) have been studied more than others. Conversely, less knowledge is available on certain species (amphibians, reptiles, invertebrates), noises (recreational, military, urban) and impacts (space use, reproduction, ecosystems). The map does not assess the impacts of anthropogenic noise, but it can be the starting point for more thorough synthesis of evidence. After a critical appraisal, the included reviews and meta-analyses could be exploited, if reliable, to transfer the already synthesized knowledge into operational decisions to reduce noise pollution and protect biodiversity.

Automated speech detection in eco-acoustic data enables privacy protection and human disturbance quantification

“…Our results demonstrate that acoustic data can thus be used as both a direct measure of anthropogenic noise pollution, and an indirect measure of human pressure on an environment – both on fine temporal resolutions. Biodiversity is both directly and indirectly impacted by noise pollution (29) and human land use (30), and understanding these interactions on finer temporal scales could open the door to new opportunities for effective conservation measures. Furthermore, by following our methodology, similar classification models could be developed to detect other anthropogenic sounds sources (e.g., vehicles, building activity) providing a multi-dimensional, continuous, and long-term picture of human pressures on an environment.…”

Evidence on the impacts of chemicals arising from human activity on tropical reef-building corals; a systematic map

“…They may contain a substantial number of references that were not retrieved by our literature searches. For instance, 19% of the articles in the systematic map of Sordello et al [37] came Extracting references from these reviews and screening them was not possible here due to time constraints, but this could be done by others in the future. Secondly, the search was conducted in English only, and the evidence was limited to English and French literature (the languages understood by the review team), although it likely exists in other languages [38].…”

Molecular Phylogenetics and Comparative Examination of Voucher Museums Reveal Two New Species of Gymnophthalmid Lizards (Squamata, Gymnophthalmidae) from the Peruvian Andes, with Comments on Proctoporus guentheri (Boettger, 1891)

“…Typical human activities at HSMP include tourism, introduction of invasive species, railway traffic and operations, hydroelectric regulation, and urban growth. Tourism activities promote biodiversity loss and alter animal behavior (e.g., [40,41]), through the introduction of invasive species such as trout, dogs, and cats (e.g., [42][43][44][45]); human-transported wildlife diseases (e.g., [46]); noise emissions from vehicles and hydroelectric power operations (e.g., [47]); and running over wildlife by vehicles and railways (e.g., [48,49]). However, the precise effects of these threats on biodiversity and on populations of P. optimus sp.…”