Experimental Chronic Noise Is Related to Elevated Fecal Corticosteroid Metabolites in Lekking Male Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)

Blickley, Jessica L.; Word, Karen R.; Krakauer, Alan H.; Phillips, Jennifer; Sells, Sarah N.; Taff, Conor C.; Wingfield, John C.; Patricelli, Gail L.

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0050462

Cited by 147 publications

(108 citation statements)

References 67 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

103

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…For example, noise might also increase physiological stress levels (ref. 30, but see ref. 31) that could cause additional declines in body condition.…”

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

A phantom road experiment reveals traffic noise is an invisible source of habitat degradation

Ware

McClure

Carlisle

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

208

172

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Decades of research demonstrate that roads impact wildlife and suggest traffic noise as a primary cause of population declines near roads. We created a "phantom road" using an array of speakers to apply traffic noise to a roadless landscape, directly testing the effect of noise alone on an entire songbird community during autumn migration. Thirty-one percent of the bird community avoided the phantom road. For individuals that stayed despite the noise, overall body condition decreased by a full SD and some species showed a change in ability to gain body condition when exposed to traffic noise during migratory stopover. We conducted complementary laboratory experiments that implicate foraging-vigilance behavior as one mechanism driving this pattern. Our results suggest that noise degrades habitat that is otherwise suitable, and that the presence of a species does not indicate the absence of an impact.traffic noise pollution | songbird migration | habitat degradation | foraging-vigilance trade-off | perceived predation risk H uman infrastructure shapes animal behaviors, distributions, and communities (1, 2). A meta-analysis of 49 datasets from across the globe found that bird populations decline within 1km of human infrastructure, including roads (2). Observational studies of birds near roads implicate traffic noise as a primary driver of these declines (3). Road ecology research has also shown negative correlations between traffic noise levels and songbird reproduction (4, 5). Birds that produce low frequency songs, likely masked by traffic noise, show the strongest avoidance of roads (6).There is now substantial evidence that anthropogenic noise has detrimental impacts on a variety of species (3, 7-10). For example, work in natural gas extraction fields has demonstrated that compressor station noise alters songbird breeding distribution and species richness (11-13). However, explicit experiments would help to further rule out other characteristics of infrastructure, such as visual disturbance, collisions, chemical pollution, and edge effects, which might be driving these patterns (3). In addition, although these studies implicate noise as a causal factor in population declines, many individuals remain despite noise exposure (3), but at what cost? Proposed causes of decreased fitness for birds in noise include song masking, interference with mate evaluation, nonrandom distribution of territorial individuals, disruption of parentchick communication, reduced foraging opportunities, and/or alterations in the foraging/vigilance trade-off (3, 4).Here we parse the independent role of traffic noise from other aspects of roads experimentally by playing traffic sounds in a roadless area, creating a 'phantom road'. We focus on birds during migratory stopover, because energy budgets are streamlined; foraging, vigilance, and rest dominate activity (14). To meet the amplified physiological needs of sustained nocturnal migratory flights, birds must increase foraging during periods of stopover while maintaining appropriate vigil...

show abstract

“…For example, noise might also increase physiological stress levels (ref. 30, but see ref. 31) that could cause additional declines in body condition.…”

Section: Significancementioning

confidence: 99%

A phantom road experiment reveals traffic noise is an invisible source of habitat degradation

Ware

McClure

Carlisle

et al. 2015

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

208

172

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Such challenges include unpredictable changes to weather patterns, including periods of low or high rainfall, storms or significant or rapid changes in temperature (23,26) and other variables that could be considered to signal environmental quality to an individual have similar effects on the HPA axis, including food availability, predation risk, anthropogenic disturbance levels and pollutants (23,26,(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40). Each of these factors has been shown to have the ability to trigger a stress response; however the strength of this response is often related to the environmental context within the experiment or study (34,35,(41)(42)(43)(44)(45)(46). For example, chronic exposure to lead can cause alterations in the amount of corticosterone produced under an acute stress in white storks (Ciconia ciconia) (41), however few studies have found active effects of pollutants on baseline levels of glucocorticoids (35,41).…”

Section: Stress: What Is It and How Is It Regulated?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Developmental stress and social phenotypes: integrating neuroendocrine, behavioural and evolutionary perspectives

Spencer¹

2017

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SummaryThe social world is filled with different types of interactions, and social experience interacts with stress on several different levels. Activation of the neuroendocrine axis that regulates the response to stress can have consequences for innumerable behavioural responses, including social decision making and aspects of sociality such as gregariousness and aggression. This is especially true for stress experienced during early life, when physiological systems are developing and highly sensitive to perturbation. Stress at this time can have persistent effects on social behaviours into adulthood. One important question remaining is to what extent these effects are adaptive. This paper initially reviews the current literature investigating the complex relationships between the hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis and other neuroendocrine systems and several aspects of social behaviour in vertebrates. In addition the review explores the evidence surrounding the potential for 'social programming' via differential development and activation of the HPA axis, providing an insight into the potential for positive effects on fitness following early life stress. Finally the paper provides a framework from which novel investigations could work to fully understand the adaptive significance of early life effects on social behaviours. BackgroundThe ability to effectively interact with conspecifics is a vital skill, which we have only just begun to explore in terms of its impact on fitness (1, 2). In humans, this ability is also highly valued and disorders known to reduce our ability *Author for correspondence (Karen.spencer@st-andrews.ac.uk). †Present address: School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, South Street, St Andrews, KY16 9JP to interact or understand the emotional cues of others place sufferers at significant disadvantages, with long term impacts on health and wellbeing. Understanding the factors that give rise to individual differences in 'social competence' is therefore of fundamental importance to both our knowledge of human pathologies, but also animal welfare and population structure. Stress is a major regulator of social behaviour and in turn social influences can alter behavioural and physiological responses to stress (3-5). Activation of the vertebrate neuroendocrine axis which regulates the response to stress can cause pleiotropic effects on several aspects of social behaviour, including reduced social interaction, increased affiliative behaviours, increased aggression and altered mating behaviours (6-15). The direction and magnitude of these effects is often related to the context within which the experiment was conducted as well as the type of stressor that was experienced and the life history strategy of the species in question, however there is clear evidence to suggest that stress during all life stages can impact on sociality.One major driver of social ability in adulthood is the conditions experienced during development, when neural substrates and physiological systems...

show abstract

“…Direct effects of wind energy development can include collision mortalities, but indirect effects of behavioral avoidance or displacement have also been documented in animal populations , Sovacool 2009, Johnson and Stephens 2011, Blickley et al 2012a, 2012b, Winder et al 2014b; but see Hale et al 2014). Anthropogenic disturbance may also induce physiological stress responses among animals in landscapes with energy development, reducing body condition or survival (Lima 1986, Mainguy et al 2002, Blickley et al 2012a, 2012b.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Anthropogenic disturbance may also induce physiological stress responses among animals in landscapes with energy development, reducing body condition or survival (Lima 1986, Mainguy et al 2002, Blickley et al 2012a, 2012b. Lesser Prairie-Chickens (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) avoid nesting near vertical structures and crossing transmission lines and roads , Pruett et al 2009.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Reduced body mass in males could alter the dynamics of male-male competition and affect patterns of male reproductive success. If energy development negatively affects male quality, we predicted that male body mass would decrease as a result of physiological stress induced by anthropogenic disturbance following energy development (Blickley et al 2012b).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Responses of male Greater Prairie-Chickens to wind energy development

et al. 2015

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Experimental Chronic Noise Is Related to Elevated Fecal Corticosteroid Metabolites in Lekking Male Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)

Cited by 147 publications

References 67 publications

A phantom road experiment reveals traffic noise is an invisible source of habitat degradation

A phantom road experiment reveals traffic noise is an invisible source of habitat degradation

Developmental stress and social phenotypes: integrating neuroendocrine, behavioural and evolutionary perspectives

Responses of male Greater Prairie-Chickens to wind energy development

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About