Small-Boat Noise Impacts Natural Settlement Behavior of Coral Reef Fish Larvae

Abstract

After a pelagic larval phase, settlement-stage coral reef fish must locate a suitable reef habitat for juvenile life. Reef noise, produced by resident fish and invertebrates, provides an important cue for orientation and habitat selection during this process, which must often occur in environments impacted by anthropogenic noise. We adapted an established field-based protocol to test whether recorded boat noise influenced the settlement behavior of reef fish. Fewer fish settled to patch reefs broadcasting boat + reef noise compared with reef noise alone. This study suggests that boat noise, now a common feature of many reefs, can compromise critical settlement behavior of reef fishes.

Anthropogenic noise pollution from pile-driving disrupts the structure and dynamics of fish shoals

“…reducing the signal-to-noise ratio), can impair the ability of animals to communicate [ 10 – 12 ]. Further, noise can be perceived as a threat, be a distraction, or can cause increased stress, in turn impairing an animal's ability to forage efficiently [ 13 , 14 ], respond appropriately to information about predation risk [ 15 – 17 ], perform adaptive behaviours during habitat-selection [ 18 , 19 ], or reproduce successfully [ 20 , 21 ]. However, despite the abundance of group-living species, there has been relatively little research on how the social behaviour of animals is affected by anthropogenic noise (but see [ 22 – 26 ]).…”

Caribbean Sea Soundscapes: Monitoring Humpback Whales, Biological Sounds, Geological Events, and Anthropogenic Impacts of Vessel Noise

“…Where vision fails (at night, at depths where sunlight does not penetrate, and in turbid water), sound production and hearing function as efficient communication and sensory mechanisms. Since sound is efficient in light-limited habitats, marine animals have evolved to rely heavily on their use of sound for communication, foraging, and navigation (e.g., Benoit-Bird and Au, 2009;Radford et al, 2011;Janik and Sayigh, 2013, respectively). Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) lets us exploit this key sensory modality and overcome some of the challenges of traditional visual surveys to learn about marine animals and their environment simply by listening.…”

Are semi-terrestrial crabs threatened by human noise? Assessment of behavioural and biochemical responses of Neohelice granulata (Brachyura, Varunidae) in tank

“…From a behavioural point of view, several studies showed that acoustic noise can influence animal behaviour Filiciotto et al, 2013;Sabet et al, 2016;Simpson et al, 2016Simpson et al, , 2015Voellmy et al, 2014). Although no studies have been carried out to assess the influence of noise on N. granulata, the changes in behavioural parameters observed here may indicate a behavioural disturbance as a result of increasing ambient noise in the tank.…”