title: Stress and Auditory Responses of the Otophysan Fish, Cyprinella venusta, to Road Traffic Noise.
abstract: Noise pollution from anthropogenic sources is an increasingly problematic challenge faced by many taxa, including fishes. Recent studies demonstrate that road traffic noise propagates effectively from bridge crossings into surrounding freshwater ecosystems; yet, its effect on the stress response and auditory function of freshwater stream fishes is unexamined. The blacktail shiner (Cyprinella venusta) was used as a model to investigate the degree to which traffic noise impacts stress and hearing in exposed fishes. Fish were exposed to an underwater recording of traffic noise played at approximately 140 dB re 1 μPa. Waterborne cortisol samples were collected and quantified using enzyme immunoassay (EIA). Auditory thresholds were assessed in control and traffic exposed groups by measuring auditory evoked potentials (AEPs). After acute exposure to traffic noise, fish exhibited a significant elevation in cortisol levels. Individuals exposed to 2 hours of traffic noise playback had elevated hearing thresholds at 300 and 400 Hz, corresponding to the most sensitive bandwidth for this species.
authors.affiliation: Fish Biodiversity Lab, School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, College of Agriculture, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jenna A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Crovo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, College of Sciences and Mathematics, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, United States of America.
authors.forename: Mary T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Mendonça
authors.affiliation: Department of Earth and Space Sciences, College of Letters and Sciences, Columbus State University, Columbus, Georgia, United States of America.
authors.forename: Daniel E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Holt
authors.affiliation: Fish Biodiversity Lab, School of Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences, College of Agriculture, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, United States of America.
authors.forename: Carol E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Johnston
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000818:Animals; D001309:Auditory Threshold; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory; D005399:Fishes; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000378:metabolism; D009622:Noise; D013312:Stress, Physiological
chemical_list: D006854:Hydrocortisone