title: Anthropogenic noise increases fish mortality by predation.
abstract: Noise-generating human activities affect hearing, communication and movement in terrestrial and aquatic animals, but direct evidence for impacts on survival is rare. We examined effects of motorboat noise on post-settlement survival and physiology of a prey fish species and its performance when exposed to predators. Both playback of motorboat noise and direct disturbance by motorboats elevated metabolic rate in Ambon damselfish (Pomacentrus amboinensis), which when stressed by motorboat noise responded less often and less rapidly to simulated predatory strikes. Prey were captured more readily by their natural predator (dusky dottyback, Pseudochromis fuscus) during exposure to motorboat noise compared with ambient conditions, and more than twice as many prey were consumed by the predator in field experiments when motorboats were passing. Our study suggests that a common source of noise in the marine environment has the potential to impact fish demography, highlighting the need to include anthropogenic noise in management plans.
authors: Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Geoffrey Pope, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK.
authors: Stephen D
authors: SD
authors: Simpson
authors: School of Biological Sciences &Cabot Institute, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.
authors: Andrew N
authors: AN
authors: Radford
authors: School of Biological Sciences &Cabot Institute, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK.
authors: Sophie L
authors: SL
authors: Nedelec
authors: Department of Biomedical Science, Western College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 5B4.
authors: Maud C O
authors: MC
authors: Ferrari
authors: Department of Biology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatchewan, Canada S7N 5E2.
authors: Douglas P
authors: DP
authors: Chivers
authors: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia.
authors: Mark I
authors: MI
authors: McCormick
authors: Australian Institute of Marine Science, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
authors: Mark G
authors: MG
authors: Meekan
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003710:Demography; D020387:Food Chain; D006801:Humans; D008660:Metabolism; D009026:Mortality; D009622:Noise / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010473:Perciformes; D011235:Predatory Behavior; D012767:Ships; D013312:Stress, Physiological