Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Box 463, SE-405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden.
The Linnaeus Centre for Marine Evolutionary Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 460, SE-405 30, Gothenburg, Sweden.
Sci Rep. 2019 Apr 2;9(1):5494. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-41786-x.
Anthropogenic underwater noise is a global pollutant of increasing concern but its impact on reproduction in fish is largely unknown. Hence, a better understanding of its consequences for this important link to fitness is crucial. Working in aquaria, we experimentally tested the impact of broadband noise exposure (added either continuously or intermittently), compared to a control, on the behaviour and reproductive success of the common goby (Pomatoschistus microps), a vocal fish with exclusive paternal care. Compared to the intermittent noise and control treatments, the continuous noise treatment increased latency to female nest inspection and spawning and decreased spawning probability. In contrast, many other female and male pre-spawning behaviours, and female ventilation rate (proxies for stress levels) did not differ among treatments. Therefore, it is likely that female spawning decisions were delayed by a reduced ability to assess male acoustic signals, rather than due to stress per se and that the silent periods in the intermittent noise treatment provided a respite where the females could assess the males. Taken together, we show that noise (of similar frequency range as anthropogenic boat noise) negatively affects reproductive success, particularly under a continuous noise exposure.
人为水下噪声是一种日益受到关注的全球性污染物，但它对鱼类繁殖的影响在很大程度上尚不清楚。因此，更好地了解其对这一重要适应环节的后果至关重要。我们在水族馆中进行了实验，比较了宽带噪声暴露（连续或间歇添加）与对照组相比，对发声鱼类、具有专一性父代照顾的普通虾虎鱼（Pomatoschistus microps）的行为和繁殖成功率的影响。与间歇噪声和对照组相比，连续噪声处理增加了雌鱼检查巢穴和产卵的潜伏期，并降低了产卵的概率。相比之下，许多其他的雌性和雄性产卵前行为，以及雌性通气率（压力水平的代表）在处理组之间没有差异。因此，很可能是由于雌鱼评估雄鱼声信号的能力下降，导致雌鱼产卵决策延迟，而不是由于压力本身，并且间歇噪声处理中的静音期为雌鱼提供了一个可以评估雄鱼的喘息机会。总的来说，我们表明噪声（与人为船只噪声的频率范围相似）会对繁殖成功率产生负面影响，特别是在连续噪声暴露的情况下。
