Milligan S R, Sales G D, Khirnykh K
Division of Biomedical Sciences, King's College, Strand, London, UK.
Physiol Behav. 1993 Jun;53(6):1067-76. doi: 10.1016/0031-9384(93)90361-i.
High sound levels are known to have adverse effects on the behaviour and physiology of laboratory animals, yet their acoustic environment is rarely monitored. In particular, high-frequency sounds that are above the limit of human hearing, but are well within the limits of many laboratory species (i.e., ultrasounds), are usually ignored. In this study, the acoustic environment of laboratory animals was investigated in a variety of different animal facilities. Sound pressure levels (dB SPL) were monitored for periods up to 24 h over two frequency ranges: a relatively low range (0.01-12.5 kHz), and a high range (12.5-70 kHz). While background sound levels in undisturbed situations were generally low (i.e., below 50 dB SPL), marked increases in sound levels often occurred during the working day, producing characteristic daily variations in the sound profile. Peak SPLs commonly reached values of 80-95 dB in the low-frequency range and 50-75 dB in the higher range. In most cases, sound levels were low over weekends. The results suggested that human activities were a very important source of sound in most animal facilities. In a few situations (e.g., rabbits, marmosets, dogs), the animals themselves provided a significant contribution to the acoustic environment. It is clear that the acoustic environment of laboratory animals is a daily variable that is usually uncontrolled and that may have important implications for behavioural and physiological experiments and for animal welfare.
众所周知，高强度声音会对实验动物的行为和生理产生不利影响，然而它们的声学环境却很少受到监测。特别是，高于人类听力极限但在许多实验动物物种听力范围内的高频声音（即超声波）通常被忽视。在本研究中，对各种不同动物设施中实验动物的声学环境进行了调查。在两个频率范围内监测声压级（dB SPL）长达24小时：一个相对较低的范围（0.01 - 12.5 kHz）和一个较高的范围（12.5 - 70 kHz）。虽然在未受干扰情况下的背景声级通常较低（即低于50 dB SPL），但在工作日期间声级常常会显著增加，从而在声音分布上产生典型的每日变化。在低频范围内，声压级峰值通常达到80 - 95 dB，在高频范围内达到50 - 75 dB。在大多数情况下，周末的声级较低。结果表明，人类活动是大多数动物设施中非常重要的声音来源。在少数情况下（例如兔子、狨猴、狗），动物自身对声学环境也有显著贡献。显然，实验动物的声学环境是一个通常不受控制的每日变量，可能对行为和生理实验以及动物福利具有重要影响。
