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SUMMARY:Impacts and mitigation of anthropogenic noise - Sophie Nedelec (Un
 iversity of Exeter)
DTSTART:20220201T130000Z
DTEND:20220201T140000Z
UID:TALK168800@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr Emily Mitchell
DESCRIPTION:Sound is relatively important for fish because it propagates f
 ar in comparison with light\, and independently of currents in contrast to
  chemical cues\, underwater. Therefore underwater sound is rich in informa
 tion about the properties and inhabitants of the surroundings. Many aquati
 c animals use acoustic cues for communication\, orientation and habitat se
 lection\, but this makes them vulnerable to underwater noise pollution. An
 thropogenic noise is a pollutant of international concern\, with mounting 
 evidence of impacts on animal behaviour and physiology that are pervasive 
 across taxa\, ecosystems and the world. Recent work shows that underwater 
 noise affects all stages of the life cycles of coral reef fishes that inha
 bit fragile coral reef habitats. Stressed and badly behaved fishes are pus
 hed to their limits\, with impacts on offspring survival. But the tide cou
 ld turn on noise pollution. My team and I experimentally tested the hypoth
 esis that protecting vulnerable habitats from noise pollution can improve 
 animal reproductive success. Using a season-long field manipulation with a
 n established model system on the Great Barrier Reef\, the spiny chromis\,
  we demonstrated that limiting motorboat activity on reefs leads to the su
 rvival of more fish offspring compared to reefs experiencing busy motorboa
 t traffic. A complementary laboratory experiment isolated the importance o
 f noise and\, in combination with the field study\, showed that the enhanc
 ed reproductive success on protected reefs is likely due to improvements i
 n parental care and offspring growth. Noise mitigation and abatement offer
  simple wins in protecting coral reefs from human impacts\, and present a 
 valuable opportunity for enhancing ecosystem resilience.
LOCATION:Zoom
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