Anthropogenic noise has been increasing during the last decades, altering soundscapes throughout most aquatic environments. In estuarine shallow waters one of the most prevalent sources of underwater noise are motorboats and ferries. In this study we compared the effect of boat noise and ambient noise playbacks on the calling activity of Lusitanian toadfish males (Halobatrachus didactylus), a species that relies on advertisement calls for mate attraction. Two sets of 12 concrete nests that toadfish males occupy spontaneously in the Tagus estuary (Portugal), were exposed to sounds during a fortnight by playing back either ambient noise (control) or boat noise (treatment) during one reproductive season. Noise treatment mimicked the passage of 10 ferries and of 4 small boats per hour during 18 hours, similar to what fish experience in Tagus estuary. Acoustic activity of each nesting male was monitored during the experimental period. By analysing male vocal activity, we found that calling rate significantly decreased in males under boat noise treatment. These results suggest that exposure to anthropogenic noise may alter vocalization patterns and likely impact reproduction in vocal fish.
Skip Nav Destination
,
,
,
,
Article navigation
7 July 2019
5th International Conference on the Effects of Noise on Aquatic Life
7–12 July 2019
Den Haag, The Netherlands
Paper AN2019: Poster 130
March 24 2020
The effect of boat noise on calling activity in the Lusitanian Toadfish
Manuel Vieira;
Manuel Vieira
1Faculdade de Ciências,
Universidade de Lisboa
, Departamento de Biologia Animal and cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISP, Lisboa, 1700, PORTUGAL
; [email protected]
Search for other works by this author on:
Paulo J. Fonseca;
Paulo J. Fonseca
2Faculdade de Ciências,
Universidade de Lisboa
, Departamento de Biologia Animal and cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, PORTUGAL
; [email protected]
Search for other works by this author on:
Ana Zuazu;
Ana Zuazu
3Faculdade de Ciências,
Universidade de Lisboa
, Lisboa, PORTUGAL
; [email protected]; [email protected]
Search for other works by this author on:
Ana F. Lopes;
Ana F. Lopes
4MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre,
ISPA-Instituto Universitário
, Lisboa, PORTUGAL
; [email protected]
Search for other works by this author on:
M. Clara P. Amorim
M. Clara P. Amorim
3Faculdade de Ciências,
Universidade de Lisboa
, Lisboa, PORTUGAL
; [email protected]; [email protected]4MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre,
ISPA-Instituto Universitário
, Lisboa, PORTUGAL
; [email protected]
Search for other works by this author on:
Manuel Vieira
1
Paulo J. Fonseca
2
Ana Zuazu
3
Ana F. Lopes
4
M. Clara P. Amorim
3,4
1
Faculdade de Ciências,
Universidade de Lisboa
, Departamento de Biologia Animal and cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre, ISP, Lisboa, 1700, PORTUGAL
; [email protected]
2
Faculdade de Ciências,
Universidade de Lisboa
, Departamento de Biologia Animal and cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Lisboa, PORTUGAL
; [email protected]
3
Faculdade de Ciências,
Universidade de Lisboa
, Lisboa, PORTUGAL
; [email protected]; [email protected]
4
MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre,
ISPA-Instituto Universitário
, Lisboa, PORTUGAL
; [email protected]Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 37, 070007 (2019)
Article history
Received:
November 27 2019
Accepted:
February 23 2020
Citation
Manuel Vieira, Paulo J. Fonseca, Ana Zuazu, Ana F. Lopes, M. Clara P. Amorim; The effect of boat noise on calling activity in the Lusitanian Toadfish. Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. 7 July 2019; 37 (1): 070007. https://doi.org/10.1121/2.0001213
Download citation file:
Citing articles via
Impact of design variations of micro-perforated panels on psychoacoustic metrics of transmitted sound
Jiahua Zhang, Laurent De Ryck, et al.
Flyback sonic booms from Falcon-9 rockets: Measured data and some considerations for future models
Mark C. Anderson, Kent L. Gee, et al.
Related Content
Automatic fish sounds classification
J. Acoust. Soc. Am. (May 2018)
Characterizing large river sounds: Providing context for understanding the environmental effects of noise produced by hydrokinetic turbines
J. Acoust. Soc. Am. (January 2016)
Underwater radiated noise from hydrofoils in coastal water
J. Acoust. Soc. Am. (November 2019)
Underwater soundscape pattern during high season of nautical tourism in Cabo Frio Island, Brazil
Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. (November 2019)
Soundscape cube: A holistic approach to explore and compare acoustic environments
Proc. Mtgs. Acoust. (December 2016)