The effects of noise on animals

Abstract

This chapter describes the effects of noise on animals in terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Potential adverse effects cover a range of behavioral changes and physiological responses, including-in extreme cases-physical injury and death. The types and severity of effects are related to a number of noise features, including the received noise level and duration of exposure, but also depend upon contextual factors such as proximity, familiarity, and the behavioral state in which animals were exposed. The effects of anthropogenic noise on individual animals can escalate to the population level. Ultimately, species-richness and biodiversity in an ecosystem could be affected. However, our understanding of population-level effects and ecosystem interactions is limited, yet it is an active area of study. Given that noises of human origin can be controlled, there is the potential to mitigate any negative impacts by modifying noise source characteristics or operation schedules, finding alternative means to obtain operational goals of the noise source, or excluding biologically critical habitats or seasons.