Anthropogenic noise has a knock-on effect on the behavior of a territorial species

Noise pollution has been shown to induce overt behavioral changes such as avoidance of a noise source and changes to communication behavior. Few studies however have focused on the more subtle behaviors within an individual’s repertoire such as foraging and territoriality. Many species are territorial making it unlikely they will leave a noisy area. The impact of noise on essential behaviors of such species must be examined. It has been suggested that a noise induced increase in sheltering behavior will decrease time available for other activities. To test for this potential knock-on effect, we exposed a territorial fish to noise of differing sound pressure levels (SPL). We found that exposure to noise increased sheltering behavior and decreased foraging activity. However, we found that these behavioral responses did not increase with SPL. Furthermore we demonstrate, for the first time experimentally, that noise has a negative knock-on effect on behavior as a noise induced increase in sheltering caused a ...