ORCID

Abstract

Increasing evidence demonstrates that anthropogenic noise is a global pollutant that threatens marine ecosystems. Mounting numbers of studies show its diverse effects on individuals and their behaviour. However, little is known about how individual changes in response to anthropogenic noise could cascade through groups and populations affecting resource distribution vital for survival and fitness. Here we test the hypotheses that anthropogenic noise could alter resource distribution, associated hierarchies and consequently individual benefits. We used groups of hermit crabs, a globally distributed model system for assessing impacts of environmental change on wildlife and measured in controlled laboratory conditions the resource distribution of their reusable shelters (gastropod shells) under ship noise and ambient control playbacks. We applied vacancy chain theory to test three predictions about how new resource units create benefits for a population. A new resource unit leads to (i) a cascade of resource abandonments and acquisitions (= chain of vacancy moves) based on an internal (ii) hierarchy (here size-based) which allows (iii) more than one individual to benefit. All three predictions were supported under control sound. Under anthropogenic noise however, fewer individuals benefitted from the arrival of a new, empty shell, while the size-based hierarchy was maintained. The latter was apparent in chain structures, which were concordant between sound treatments. This experiment shows that anthropogenic noise can affect individual behaviours that cascade through groups. This has the potential to disrupt wider resource distribution in populations.

Publication Date

2024-04-20

Publication Title

Science of the Total Environment

Volume

922

ISSN

0048-9697

Acceptance Date

2024-02-25

Deposit Date

2024-10-29

Embargo Period

2025-02-28

Funding

The work leading to this publication was part of a PhD scholarship by the European Commission Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate Programme (2012-1720/001-001-EMJD) on “Marine Ecosystem Health & Conservation” coordinated by Ghent University, Belgium (FPA 2011-0016) awarded to Mark Briffa as PI and Svenja Tidau as PhD student.

Keywords

Cross-modal pollution, Global change, Group behaviour, Noise pollution, Sensory ecology

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