Abstract
Many aquatic organisms use vocalizations for reproductive behavior; therefore, disruption of their soundscape could adversely affect their life history. Male oyster toadfish (Opsanus tau) establish nests in shallow waters during spring and attract female fish with boatwhistle vocalizations. Males exhibit high nest fidelity, making them susceptible to anthropogenic sound in coastal waters, which could mask their vocalizations and/or reduce auditory sensitivity levels. Additionally, the effect of self-generated boatwhistles on toadfish auditory sensitivity has yet to be addressed. To investigate the effect of sound exposure on toadfish auditory sensitivity, sound pressure and particle acceleration sensitivity curves were determined using auditory evoked potentials before and after (0-, 1-, 3-, 6- and 9-day) exposure to 1- or 12-h of continuous playbacks to ship engine sound or conspecific vocalization. Exposure to boatwhistles had no effect on auditory sensitivity. However, exposure to anthropogenic sound caused significant decreases in auditory sensitivity for at least 3 days, with shifts up to 8 dB SPL and 20 dB SPL immediately following 1- and 12-h anthropogenic exposure, respectively. Understanding the effect of self-generated and anthropogenic sound exposure on auditory sensitivity provides an insight into how soundscapes affect acoustic communication.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the Marine Resources Center staff at the Marine Biological Laboratory for providing toadfish. Funding was provided by National Science Foundation Grants IOS 1354745 and DBI 1359230 and 1659604 to AFM, and by the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program under grant DGE 1804377 to LSR. All experimental procedures conformed to NIH guidelines for animal care and use of animals, and were approved by the University of Minnesota Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee under Protocol ID: 1903-36856A.
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Rogers, L.S., Putland, R.L. & Mensinger, A.F. The effect of biological and anthropogenic sound on the auditory sensitivity of oyster toadfish, Opsanus tau. J Comp Physiol A 206, 1–14 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-019-01381-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-019-01381-x