Boat noise reduces vocalization rate and alters vocal characteristics in wild plainfin midshipman fish

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dc.contributor.authorWoods, Mackenzie B.
dc.contributor.authorHalliday, William D.
dc.contributor.authorBalshine, Sigal
dc.contributor.authorJuanes, Francis
dc.date.accessioned2026-03-12T21:25:33Z
dc.date.available2026-03-12T21:25:33Z
dc.date.issued2025
dc.description.abstractAnthropogenic noise pollution has been accelerating at an alarming rate, greatly altering aquatic soundscapes. Animals use various mechanisms to avoid acoustic masking in noisy environments, including altering calling rates or the frequency (pitch) of their vocalizations or increasing the amplitude (loudness) of their vocalizations (i.e., exhibiting the Lombard effect), but few studies have examined this vocal plasticity in fishes. We tested the effects of in situ motorboat noise on the agonistic and mating vocalizations of nesting plainfin midshipman fish (Porichthys notatus), and found that midshipman fish reduce and alter their vocalizations in the presence of boat noise. During boat noise, fish produced four times fewer agonistic vocalizations compared to ambient control periods. The fish also increased the frequency of mating hums and the amplitude of grunts and growls during boat noise. This study is the first to experimentally demonstrate the Lombard effect in fishes using real motorboat noise.
dc.description.reviewstatusReviewed
dc.description.scholarlevelFaculty
dc.description.sponsorshipMitacs Inc
dc.identifier.citationWoods, M. B., Halliday, W. D., Balshine, S., & Juanes, F. (2025). Boat noise reduces vocalization rate and alters vocal characteristics in wild plainfin midshipman fish. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 212, 117563. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.117563
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2025.117563
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/1828/23489
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherMarine Pollution Bulletin
dc.rightsCC BY-NC
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
dc.subjectlombard effect
dc.subjectnoise pollution
dc.subjectacoustic communication
dc.subjectsoniferous fishes
dc.subjectmate attraction
dc.subjectporichthys notatus
dc.subject.departmentDepartment of Biology
dc.subject.departmentSchool of Earth and Ocean Sciences
dc.titleBoat noise reduces vocalization rate and alters vocal characteristics in wild plainfin midshipman fish
dc.typeArticle

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