Noise impacts to wildlife A review of pertinent studies. M. Brittingham, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management Penn State University

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1 Noise impacts to wildlife A review of pertinent studies M. Brittingham, Department of Ecosystem Science and Management Penn State University

2 Natural soundscapes Important attributes of natural systems and have distinct impacts on human perceptions of the environment Include physical sounds (wind, rivers, rock falls etc) and biological sounds (birds, frogs etc)

3 For many species of wildlife sound is very important for communication Breeding behavior, locating habitat, social behavior

4 Sound and the ability to hear sounds are important for both predators and prey Finding prey and avoiding predation

5 Noise a sound that is unwanted or inappropriate in an environment and it is often associated with human development or activity (See annotated bibliography for effects of noise on wildlife) Acoustic masking Reduced transmission distances and reduced number of individuals in communication network Affects pairing success, ability to find prey or avoid predation, ability to locate suitable habitat Increased stress response Reduced fitness

6 Primary responses to chronic noise Signal modification -Shift vocalizations to reduce masking (frequency and timing) Avoid areas Decrease in site occupancy Response varies among species and individuals

7 Noise associated with pad development and drilling may have local site-specific impacts but probably not long-term effects

8 Noise (db) Loudness (db) Compressor (n=4) Compressors are a long-term source of chronic noise Completed pad (n=3) Distance (ft) 10 decibel increase sounds twice as loud db Leaves rustling Distance (ft) db- Normal conversation

9 Sound is important for communicating and noise from compressors can affect this process Songbird density declined with noise, pairing success declined with noise, young males got noisy territories (Bayne,Habib, and Boutin 2008,Habib, Bayne, and Boutin 2007) D. Daniels

10 Noise from compressors has been documented to affect species richness and community structure resulting in changes in reproductive success with consequences to ecological services such as seed dispersal and pollination (Francis et al. 2009, 2011, 2012)

11 Francis, C. D., and J. R. Barber A framework for understanding noise impacts on wildlife: an urgent conservation priority. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 11:

12 National Park Service- Natural Sounds and Night Skies Divisionhttp:// Annotated bibliography Impacts of noise cs/wildlife_annotatedbiblio_aug2011.pdf NPS Acoustical Monitoring manual - cs/nsnsdtrainingmanual.pdf

13 Selected References Effects of Gas Well Compressor Noise on Birds Bayne, E. M., L. Habib, and S. Boutin Impacts of Chronic Anthropogenic Noise from Energy- Sector Activity on Abundance of Songbirds in the Boreal Forest. Conservation Biology 22: Blickley, J., K. et al Experimental Chronic Noise Is Related to Elevated Fecal Corticosteroid Metabolites in Lekking Male Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). Plos One 7. Francis, C., N. Kleist, C. Ortega, and A. Cruz Noise pollution alters ecological services: enhanced pollination and disrupted seed dispersal. Proceedings of the Royal Society B- Biological Sciences 279: Francis, C., C. Ortega, and A. Cruz Noise Pollution Changes Avian Communities and Species Interactions. Current Biology 19: a. Different behavioural responses to anthropogenic noise by two closely related passerine birds. Biology Letters 7: Francis, C., J. Paritsis, C. Ortega, and A. Cruz. 2011d. Landscape patterns of avian habitat use and nest success are affected by chronic gas well compressor noise. Landscape Ecology 26: Francis, C. D., and J. R. Barber A framework for understanding noise impacts on wildlife: an urgent conservation priority. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 11: Habib, L., E. M. Bayne, and S. Boutin Chronic industrial noise affects pairing success and age structure of ovenbirds Seiurus aurocapilla. Journal of Applied Ecology 44: