Effects of experimental anthropogenic noise on avian settlement patterns and reproductive success

The acoustic footprints of factories, roadways, etc. reach far beyond their physical infrastructure because high amplitude, low frequency noise can propagate many kilometers. Previous studies found that noise exposure decreases habitat quality and reproductive success for some species. However, few studies have linked the reduction in perceived habitat quality due to noise exposure to effects on avian settlement patterns and reproductive success. Here, we experimentally investigate the impacts of noise pollution during settlement on adult settlement patterns and subsequent reproductive success in tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). We found that tree swallow adults preferentially settled in quieter nest boxes (a 1 dBA increase delayed settlement date by 1.4 and 3.5 days for males and females, respectively). Egg-laying date (a proxy of female quality) also increased by 3.8 days for every 1 dBA increase in noise. These results suggest that lower quality tree swallows settled in noise, ho...

工厂、道路等设施产生的噪声声学足迹远超其物理基础设施范围，因高振幅、低频噪声可传播数公里之远。既往研究表明，噪声暴露会降低部分物种的栖息地质量与繁殖成功率。然而，鲜有研究将噪声暴露引发的栖息地感知质量下降，与鸟类定居模式及繁殖成功率的变化建立关联。本研究通过实验探究了定居阶段的噪声污染对成年双色树燕（Tachycineta bicolor）的定居模式及其后续繁殖成功率的影响。研究结果显示，成年双色树燕优先选择更为安静的巢箱定居：每升高1 dBA，雄鸟与雌鸟的定居日期分别延迟1.4天和3.5天。产卵日期（作为雌性个体质量的替代指标）同样随噪声每升高1 dBA而推迟3.8天。上述结果表明，质量较低的双色树燕会选择在噪声环境中定居，……