School is out on noisy reefs: the effect of boat noise on predator learning and survival of juvenile coral reef fishes.

ABSTRACT: Noise produced by anthropogenic activities is increasing in many marine ecosystems. We investigated the effect of playback of boat noise on fish cognition. We focused on noise from small motorboats, since its occurrence can dominate soundscapes in coastal communities, the number of noise-producing vessels is increasing rapidly and their proximity to marine life has the potential to cause deleterious effects. Cognition-or the ability of individuals to learn and remember information-is crucial, given that most species rely on learning to achieve fitness-promoting tasks, such as finding food, choosing mates and recognizing predators. The caveat with cognition is its latent effect: the individual that fails to learn an important piece of information will live normally until the moment where it

SUBMITTER: Ferrari MCO 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5805958 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature