Traffic noise exposure depresses plasma corticosterone and delays offspring growth in breeding zebra finches.

ABSTRACT: The impact of human activity on the acoustic environment is overwhelming, with anthropogenic noise reaching even remote areas of the planet. The World Health Organization has identified noise pollution as one of the leading environmental health risks in humans, and it has been linked to a myriad of short- and long-term health effects in exposed individuals. However, less is known about the health effects of anthropogenic noise exposure on animals. We investigated long- and short-term effects of traffic noise on zebra finches breeding in small communal aviaries, using a repeated measures design. Birds bred in both noise and no-noise conditions, and we measured baseline plasma glucocorticoid levels before, during and after breeding. In addition, we assayed immune function, measured reproduct

SUBMITTER: Zollinger SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6788579 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature