Anthropogenic noise has been shown to affect marine animals in various ways, this may have fitness consequences at individual and population level. This thesis aims to increase insight into the... Show moreAnthropogenic noise has been shown to affect marine animals in various ways, this may have fitness consequences at individual and population level. This thesis aims to increase insight into the quantification of sound-induced behavioural responses that are relevant to fitness, and into factors that modulate the responses. I addressed both knowledge gaps using captive and field studies on marine animals from multiple trophic levels. For the quantification of behavioural responses relevant to fitness, I examined the changes in time budgets of Atlantic cod in a net pen and basin in response to sound (chapter 2 and 3). To increase insight into factors that modulate sound impact, I examined the effect of various acoustic characteristics of sound stimuli and the environment on European seabass (chapter 4), the interaction between foraging shore crabs and common shrimps during noise (chapter 6), the cross-sensory interference by noise in foraging crabs (chapter 7), and habituation to repeated sound exposures by blue mussels (chapter 8). Future studies are needed to be able to link changes in time budgets to changes in energy budgets, and consequently to fitness. Additionally, studies into the factors that modulate the effects of sound are needed to fully understand the impact of sound. Show less
Over the past few decades, public attention, activities in the field of conservation and animal welfare by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and scientific exploration are raising awareness on... Show moreOver the past few decades, public attention, activities in the field of conservation and animal welfare by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and scientific exploration are raising awareness on the potential effects of sounds on marine mammals and fish species. The aim of this thesis was to explore sound-induced behavioral changes in fish using captive zebrafish as a model species. I explored behavioural parameters as potential indicators of sound-related stress, disturbance and deterrence. In four different studies, I examined various sound exposure treatments to provide insights that may be useful for future explorations for indoor and outdoor sound impact studies as well as for assessing animal welfare and productivity in captive situations. Furthermore, my findings may also raise awareness for sound levels in laboratories and the potential effect on reliability for fish as a model species for medical and pharmaceutical studies. I also explored the complexity of sound fields in indoor fish tanks by selecting a different set-up for each study, which makes behavioural analyses and direct comparisons not only relevant within each study, but also provides insight into the role of fish tank acoustics on 'natural' and experimental exposure condition. Show less
