Meeting Abstract
Anthropogenic noise is pervasive across habitats throughout the world. Noise from human activity can adversely affect animal behavior, especially for animals that rely on sound to communicate, as well as potentially induce physiological stress. Hydraulic natural gas fracturing and its associated transportation is a novel source of anthropogenic noise across large areas of the North Eastern United States. Despite the wide distribution and potential impacts of this emerging noise for wildlife, few studies have tested for hydraulic fracturing noise effects, especially in aquatic habitats. Here we examine whether noise originating from natural gas compressor stations affects larval wood frog (Rana sylvatica [Lithobates sylvaticus]) survival, development, behavior, and stress physiology. Our results indicate that elevated noise levels and associated vibrations, in conjunction with exposure to an additional chasing/handling stressor, can have lethal consequences for tadpoles during early developmental stages. At later developmental stages, however, noise without direct vibration did not affect tadpole survival, morphology, behavior, or stress physiology. As such, amphibian fitness may be effected by increasing global levels of anthropogenic noise, but such effects may be context or stage-dependent.
