Impact of noise on development, physiological stress and behavioural patterns in larval zebrafish

Resource type
Authors/contributors
Title
Impact of noise on development, physiological stress and behavioural patterns in larval zebrafish
Abstract
Noise pollution is increasingly present in aquatic ecosystems, causing detrimental effects on growth, physiology and behaviour of organisms. However, limited information exists on how this stressor affects animals in early ontogeny, a critical period for development and establishment of phenotypic traits. We tested the effects of chronic noise exposure to increasing levels (130 and 150 dB re 1 μPa, continuous white noise) and different temporal regimes on larval zebrafish (Danio rerio), an important vertebrate model in ecotoxicology. The acoustic treatments did not affect general development or hatching but higher noise levels led to increased mortality. The cardiac rate, yolk sac consumption and cortisol levels increased significantly with increasing noise level at both 3 and 5 dpf (days post fertilization). Variation in noise temporal patterns (different random noise periods to simulate shipping activity) suggested that the time regime is more important than the total duration of noise exposure to down-regulate physiological stress. Moreover, 5 dpf larvae exposed to 150 dB continuous noise displayed increased dark avoidance in anxiety-related dark/light preference test and impaired spontaneous alternation behaviour. We provide first evidence of noise-induced physiological stress and behavioural disturbance in larval zebrafish, showing that both noise amplitude and timing negatively impact key developmental endpoints in early ontogeny.
Publication
Scientific Reports
Volume
11
Issue
1
Pages
6615
Date
2021-03-23
Journal Abbr
Sci Rep
Language
en
DOI
10.1038/s41598-021-85296-1
ISSN
2045-2322
Accessed
9/21/22, 8:12 AM
Library Catalog
Rights
2021 The Author(s)
Extra
7 citations (Crossref) [2022-09-21] Number: 1 Publisher: Nature Publishing Group
Citation
Lara, R. A., & Vasconcelos, R. O. (2021). Impact of noise on development, physiological stress and behavioural patterns in larval zebrafish. Scientific Reports, 11(1), 6615. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-85296-1