Linking Noise Pollution to Cricket Health and Reproduction

Human-generated noise is a major and expanding global pollutant. It has dramatic physiological and behavioral impacts on humans as well as in adjacent natural communities. Studies show noise pollution induces animal stress responses, reduces their ability to hear natural sounds, interrupts foraging and parental care, increases mortality and reduces reproductive success. With urban growth projected to double over the next decade, the need for scientific studies on noise pollution is urgent. Invertebrates often are neglected in studies focused on the effects of pollution. Less than 4% of noise research has been conducted on invertebrates, which severely limits our understanding of how human-generated noise impacts the health of species critically important to most of the world’s food webs. Researchers will study crickets as a model for invertebrates to help answer questions about the health and reproductive consequences of noise. Findings will help inform legislative and management decisions about impacts of noise exposure on wildlife.