Limiting motorboat noise on coral reefs boosts fish reproductive success

Sophie L. Nedelec (), Andrew N. Radford, Peter Gatenby, Isla Keesje Davidson, Laura Velasquez Jimenez, Maggie Travis, Katherine E. Chapman, Kieran P. McCloskey, Timothy A. C. Lamont, Björn Illing, Mark I. McCormick and Stephen D. Simpson
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Sophie L. Nedelec: University of Exeter, Biosciences, Hatherly Laboratories
Andrew N. Radford: University of Bristol, School of Biological Sciences
Peter Gatenby: James Cook University
Isla Keesje Davidson: University of Bristol, School of Biological Sciences
Laura Velasquez Jimenez: James Cook University
Maggie Travis: University of Puget Sound
Katherine E. Chapman: University of Exeter, Biosciences, Hatherly Laboratories
Kieran P. McCloskey: University of Exeter, Biosciences, Hatherly Laboratories
Timothy A. C. Lamont: University of Exeter, Biosciences, Hatherly Laboratories
Björn Illing: James Cook University
Mark I. McCormick: James Cook University
Stephen D. Simpson: University of Exeter, Biosciences, Hatherly Laboratories

Nature Communications, 2022, vol. 13, issue 1, 1-9

Abstract: Abstract Anthropogenic noise impacts are pervasive across taxa, ecosystems and the world. Here, we experimentally test the hypothesis that protecting vulnerable habitats from noise pollution can improve animal reproductive success. Using a season-long field manipulation with an established model system on the Great Barrier Reef, we demonstrate that limiting motorboat activity on reefs leads to the survival of more fish offspring compared to reefs experiencing busy motorboat traffic. A complementary laboratory experiment isolated the importance of noise and, in combination with the field study, showed that the enhanced reproductive success on protected reefs is likely due to improvements in parental care and offspring length. Our results suggest noise mitigation could have benefits that carry through to the population-level by increasing adult reproductive output and offspring growth, thus helping to protect coral reefs from human impacts and presenting a valuable opportunity for enhancing ecosystem resilience.

Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-30332-5

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