The effect of increased sound levels with different temporal patterns on swimming behaviour of Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Fisheries department,,. Faculty of natural resources, University of Guilan

2 Assistant Professor, University of Guilan

Abstract

Elevated levels of anthropogenic sound may cause a broad range of negative effects on fish and other animals in aquatic habitats. In a laboratory study, we investigated the effect of five sound treatments (in the same frequency range 400-2000 Hz and exposure level of 121 dB re 1 µ Pa, only differing in temporal patterns) on swimming behaviour of adult zebrafish (Danio rerio). The number of startle response, brief swimming speed and prolonged swimming speed were measured for all thirty zebrafish individually. An aquarium with dimensions of 50 × 15 × 20 cm was used to perform this study and assess the behavioral responses of fish. Our results revealed prominent and clear sound-related effects on zebrafish behaviour. All sound exposure treatments induced a significant increase in the number of startle response, brief swimming speed and prolonged swimming speed for zebrafish in captive conditions (P<0.05). This study highlights the potential impact of anthropogenic sound on fish behaviour. Further studies are needed to investigate whether anthropogenic sound may cause similar patterns in other fish species in captivity but also in outdoor conditions.

Keywords

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