Title:

BEHAVIORAL RESPONSE TO MULTI-CHANNEL ENVIRONMENTAL NOISE: TRACKING NOISE-INDUCED CHANGES IN DAILY LOCOMOTOR PATTERNS AND MATE ATTRACTION STRATEGIES IN ACHETA DOMESTICUS

Communication is essential in biotic systems, and signals represent information exchanged between a sender and receiver. Noise can interfere with transmission, detection, and processing of signals. Noise can also disrupt behaviors related to foraging, predator detection and avoidance, and social interactions. Research on the effects of noise on animal behavior has been focused on its effects on birds and marine mammals. Many insects have highly adapted structures for sound and vibration detection, and thus make ideal models for studying noise effects. I used house crickets, Acheta domesticus, to answer the following questions: 1) Do different types and durations of noise influence the daily locomotor patterns in animals? 2) Do different types and durations of noise influence decisions related to male signaling? Cricket locomotion was recorded with an activity monitor to establish a daily pattern. Crickets were then exposed to noise intermittently and continuously. I found that noise had an effect on A. domesticus locomotion, changing not only the daily pattern of locomotion, but the magnitude as well. To assess the effects of noise in three forms on male cricket signaling behavior, male calling was first recorded over the course of four days to identify peak periods calling times and the overall temporal pattern of male display. As in the first experiment, all noise treatments changed male calling behavior in both the time of day and magnitude of calling. In Acheta domesticus, accurate reception of the male’s call by females is crucial, and mating opportunities could be missed when males change their calling behavior, as they have done here. Anthropogenic noise will only increase in the coming years, and further research is needed to understand the impact it may have on organism behavior and fitness.

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