Trends in Ecology & Evolution
ReviewA framework to assess evolutionary responses to anthropogenic light and sound
Section snippets
Global changes in distribution of anthropogenic light and sound
Worldwide human population growth dramatically influences organisms through urbanization, industrialization, and transportation infrastructure [1]. The environmental disruption associated with the exponential increase in human populations has led to extinction, altered community structure, and degraded ecosystem function [1]. Pollution is among the key aspects of human-induced rapid environmental change. Anthropogenic noise and artificial light are sensory pollutants that have increased over
Status of research on anthropogenic light and sound in ecology
Night lighting and noise are highly correlated in many landscapes (e.g., [21]). It is crucial to understand whether the selective pressures these stimuli exert are additive, synergistic (Figure 2), or if they mitigate one another. Few studies have examined the influence of each simultaneously (e.g., [21]). In one study, flashing lights combined with boat motor noise suppressed antipredator behavior in hermit crabs (Coenobita clypeatus) more than noise alone [22]. Future research should quantify
Potential microevolutionary responses
Adaptive responses to anthropogenic light and sound require (i) a heritable response in the population (e.g., mating calls), (ii) a mechanism that alters gene frequencies from one generation to the next (e.g., female preference for a specific call frequency), and (iii) evidence that changes in the light and or sound regime are causal agents driving the relationship the between heritable response and the change in gene frequency in the population (e.g., a novel sound changes female preference,
Macroevolutionary patterns
The exploration of macroevolutionary patterns evident since the onset of industrial production of light and sound should provide candidate systems for comparative analysis of population-level and species-level responses.
Implications for conservation and biodiversity
The most immediate threat from anthropogenic noise and light is the loss of species that are unable to adapt to their altered environment [11]. For example, disturbance from increased noise and or light might convert some populations from sources to sinks through an inability to attract mates or failed mating attempts [24], reduced physical fitness via elevated stress [71], or a diminished ability to detect potential predators [11]. The loss of species might also have a cascading effect on
Acknowledgments
This manuscript was prepared as an outcome of a meeting convened at and funded by the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (National Science Foundation EF-0905606) to C.B.C., J.R.B., and C.D.F. J.R.B. and C.D.F. were also supported by National Science Foundation Grant CNH-1414171.
Glossary
- Background extinction rates
- pre-human rates of extinction outside of recognized mass extinction events.
- Background speciation rates
- pre-human rates of speciation outside of the recovery period following mass extinction events.
- Behavioral flexibility
- immediate adjustments of behavior and physiology in response to environmental conditions.
- Developmental plasticity
- a change in developmental trajectory and phenotypic outcome of a single genotype in response to a different environmental condition.
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Joint first authorship.