Review
A framework to assess evolutionary responses to anthropogenic light and sound

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Highlights

  • Anthropogenic light and sound are an important component of global change.

  • These stimuli often co-occur and may function synergistically.

  • The selection pressure of light and noise may drive the rate of evolutionary change.

  • We propose a framework to explore the ultimate consequences of noise and light exposure.

Human activities have caused a near-ubiquitous and evolutionarily-unprecedented increase in environmental sound levels and artificial night lighting. These stimuli reorganize communities by interfering with species-specific perception of time-cues, habitat features, and auditory and visual signals. Rapid evolutionary changes could occur in response to light and noise, given their magnitude, geographical extent, and degree to which they represent unprecedented environmental conditions. We present a framework for investigating anthropogenic light and noise as agents of selection, and as drivers of other evolutionary processes, to influence a range of behavioral and physiological traits such as phenological characters and sensory and signaling systems. In this context, opportunities abound for understanding contemporary and rapid evolution in response to human-caused environmental change.

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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