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Connelly F, Johnsson RD, Mulder RA, Hall ML, Lesku JA. Experimental playback of urban noise does not affect cognitive performance in captive Australian magpies. Biol Open 2024; 13:bio060535. [PMID: 39069816 DOI: 10.1242/bio.060535] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2024] [Accepted: 07/23/2024] [Indexed: 07/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Exposure of wildlife to anthropogenic noise is associated with disruptive effects. Research on this topic has focused on behavioural and physiological responses of animals to noise, with little work investigating links to cognitive function. Neurological processes that maintain cognitive performance can be impacted by stress and sleep disturbances. While sleep loss impairs cognitive performance in Australian magpies, it is unclear whether urban noise, which disrupts sleep, can impact cognition as well. To fill this gap, we explored how environmentally relevant urban noise affected the performance of wild-caught, city-living Australian magpies (Gymnorhina tibicen tyrannica) on a cognitive task battery including associative and reversal learning, inhibitory control, and spatial memory. Birds were housed and tested in a laboratory environment; sample sizes varied across tasks (n=7-9 birds). Tests were conducted over 4 weeks, during which all magpies were exposed to both an urban noise playback and a quiet control. Birds were presented with the entire test battery twice: following exposure to, and in the absence of, an anthropogenic noise playback; however, tests were always performed without noise (playback muted during testing). Magpies performed similarly in both treatments on all four tasks. We also found that prior experience with the associative learning task had a strong effect on performance, with birds performing better on their second round of trials. Like previous findings on Australian magpies tested on the same tasks in the wild under noisy conditions, we could not find any disruptive effects on cognitive performance in a controlled experimental laboratory setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farley Connelly
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
- School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
- Alameda County Resource Conservation District, Livermore, California 94550, USA
| | - Robin D Johnsson
- School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
- Department of Psychology, Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 17603, USA
| | - Raoul A Mulder
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
| | - Michelle L Hall
- School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia
- Bush Heritage Australia, Melbourne, Victoria 3000, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia 6009, Australia
| | - John A Lesku
- School of Agriculture, Biomedicine and Environment, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
- Research Centre for Future Landscapes, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia
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Broad HR, Dibnah AJ, Smith AE, Thornton A. Anthropogenic disturbance affects calling and collective behaviour in corvid roosts. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230185. [PMID: 38768208 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Acoustic communication plays an important role in coordinating group dynamics and collective movements across a range of taxa. However, anthropogenic disturbance can inhibit the production or reception of acoustic signals. Here, we investigate the effects of noise and light pollution on the calling and collective behaviour of wild jackdaws (Corvus monedula), a highly social corvid species that uses vocalizations to coordinate collective movements at winter roosting sites. Using audio and video monitoring of roosts in areas with differing degrees of urbanization, we evaluate the influence of anthropogenic disturbance on vocalizations and collective movements. We found that when levels of background noise were higher, jackdaws took longer to settle following arrival at the roost in the evening and also called more during the night, suggesting that human disturbance may cause sleep disruption. High levels of overnight calling were, in turn, linked to disruption of vocal consensus decision-making and less cohesive group departures in the morning. These results raise the possibility that, by affecting cognitive and perceptual processes, human activities may interfere with animals' ability to coordinate collective behaviour. Understanding links between anthropogenic disturbance, communication, cognition and collective behaviour must be an important research priority in our increasingly urbanized world. This article is part of the theme issue 'The power of sound: unravelling how acoustic communication shapes group dynamics'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah R Broad
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter , Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Alex J Dibnah
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter , Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales , Sydney, 2052 NSW, Australia
| | - Anna E Smith
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter , Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Alex Thornton
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter , Penryn TR10 9FE, UK
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Grunst AS, Grunst ML. Cognition as a neglected mediator of responses to anthropogenic noise. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2024; 30:e17083. [PMID: 38273568 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.17083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 01/27/2024]
Abstract
Anthropogenic noise is an increasingly pervasive global disturbance factor, with diverse biological effects. Yet, most studies have focused on population mean responses to noise pollution, leaving sources of among-individual differences in responses poorly understood. Blackburn et al. (2023) provide the first evidence from free-living animals that cognition might mediate individual differences in responses to noise pollution. In this commentary, we highlight the contribution of this ground-breaking study to stimulate more research on this important topic. We argue that cognition might mediate among-individual differences in the ability to cope with both masking effects and stress associated with noise pollution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea S Grunst
- Department of Biology, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana, USA
| | - Melissa L Grunst
- Department of Biology, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Indiana, USA
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