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Noise pollution is a novel, widespread environmental force that has
recently been shown to alter the behavior and distribution of birds and
other vertebrates, yet whether noise has cumulative, community-level
consequences by changing critical ecological services is unknown. Herein,
we examined the effects of noise pollution on pollination and seed
dispersal and seedling establishment within a study system that isolated
the effects of noise from confounding stimuli common to human-altered
landscapes. Using observations, vegetation surveys and pollen transfer and
seed removal experiments, we found that effects of noise pollution can
reverberate through communities by disrupting or enhancing these
ecological services. Specifically, noise pollution indirectly increased
artificial flower pollination by hummingbirds, but altered the community
of animals that prey upon and disperse Pinus edulis seeds, potentially
explaining reduced P. edulis seedling recruitment in noisy areas. Despite
evidence that some ecological services, such as pollination, may benefit
indirectly due to noise, declines in seedling recruitment for key dominant
species like P. edulis may have dramatic long-term effects on ecosystem
structure and diversity. Because the extent of noise pollution is growing,
this study emphasizes that investigators should evaluate the ecological
consequences noise alongside other human-induced environmental changes
that are reshaping human-altered landscapes worldwide.
400 views reported since publication in 2012.