Bird's-eye view of sound pollution: Behavioural, physiological and molecular response to anthropogenic noise in songbirds

• Applicant: N. Öncü Maraci Karaoglan, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Sensory and Behavioural Biology ; Animal Physiology and Biochemistry ; Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals and Ecosystems, Organismic Interactions
• Term: since 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 549756826

Humans continually alter ecosystems worldwide, presenting novel ecological challenges to wildlife. Among these challenges, anthropogenic noise is particularly concerning as it exists in nearly all habitats. This pollutant prevents animals from using acoustic cues essential for several vital tasks. Exposure to this omnipresent pollutant influences a suit of behavioral and physiological traits, entailing risk to the well-being and survival of humans and wildlife. Birds are particularly vulnerable to the detrimental impacts of these pollutants due to their reliance on these sensory cues. Nevertheless, a proper understanding of the mechanisms whereby anthropogenic noise exerts its damaging effects on avian species is still lacking, severely limiting our capacity to develop efficient mitigation strategies. The proposed research aims to fill this gap by studying how exposure to ecologically relevant noise influences birds at physiological, behavioral, and molecular levels. The proposed study will combine in-depth investigations in captive zebra finches with a pilot common garden study in wild-caught great tits originating from noisy urban habitats and natural habitats with low background noise levels. By employing well-established techniques in behavioral ecology and cutting-edge multi-omic technologies, I will investigate how anthropogenic noise affects fitness-related behaviors, gene expression profiles of stress-responsive organs, and the gut microbiota of birds and whether birds from different species and different habitats respond differently to this omnipresent stressor. Overall, this project will advance our understanding of the ultimate and proximate mechanisms underlying global biodiversity declines due to anthropogenic activities. The outcomes of the study will have far-reaching implications in different fields, such as conservation ecology, animal welfare, human medicine and public health management.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants