A Not So Silent Night: Anthropogenic Noise and its Impacts on Bats and Insects (2023)

Undergraduates: Emilie Patrick, Juliet Spafford

Faculty Advisor: Rada Petric
Department: Institute for the Environment

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With an increasingly urbanizing world, noise pollution has become an ever-pressing threat to wildlife reliant on vocal communication. As a bioindicator that relies on echolocation for their behavior, the order Chiroptera are especially susceptible to anthropogenic noise. However, little research has been conducted on the effects of such noise pollution on bats outside of the lab, as well as their common prey, insects. In this study, we measured the relationship between bat activity, insect abundance, and anthropogenic noise. At eight lakes and ponds in the Highlands/Cashiers/Franklin area, we monitored bat calls and insect abundance while playing sonic and ultrasonic sound exemplars. We found a statistically significant correlation between bat activity and the sound exemplars, suggesting that anthropogenic noise, particularly ultrasonic sound, mask bats’ communication. Additionally, 3218 insects and 4989 mg of biomass were collected across all field sites and seven orders to indicate insect abundance. Despite its limitations, our study is important in addressing the issue of anthropogenic noise pollution and its impacts on our environment and can hopefully be used in further research on this matter.

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