Road noise exposure over development increases baseline auditory activity and decision-making time in adult crickets.

Abstract

Female crickets reared in traffic noise have been reported to be faster or slower to locate male song than those reared in silence across species. We reared female Teleogryllus oceanicus in traffic noise and silence, and had adult females locate male song broadcast amidst traffic noise or silence. We recorded activity of two auditory interneurons in a subset of individuals under identical acoustic conditions. Regardless of rearing treatment, crickets were slower to leave their shelter when presented with male song in silence than in traffic noise, while crickets reared in traffic noise were also slower to leave overall. Crickets reared in traffic noise also had higher baseline AN2 activity, but rearing condition did not affect hearing thresholds or auditory response to male song. Our results demonstrate behavioural and auditory effects of long-term exposure to anthropogenic noise. Further, they support the idea that silence itself is a potentially aversive acoustic condition.