Cognition, Behavior, and Memory
Author: Francisco Benegas Aquino | Email: benegasfrancisco99@gmail.com
Francisco Benegas Aquino1°2°, Gabriel Mindlin1°2°, Facundo Fainstein1°2°
1° Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Departamento de Física, Ciudad Universitaria, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina.
2° CONICET – Universidad de Buenos Aires, Instituto de Física Interdisciplinaria y Aplicada (INFINA), Ciudad Universitaria, 1428 Buenos Aires, Argentina
Noise pollution is expanding at an unprecedented rate, impacting reproduction and development across taxa. Recent attention has focused on its effects on avian singing behavior in airport environments, where noise levels are particularly high. However, the physiological impacts of noise pollution and its effects on birds’ night sleep remain largely unknown. In this study, we examine how aircraft noise pollution near Jorge Newbery Airport affects the respiratory activity of adult male canaries during both waking behavior and night sleep. Our results show that birds’ breathing rate and air sac pressure amplitude during night sleep are more than three fold increased above normal values, and that it takes several minutes for birds’ to recover their natural sleeping state. These effects are also present, albeit to a lesser extent, during waking behavior. Overall, our findings suggest that human noise pollution is more pervasive and potentially harmful than previously realized.