Noise disturbs plant life

Disturbing the peace and quiet of the countryside can be disrupting to plants as well as wild animals, a study has shown.

Man-made noise from traffic or machinery can have a ‘ripple effect’ on trees and plants that may last for decades, even when the source of the noise is removed

Man-made noise from traffic or machinery was already known to change the behaviour of many birds and other animals.

But new research shows it can also have a “ripple effect” on trees and plants that may last for decades, even when the source of the noise is removed.

Plants are affected by what happens to the creatures they rely on for pollination or to disperse their seeds.

US scientists conducted a series of experiments at Rattlesnake Canyon Wildlife Area in New Mexico.

The region contains thousands of natural gas wells, many of which are coupled to noisy compressors that operate day and night to extract the gas.

One study looked at the effect of noise on the piñon pine, a dominant tree in the area. Piñon pine seeds are eaten by many birds and animals.

Researchers watched animals including mice, chipmunks, squirrels, birds and rabbits gather to feast after pine seeds were scattered beneath 120 trees.

Two animals in particular were influenced by noise. Mice were attracted to noisy sites, while western scrub jays avoided them altogether. In both cases, this was bad news for the pines.

Piñon pine seeds eaten by mice do not survive their passage through the animal’s gut. On the other hand, western scrub jays play a vital role in seed dispersal by taking and hiding hundreds of thousands of seeds.

Counts of piñon pine seedlings found they were four times more abundant on quiet sites.

The research is reported in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.