Post by account_disabled on Mar 14, 2024 0:26:58 GMT -6
It's been nearly 40 years since AC/DC declared that "rock 'n' roll is not noise pollution," but a biological researcher and lifelong fan of the band discovered that head-bobbing music actually does disturb people. environment.
Noise made by humans affects how animals behave and interact with their ecosystem, according to an essay published Tuesday in the journal Evolution and Ecology. Testing what they called the “AC/DC hypothesis,” wildlife experts found that the music of AC/DC, Guns N' Roses and Lynyrd Skynyrd affected how insects attacked pests and affected subsequent plant growth. , while other genres of music had no effect, even when played at the same volume.
To test their theory, the team recruited a bunch of ladybugs and AQB Directory examined how music affected their consumption of aphids, a pest that infests soybean plants. In addition to rock, country and folk, the research team programmed sounds typical of urban environments, such as a jackhammer and a car horn at 95 to 100 decibels, the equivalent of the noise produced by a lawnmower.
Willie Nelson had no effect on ladybug pest predation, but when rock music roared, the beetles ate only half as many aphids as their counterparts consumed in the same period. Soybean plants that faced the music were 25 percent smaller than their silent counterparts.
While testing his theory with AC/DC was “fun,” lead author Brandon Barton said the results were proof of the “cascading effect” of noise pollution on ecological systems.
Biological disruption, even at the level of ladybugs, can affect the entire food chain, he said. In a May study, noise disturbances changed how many birds flew through the area, which affected how many seeds were dispersed. That same study found that noise pollution doubled the sound energy in protected wildlife areas across the United States, even in some of the most remote corners.
"We could be disrupting biological control," he told Newsweek.
Noise made by humans affects how animals behave and interact with their ecosystem, according to an essay published Tuesday in the journal Evolution and Ecology. Testing what they called the “AC/DC hypothesis,” wildlife experts found that the music of AC/DC, Guns N' Roses and Lynyrd Skynyrd affected how insects attacked pests and affected subsequent plant growth. , while other genres of music had no effect, even when played at the same volume.
To test their theory, the team recruited a bunch of ladybugs and AQB Directory examined how music affected their consumption of aphids, a pest that infests soybean plants. In addition to rock, country and folk, the research team programmed sounds typical of urban environments, such as a jackhammer and a car horn at 95 to 100 decibels, the equivalent of the noise produced by a lawnmower.
Willie Nelson had no effect on ladybug pest predation, but when rock music roared, the beetles ate only half as many aphids as their counterparts consumed in the same period. Soybean plants that faced the music were 25 percent smaller than their silent counterparts.
While testing his theory with AC/DC was “fun,” lead author Brandon Barton said the results were proof of the “cascading effect” of noise pollution on ecological systems.
Biological disruption, even at the level of ladybugs, can affect the entire food chain, he said. In a May study, noise disturbances changed how many birds flew through the area, which affected how many seeds were dispersed. That same study found that noise pollution doubled the sound energy in protected wildlife areas across the United States, even in some of the most remote corners.
"We could be disrupting biological control," he told Newsweek.