Metabolomic responses to shipping noise in early life stages of blue mussels, <i>Mytilus edulis</i>

Anthropogenic ocean noise from shipping is steadily increasing, with a predicted doubling every 11.5 years, raising growing global concern about its potential effects on wildlife. There is evidence that anthropogenic noise can affect the behaviour and physiology of many species, but few examples of experiments that show how they may be affected. Here, we used metabolomics analyses to investigate the effects of shipping noise during the crucial early life stage of embryogenesis on a key ecosystem reporter species in the marine benthic system, the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis. We found that exposure to shipping noise provokes stress-induced inflammation, a metabolic imbalance or cellular stress as a result of increased energy demand, leading to disruption of glycolysis and increased oxidative stress response. The noise generated by cargo ships has a direct impact on the first developmental stage of mussel larvae, altering their metabolic pathways including those related to energy. Our study of an ecologically and socio-economically important taxon shows that anthropogenic noise can impair the individual performance of juvenile bivalve invertebrates. This impairment could have a significant cascading effect on population dynamics and resilience, with potential implications for community structure and function.