Growing evidence suggests that anthropogenic noise has deleterious effects on the behavior and physiology of free-living animals. These effects may be particularly pronounced early in life, when developmental trajectories are sensitive to stressors, yet studies investigating developmental effects of noise exposure in free-living populations remain scarce. To elucidate the effects of noise exposure during development, we examined whether noise exposure is associated with shorter telomeres, duller carotenoid-based coloration and reduced body mass in nestlings of a common urban bird, the great tit (Parus major). We also assessed how the noise environment is related to reproductive success. We obtained long-term measurements of the noise environment, over a ∼24-h period, and characterized both the amplitude (measured by LA_eq, LA_90, LA₁₀, LA_max) and variance in noise levels, since more stochastic, as well as louder, noise regimes might be more likely to induce stress. In our urban population, noise levels varied substantially, with louder, but less variable, noise characteristic of areas adjacent a highway. Noise levels were also highly repeatable, suggesting that individuals experience consistent differences in noise exposure. The amplitude of noise near nest boxes was associated with shorter telomeres among smaller, but not larger, brood members. In addition, carotenoid chroma and hue were positively associated with variance in average and maximum noise levels, and average reflectance was negatively associated with variance in background noise. Independent of noise, hue was positively related to telomere length. Nestling mass and reproductive success were unaffected by noise exposure. Results indicate that multiple dimensions of the noise environment, or factors associated with the noise environment, could affect the phenotype of developing organisms, that noise exposure, or correlated variables, might have the strongest effects on sensitive groups of individuals, and that carotenoid hue could serve as a signal of early-life telomere length.

越来越多的证据表明，人为噪声会对自由生活动物的行为和生理产生有害影响。当发育轨迹对压力源敏感时，这些效应在生命的早期可能会特别明显，但是研究噪声暴露对自由生活人群的发育影响的研究仍然很少。在开发过程中阐明噪声暴露的影响，我们检查是否噪声暴露与端粒较短，在一个共同的城市鸟，大山雀雏鸟乏味基于类胡萝卜素的着色和降低体重（相关大山雀）。我们还评估了噪音环境与生殖成功之间的关系。我们在约24小时内获得了噪声环境的长期测量结果，并表征了两个振幅（分别由LA _eq，LA _90， LA ₁₀，LA _max）和噪声水平的差异，因为噪声更加随机且噪声更大，可能更容易诱发压力。在我们的城市人口中，噪声水平变化很大，邻近高速公路区域的噪声较大，但变化较小。噪声水平也具有很高的可重复性，这表明个体在噪声暴露方面会经历一致的差异。巢箱附近的噪声幅度与较小但不是较大的巢成员中的端粒较短有关。另外，类胡萝卜素的色度和色调与平均和最大噪声水平的变化呈正相关，而平均反射率与背景噪声的变化呈负相关。不受噪声影响，色调与端粒长度呈正相关。雏鸟的繁殖质量和繁殖成功不受噪音影响。