1. Understanding how collective behaviour of animals is influenced by anthropogenic activity is important for their conservation in an increasingly urbanised world. River infrastructure, e.g. for transport and electricity generation, and associated construction and operation, produces sound that can disrupt ecological processes.
2. Adopting a reductionist manipulative experimental approach using Eurasian minnow (Phoxinus phoxinus) as a model shoaling species, we compared the response of individuals and groups of five fish to a broadband acoustic stimulus in a tank containing still water.
3. Four metrics were calculated 10 min immediately before (control–sound stimulus absent) and during the acoustic treatment: (1) swimming speed, (2) persistence of swim paths, (3) cohesion of the group, and (4) orientation of group members.
4. On presentation of the stimulus, groups exhibited a consistent escape response compared to individuals for which behaviour was more variable. Thereafter, individuals swam faster and their swim paths were less persistent than during the control; no difference was observed for groups. Conversely, group integrity became more cohesive and members were more likely to orient in a common direction during the treatment compared to the control.
5. This study provides insight into the importance of collective behaviour of fish in relation to antipredator‐like response to anthropogenic noise. Short‐term shifts in behaviour are context specific and depend on whether fish are members of a shoal or solitary. The results indicate the potential for negative impacts of unnatural sound on the ecology of shoaling species that inhabit engineered freshwater environments.

中文翻译：

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声学对浅水鱼浅滩集体行为的影响

1. 了解动物的集体行为如何受到人为活动的影响对于在日益城市化的世界中保护动物至关重要。河流基础设施（例如用于运输和发电的基础设施以及相关的建设和运营）产生的声音会破坏生态过程。
2. 通过使用欧亚min鱼（Phoxinus phoxinus）作为模型暗沙物种的还原主义操纵性实验方法，我们在装有静水的水箱中比较了五条鱼的个体和群体对宽带声刺激的响应。
3. 在声学治疗前10分钟（不存在对照声刺激）和声学处理期间，计算了四个指标：（1）游泳速度，（2）泳道的持久性，（3）组的凝聚力和（4）组的方向成员。
4. 在刺激的表现下，与行为更易变化的个体相比，群体表现出一致的逃避反应。此后，与对照组相比，个体游泳更快，游泳路径的持久性降低。各组均未观察到差异。相反，与对照组相比，在治疗过程中，组的整体性更加凝聚，成员更倾向于朝着共同的方向。
5. 这项研究提供了有关鱼类集体行为与对人为噪声的类似反捕食者反应的重要性的见解。行为的短期变化取决于具体情况，并取决于鱼是浅滩鱼还是单身鱼。结果表明，不自然的声音可能对居住在工程淡水环境中的浅滩物种的生态产生负面影响。