Over the past century, anthropogenic noise has increased in marine environments, with well-documented effects on marine mammals, but limited research on invertebrates, particularly cephalopods. This study investigates the impacts of chronic, moderate-level low-frequency noise on the embryonic and physical development, hatching success, and early feeding behavior of S. officinalis. We found that noise exposure at 130 dB re 1 μPa² and 170 Hz during embryonic development resulted in subtle developmental differences, and similar hatching success and timing in both treatments. Surprisingly, juveniles exposed to noise displayed improved feeding performance, with shorter attack latencies and higher success for all prey, declining in performance when prey difficulty increased. Three potential mechanisms explain feeding enhancements: cross-modal sensory enhancement, reliance on visual cues, and optimal arousal state. The decrease in performance based on cognitive demand agrees with the Yerkes-Dodson hypothesis. A novel theory suggests sound waves may enhance detections of changes to the polarized light field. Overall, moderate levels of low-frequency noise exhibit complex, context-dependent effects on cephalopods, indicating that noise may incur energetic costs during development and improve feeding performance dependent on task complexity. This research underscores the need for further investigation into the long-term consequences of chronic noise exposure on marine life.
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