Sex Associated Effects of Noise Pollution in Stone Sculpin (Paracottus knerii) as a Model Object in the Context of Human-Induced Rapid Environmental Change

SIMPLE SUMMARY: In this comprehensive multidisciplinary study, we applied a novel multilevel approach to stone sculpins Paracottus knerii Dybowski, 1874, as model organisms and test for the first time the hypothesis of sex-dependent differences in response to long-term noise exposure in fish. The results testify that the stone sculpin females appeared to experience excessive stress, while the males showed adaptive recalibrations. These effects may be explained by a unique adaptive strategy of offspring care in the stone sculpin males and their biological role in reproductive behavior within the species. The findings obtained may help to elucidate the links between noise exposure in the context of human-induced rapid environmental change (HIREC), long-term sex-related changes in fishes, and the possible further evolutionary success of a species. Such HIREC modeling not only provides information about the potential consequences under anthropogenic pressure but also can help identify the natural mechanisms of stress resistance in different species, including those related to sex, and also contribute to the development of effective environmental management practices. ABSTRACT: This work simulates the consequences of HIREC using stone sculpins as model organisms. Sex-dependent effects of long-term noise exposure at mean sound pressure levels of 160–179 dB re 1 μPa (SPL(pk–pk)) were measured. We applied a multilevel approach to testing the stress response: a comparative analysis of the macula sacculi and an assessment of hematological and molecular stress responses. Noise exposure resulted in hair cell loss, changes in some cytometric parameters in blood, and an increase in the number of functionally active mitochondria in the red blood cells of males and its decrease in females, demonstrating a mitochondrial allostatic load and depletion of functional reserve. Finally, a statistically significant decrease in the telomerase activity of the auditory epithelium and a shortening of telomere length in the brain as molecular markers of stress were observed after noise exposure only in females. No significant decrease in telomerase activity and shortening of telomere length in nerve target tissues were observed in stressed males. However, we recorded an increase in the telomerase activity in male gonads. This sex-dependent difference in load may be associated with accelerated cellular aging in females and lower stress-related long-term risk in males. In this article, we discuss possible reasons for these noise-induced stress effects.