Anthropogenic noise of variable temporal patterns is increasing in both marine and freshwater systems. Aquatic animals often rely on sounds for communication and orientation, which may therefore become more difficult. Predator–prey interactions may be affected by masking of auditory cues, sound-related disturbance or attentional interference. Here, we investigated the impact on both predator and prey for zebrafish, Danio rerio, preying on water fleas, Daphnia magna. We experimentally raised ambient sound levels in an aquarium and tested four sound conditions that varied in temporal pattern: continuous, fast and slow regular intermittent and irregular intermittent, which we compared with ambient sound levels with no extra exposure.
