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Sounds of the Tropics: Part 1. How can audio recordings improve tropical biodiversity conservation?

Author(s): Laura May-Collado1, Marconi Campos-Cerqueira2, T. Mitchell Aide3

1. University of Vermont 2. Rainforest Connection 3. University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras

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Summary:
This online module explores the terminology of sound and concepts of acoustic monitoring, the diversity of sounds produced by animals, how to study soundscapes, how humans modify soundscapes, and applications of acoustic ecology for tropical…

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This online module explores the terminology of sound and concepts of acoustic monitoring, the diversity of sounds produced by animals, how to study soundscapes, how humans modify soundscapes, and applications of acoustic ecology for tropical biodiversity.

Licensed under CC Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International according to these terms

Version 1.0 - published on 24 Jul 2023 doi:10.25334/1HWS-P289 - cite this

Keywords

  1. animal behavior
  2. Acoustic ecology
  3. soundscapes
  4. passive acoustical monitoring

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Description

Overview of Module:

Detailed and long-term assessments of biodiversity are often limited by costly and labor-intensive survey methods. Thus, most studies cover only a small area for a short time. Biodiversity conservation and management professionals need better information. An innovative and cost-effective solution is to study the sounds of nature and the environment.  This approach allows researchers to remotely study how individuals and populations interact with the environment with minimal intervention.

Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) recorders in the field capture all sounds, i.e., the soundscape.  Given that many aquatic and terrestrial animals emit species-specific sounds, we can use this information to study species distributions, behavior, population dynamics, community structure, and the impact of human activity.

In this case, you will learn about the basics of sound, who makes sounds, and how we can turn sound into useful information for ecological and conservation studies. You will learn how sounds are being used to restore coral reefs and how urban bird populations have responded to the COVID-19 shutdowns.

Learning Objectives: Learn the terminology of sound and concepts of acoustic monitoring.

  • Explore the diversity of sounds produced by animals.
  • Understand how researchers study soundscapes.
  • Learn how humans are modifying soundscapes around the world.
  • Explore applications of acoustic ecology for tropical biodiversity conservation

 

Support was provided by: A grant from the United States National Science Foundation (DBI-RCN-UBE 1919640 and 2120141).

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