Jose david palacios
Sounds of the Tropics: Part 1
How can audio recordings improve tropical biodiversity conservation?
Laura J. May-Collado
, (University of Vermont)
Marconi Campos-Cerqueira
, and (Rainforest Connection)
T. Mitchell Aide
(University of Puerto Rico)
Want to learn about tropical animals?
Listen to what they are saying.
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.
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