Emerging opportunities and challenges for passive acoustics in ecological assessment and monitoring

Methods in Ecology and Evolution, Journal Year: 2018, Volume and Issue: 10(2), P. 169 - 185

Published: Oct. 6, 2018

Abstract High‐throughput environmental sensing technologies are increasingly central to global monitoring of the ecological impacts human activities. In particular, recent boom in passive acoustic sensors has provided efficient, noninvasive, and taxonomically broad means study wildlife populations communities, monitor their responses change. However, until recently, technological costs constraints have largely confined research ( PAM ) a handful taxonomic groups (e.g., bats, cetaceans, birds), often relatively small‐scale, proof‐of‐concept studies. The arrival low‐cost, open‐source is now rapidly expanding access technologies, making it vital evaluate where these tools can contribute broader efforts ecology biodiversity research. Here, we synthesise critically assess current emerging opportunities challenges for assessment both species communities. We show that terrestrial marine applications advancing rapidly, facilitated by sensor hardware, application machine learning innovations automated call identification, work towards developing indicators. scope remains constrained limited availability reference sound libraries audio processing tools, especially tropics, lack clarity around accuracy, transferability limitations many analytical methods. order improve possibilities globally, emphasise need collaborative develop standardised survey analysis protocols, publicly archived libraries, multiyear datasets, more robust theoretical framework vocalising animal

Language: Английский

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Autonomous recording units in avian ecological research: current use and future applications

Avian Conservation and Ecology, Journal Year: 2017, Volume and Issue: 12(1)

Published: Jan. 1, 2017

Shonfield, J., and E. M. Bayne. 2017. Autonomous recording units in avian ecological research: current use future applications. Avian Conservation Ecology 12(1):14. https://doi.org/10.5751/ACE-00974-120114

Language: Английский

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A Comprehensive Overview of Technologies for Species and Habitat Monitoring and Conservation

BioScience, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 71(10), P. 1038 - 1062

Published: June 24, 2021

The range of technologies currently used in biodiversity conservation is staggering, with innovative uses often adopted from other disciplines and being trialed the field. We provide first comprehensive overview current (2020) landscape technology, encompassing for monitoring wildlife habitats, as well on-the-ground management (e.g., fighting illegal activities). cover both established (routinely deployed conservation, backed by substantial field experience scientific literature) novel or technology applications (typically at trial stage, only recently conservation), providing examples types. describe that deploy sensors are fixed portable, attached to vehicles (terrestrial, aquatic, airborne) animals (biologging), complemented a section on tracking. last two sections actuators computing (including web platforms, algorithms, artificial intelligence).

Language: Английский

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An overview of the history, current contributions and future outlook of iNaturalist in Australia

Wildlife Research, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 48(4), P. 289 - 303

Published: March 18, 2021

Citizen science initiatives and the data they produce are increasingly common in ecology, conservation biodiversity monitoring. Although quality of citizen has historically been questioned, biases can be detected corrected for, allowing these to become comparable professionally collected data. Consequently, is being integrated with professional science, collection at unprecedented spatial temporal scales. iNaturalist one most popular platforms globally, more than 1.4 million users having contributed over 54 observations. Australia top contributing nation southern hemisphere, four nations 1.6 observations 36 000 identified species by almost 27 users. Despite platform’s success, there few holistic syntheses contributions iNaturalist, especially for Australia. Here, we outline history from an Australian perspective, summarise, taxonomically, temporally spatially, platform. We conclude discussing important future directions maximise usefulness ecological research, policy.

Language: Английский

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Solo: an open source, customizable and inexpensive audio recorder for bioacoustic research

Methods in Ecology and Evolution, Journal Year: 2016, Volume and Issue: 8(3), P. 308 - 312

Published: Oct. 13, 2016

Summary Audio recorders are widely used in terrestrial and marine ecology essential for studying many cryptic or elusive taxa. Although several commercial systems available, they often expensive rarely user‐serviceable easily customized. Here, we present the Solo audio recorder. Units constructed from Raspberry Pi single board computer run easy‐to‐install freely available software. We provide an example configuration costing £167 (£83 excluding suggested memory card battery), which records audible sound continuously c. 40 days. also a video tutorial showing hardware assembly documentation is via supporting website. The recorder has been extensively field tested temperate tropical regions, with over 50 000 h of collected to date. This highly customizable inexpensive system could greatly increase scale ease conducting bioacoustic studies.

Language: Английский

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It's time to listen: there is much to be learned from the sounds of tropical ecosystems

Biotropica, Journal Year: 2018, Volume and Issue: 50(5), P. 713 - 718

Published: July 22, 2018

Abstract Knowledge that can be gained from acoustic data collection in tropical ecosystems is low‐hanging fruit. There every reason to record and with day, there are fewer excuses not do it. In recent years, the cost of recorders has decreased substantially (some purchased for under US $50, e.g., Hill et al . 2018) technology needed store analyze continuously improving (e.g., Corrada Bravo 2017, Xie 2017). Soundscape recordings provide a permanent site at given time contain wealth invaluable irreplaceable information. Although challenges remain, failure collect now would represent future generations researchers citizens benefit ecological research. this commentary, we (1) argue need increase monitoring systems; (2) describe types research questions conservation issues addressed passive ( PAM ) using both short‐ long‐term terrestrial freshwater habitats; (3) present an initial plan establishing global repository recordings.

Language: Английский

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Avian SDMs: current state, challenges, and opportunities

Journal of Avian Biology, Journal Year: 2017, Volume and Issue: 48(12), P. 1483 - 1504

Published: Oct. 23, 2017

Quantifying species distributions using distribution models (SDMs) has emerged as a central method in modern biogeography. These empirical link occurrence data with spatial environmental information. Since their emergence the 1990s, thousands of scientific papers have used SDMs to study organisms across entire tree life, birds commanding considerable attention. Here, we review current state avian and point challenges future opportunities for specific applications, ranging from conservation biology, invasive predicting seabird distributions, more general topics such modeling diversity, niche evolution seasonal at biogeographic scale. While been criticized being phenomenological nature, inability explicitly account variety processes affecting populations, conclude that they remain powerful tool learn about past, current, – least when limitations assumptions are recognized addressed. We close our by providing an outlook on prospects synergies other disciplines which can play important role.

Language: Английский

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Observing the unwatchable: Integrating automated sensing, naturalistic observations and animal social network analysis in the age of big data

Journal of Animal Ecology, Journal Year: 2020, Volume and Issue: 90(1), P. 62 - 75

Published: Oct. 6, 2020

In the 4.5 decades since Altmann (1974) published her seminal paper on methods for observational study of behaviour, automated detection and analysis social interaction networks have fundamentally transformed ways that ecologists behaviour. Methodological developments collecting data remotely behaviour involve indirect inference associations, direct recordings interactions machine vision. These recent technological advances are improving scale resolution with which we can dissect among animals. They also revealing new intricacies animal at spatial temporal resolutions as well in ecological contexts been hidden from humans, making unwatchable seeable. We first outline how these applications permitting researchers to collect exquisitely detailed information little observer bias. further recognize emerging challenges reality-mining approaches. While automating collection its moving an unprecedented rate, urge thoughtfully combine tools classic behavioural monitoring place our understanding within fundamental biological contexts.

Language: Английский

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Species Richness (of Insects) Drives the Use of Acoustic Space in the Tropics

Remote Sensing, Journal Year: 2017, Volume and Issue: 9(11), P. 1096 - 1096

Published: Oct. 27, 2017

Acoustic ecology, or ecoacoustics, is a growing field that uses sound as tool to evaluate animal communities. In this manuscript, we recordings from eight tropical forest sites vary in species richness, relatively low diversity Caribbean megadiverse Amazonian forest, with the goal of understanding relationship between acoustic space use (ASU) and across different taxonomic groups. For each site, determined morphospecies richness composition biophony, used global biodiversity dataset estimate regional birds. Here, demonstrate how detailed information on activity patterns community (<22 kHz) can easily be visualized ASU by aggregating collected over short periods (4–13 days). We show strong positive richness. Premontane had highest while dry montane lower Furthermore, insect was best predictor variation total ASU, proportionally greater at high-diversity sites. addition, insects broad range frequencies, including high frequencies (>8000 Hz), which contributed ASU. This novel approach for analyzing presence multiple groups contributes our ecological dynamics provides useful monitoring context restoration climate change conservation biology.

Language: Английский

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A roadmap for survey designs in terrestrial acoustic monitoring

Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation, Journal Year: 2019, Volume and Issue: 6(3), P. 220 - 235

Published: Nov. 13, 2019

Abstract Passive acoustic monitoring ( PAM ) is increasingly popular in ecological research and conservation programs, with high‐volume long‐term data collection provided by automatized sensors offering unprecedented opportunities for faunal ecosystem surveys. Practitioners newcomers interested can easily find technical specifications microphones, but guidelines on how to plan survey designs are largely scattered over the literature. Here, we (i) review spatial temporal sampling used passive monitoring, (ii) provide a synthesis of crucial aspects design (iii) propose workflow optimize recording autonomy schedules. From 1992 2018, most 460 studies applying terrestrial environments have single recorder per site, covered broad scales rotated recorders between sites effort. Continuous specific diel periods was main procedure used. When schedules were applied, larger number recordings hour generally associated smaller length. For design, proposed estimate memory/battery costs, assess signal detectability order recover maximum biological information evaluate cost‐benefit scenarios effort budget address potential biases from given design. Establishing standards will improve quality inferences scope promote essential standardization cross‐scale understand biodiversity trends changing world.

Language: Английский

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