Using acoustic indices in ecology: Guidance on study design, analyses and interpretation

Methods in Ecology and Evolution, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 14(9), P. 2192 - 2204

Published: Aug. 10, 2023

Abstract The rise of passive acoustic monitoring and the rapid growth in large audio datasets is driving development analysis methods that allow ecological inferences to be drawn from data. Acoustic indices are currently one most widely applied tools ecoacoustics. These numerical summaries sound energy contained digital recordings relatively straightforward fast calculate but can challenging interpret. Misapplication misinterpretation have produced conflicting results led some question their value. To encourage better use indices, we provide nine points guidance support good study design, interpretation. We offer practical recommendations for both whole soundscapes individual taxa species, point emerging trends ecoacoustic analysis. In particular, highlight critical importance understanding links between soundscape patterns indices. insights into state organisms, populations, ecosystems, complementing other research techniques. Judicious selection, appropriate application thorough interpretation existing vital bolster robust developments ecoacoustics biodiversity monitoring, conservation future research.

Language: Английский

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Advancements in preprocessing, detection and classification techniques for ecoacoustic data: A comprehensive review for large-scale Passive Acoustic Monitoring

Expert Systems with Applications, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 252, P. 124220 - 124220

Published: May 16, 2024

Computational ecoacoustics has seen significant growth in recent decades, facilitated by the reduced costs of digital sound recording devices and data storage. This progress enabled continuous monitoring vocal fauna through Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM), a technique used to record analyse environmental sounds study animal behaviours their habitats. While collection ecoacoustic become more accessible, effective analysis this information understand monitor populations remains major challenge. survey paper presents state-of-the-art approaches, with focus on applicability large-scale PAM. We emphasise importance PAM, as it enables extensive geographical coverage monitoring, crucial for comprehensive biodiversity assessment understanding ecological dynamics over wide areas diverse approach is particularly vital face rapid changes, provides insights into effects these changes broad array species ecosystems. As such, we outline most challenging tasks, including pre-processing, visualisation, labelling, detection, classification. Each evaluated according its strengths, weaknesses overall suitability recommendations are made future research directions.

Language: Английский

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Soundscape classification with convolutional neural networks reveals temporal and geographic patterns in ecoacoustic data

Ecological Indicators, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 138, P. 108831 - 108831

Published: April 5, 2022

Interest in ecoacoustics has resulted an influx of acoustic data and novel methodologies to classify relate landscape sound activity biodiversity ecosystem health. However, indicators used summarize quantify the effects disturbances on can be inconsistent when applied across ecological gradients. This study dataset 487,148 min from 746 sites collected over 4 years Sonoma County, California, USA, by citizen scientists. We built a custom labeled soundscape components deep learning framework test our ability predict these components: human noise (Anthropophony), wildlife vocalizations (Biophony), weather phenomena (Geophony), Quiet periods, microphone Interference. These allowed us balance predicting variation environmental recordings relative time build dataset. patterns space that could useful for planning, conservation restoration, monitoring. describe pre-trained convolutional neural network, fine-tuned with reference data, classification achieving overall F0.75-score 0.88, precision 0.94, recall 0.80 five target components. deployed model all assess their hourly patterns. noted increase Biophony early morning evening, coinciding peak animal community vocalization (e.g., dawn chorus). Anthropophony increased during morning/daylight hours was lowest evenings, diurnal activity. Further, we examined related geographic properties at recording sites. decreased increasing distance major roads, while increased. were comparable more urban/developed agriculture/barren sites, significantly higher than less-developed shrubland, oak woodland, conifer forest results demonstrate broad is possible small datasets, classifications large gain knowledge.

Language: Английский

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Soundscape phenology: The effect of environmental and climatic factors on birds and insects in a subtropical woodland

The Science of The Total Environment, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 878, P. 163080 - 163080

Published: March 30, 2023

Climate change and biodiversity loss are significant global environmental issues. However, to understand their impacts we need know how fauna respond climatic variation over time. In this study, remote sensing techniques (satellite imagery passive acoustic recorders) were used investigate the in biophony different timescales, ranging from one day year, a sub-tropical woodland eastern Australia. The prominent sources of birds at dawn during day, nocturnal insects dusk night, diurnal (mainly cicadas) summer period December, January, February. While factors found be key drivers phenological response faunal groups, temperature, humidity interactions between humidity, moon illumination vegetation greenness most important overall. Using observed temperatures relative historical mean for each evaluated impact higher-than-average on calling activity. We that call less frequently days when temperature was hotter than average winter months (June, July, August), hot spring (September, October, November) meaning these groups can susceptible increase as consequence, example, climate change. This study demonstrates animal behaviour is affected by variables temporal scales. also utility assessing biodiversity. It highly recommended monitoring schemes assessments account changes variability, complex processes shaping communities.

Language: Английский

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Acoustic indices fail to represent different facets of biodiversity

Ecological Indicators, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 166, P. 112451 - 112451

Published: Aug. 5, 2024

Language: Английский

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An Exploration of Ecoacoustics and its Applications in Conservation Ecology

Biosystems, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 245, P. 105296 - 105296

Published: Aug. 15, 2024

Language: Английский

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Soundscape components inform acoustic index patterns and refine estimates of bird species richness

Frontiers in Remote Sensing, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 4

Published: May 15, 2023

Ecoacoustic monitoring has proliferated as autonomous recording units (ARU) have become more accessible. ARUs provide a non-invasive, passive method to assess ecosystem dynamics related vocalizing animal behavior and human activity. With the ever-increasing volume of acoustic data, field grappled with summarizing ecologically meaningful patterns in recordings. Almost 70 indices been developed that offer summarized measurements bioacoustic activity conditions. However, their systematic relationships varying sonic conditions are inconsistent lead non-trivial interpretations. We used an dataset over 725,000 min recordings across 1,195 sites Sonoma County, California, evaluate relationship between 15 established using five soundscape components classified convolutional neural network: anthropophony (anthropogenic sounds), biophony (biotic geophony (wind rain), quiet (lack emergent sound), interference (ARU feedback). generalized additive models ecoacoustic indicators avian diversity. Models included explained degrees performance (avg. adj-R 2 = 0.61 ± 0.16; n 1,195). For example, we found normalized difference index was most sensitive while being less influenced by ambient sound. all were affected non-biotic sound sources degrees. combined highly predictive modeling bird species richness (deviance 65.8%; RMSE 3.9 species; 1,185 sites) for targeted, morning-only periods. Our analyses demonstrate confounding effects on indices, recommend applications be based anticipated environments. instance, presence extensive rain wind, suggest minimally geophony. Furthermore, evidence measure biodiversity (bird richness) is aggregate biotic (biophony). This adds recent work identifies reliable generalizable biodiversity.

Language: Английский

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Large-scale recovery in Costa Rica's Payment for Ecosystem Service Program

bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: unknown

Published: Sept. 4, 2024

Abstract Costa Rica implemented the world’s first national-scale Payment for Ecosystem Service (PES) program in 1996 and now protects over 200,000 hectares. By distributing wealth towards local land-stewards, Rica’s has helped to limit deforestation at a national scale, but large-scale ecological implications have yet remained unclear. Here, we use massive ecoacoustic dataset evaluate how this impacted integrity of PES forests across entire Nicoya Peninsula. At times frequencies that are indicative native biological activity, reveal dramatic increases soundscapes, relative those natural protected areas. Specifically, regeneration sites were 97.79% more acoustically similar reference (absolute mean similarity 0.539) than they disturbed pastures, while acoustic recovery plantations lags behind (79.66%; 0.489). These findings strongly suggestive recovery, constituting some most robust evidence date restoration initiatives can benefit biodiversity on large spatial scales. Study overview pays landowners encourage forest compensate them opportunity costs. Most payments subsidize land ‘conservation’, which participants allow existing naturally regenerate. Some also offered produce timber through ‘plantations’, often monocultures exotic tree species. Despite program’s importance conservation efforts, little is known about whether these systems recovering their characteristics. To investigate dynamics program, recorded continuous 6-day soundscapes 119 Peninsula (Supplementary Figure 1). characterized 4 land-use types: (i) 19 (ii) 43 monoculture plantations, (iii) 39 sites, (iv) 18 forests. Sites from each type distributed Peninsula’s climate edaphic gradient, allowing us capture substantial variation outcomes. We determined areas space where animals vocalize responses likely be detected (Figure then identified what extent plantation had changed last 27 years. find regenerating within recovered substantially when compared forests, lag 3). Our reaffirm ecosystem conservation, suggesting redistributive policy mechanisms accelerate nature protection scale.

Language: Английский

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Classification and ecological relevance of soundscapes in urban informal settlements

People and Nature, Journal Year: 2023, Volume and Issue: 5(2), P. 742 - 757

Published: Feb. 9, 2023

Abstract Sound exerts wide‐ranging influence on humans. The quality of that depends the sound source and context in which it is perceived, but nature sounds are generally preferred by people associated with health well‐being benefits. In many environments, highly mixed giving rise to a multi‐source ‘soundscape’ may vary through days or seasons. complex dynamic soundscapes makes them challenging quantify classify rigorously compare their contributing sources quantitatively space time. We address this challenge developing an analytical procedure resulting generalized soundscape classification framework (i) elucidates dominant (e.g. biophony vs. anthrophony) (ii) can be used improve our understanding spatial temporal variation across different contexts. also knowledge gap urban research describing informal settlements Fiji Indonesia. Despite growing emphasis improving physical design life settlements, little known about these settings relationship human well‐being. identified seven classes representing relative dominance sustained geophony, dominated insect stridulation (iii) bird song, anthrophony (iv) machines, (v) vehicles, (vi) voices (vii) mixture former. These were applicable both Indonesia differed prevalence between countries, times day seasons expected ways. Future automatic sorting new data into provided supervised model attained overall testing accuracy 94% Cohen's kappa 0.93. Our yields broadly applicable, informative indicative sources, including natural sounds, have effects health. Therefore, conjunction health, well‐being, economic data, aid development, assessment scaling sustainable solutions for liveable cities especially settlement environments. Read free Plain Language Summary article Journal blog.

Language: Английский

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A New Acoustic Index Provides Information on the Status of Coral Reefs: Biophonic Frequency Index

Published: Jan. 1, 2024

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Language: Английский

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