The last time you took a walk through the woods or a meadow, you may have admired the towering trees, a boldly patterned butterfly, or a beautifully plumaged bird. But were you aware of the sounds around you—from both wildlife and human sources?
This complete set of sounds is called a “soundscape.”
Animals use soundscapes to gather information about their surroundings: from the location of food and potential mates, to the presence of predators. Tufted titmice, for example, give alarm calls when they detect a predator, such as a Red-shouldered Hawk. Other animals eavesdrop on these alarm calls to avoid being eaten.
Soundscapes also help researchers monitor the presence and abundance of wildlife, as well as the impact of environmental change. The absence of landscape sounds due to the disappearance of sensitive species might warn us of the effects of climate change or pollutants.
Researchers monitor and manipulate soundscapes using recordings and audio devices.
“If you experimentally play chipmunk calls, for instance, then ground-nesting birds will avoid those areas.”
Ken Schmidt, of Texas Tech University, has been researching soundscapes on the Cary Institute’s grounds…
“If you play back the calls of fledglings late in the breeding season, those sites – 9 or 10 months later – tend to be occupied more often by breeding birds. So it suggests that individuals might actually prospect on the success of their neighbors late in the season and carry that information with them for 9 or 10 months and use that to choose similar sites the following year.”
Humans aren’t the only animals that benefit from eavesdropping on their neighbors.
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Web Extra
Full interview with Ken Schmidt of Texas Tech University…
[audio:http://wamcradio.org/EarthWise/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/schmidt_full.mp3|titles=schmidt_full]
Photo, taken on May 16, 2004, courtesy of Marilyn Peddle via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Support for Earth Wise comes from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, NY, with partial support from the Field Day Foundation.