Functional response of soniferous organisms to change in landscape structures and acoustic properties

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Sounds can interfere with conspecific communication, predator detection, foraging success, vigilance, and habitat selection. Yet, quantifying the effect of sounds on wildlife has been notoriously challenging because changes in acoustic properties are often confounded with the presence of specific landscape structures and loss of habitat. Although a few landscape-scale experiments have demonstrated the effects of anthropogenic sounds per se on the activity level of organisms in terrestrial ecosystems, they have yet to be replicated in many habitat types or with other taxonomic groups. Sensory ecology theory proposes that modalities like vision, audition and olfaction determine habitat selection and behavioural adaptation by organisms. It portrays the environment as a mosaic of signals (e.g., visual structures, sounds and smells) interacting with the sensorial system of organisms. In singing insects and other soniferous organisms, auditory and visual acuity are in large part attributable to anatomic constraints imposed on sound-producing organs and eye diameter. Understanding of the above sensorial traits allows us hypothesize which species are the most sensitive to landscape and soundscape changes. The short-term objective of the proposed research program is twofold: i) to establish experimental areas with modifiable landscape structures that alter sound propagation and ii) to evaluate the functional response of soniferous organisms to change in landscape structures and acoustic properties. For this purpose, we will use singing insects (Orthoptera order, Ensifera suborder) as model communities. The proposed research program consists of two main work packages. The first aims to establish experimental acoustic landscapes in herbaceous ecosystems under different management regimes. The second seeks to evaluate the synergistic, additive or confounded effects of change to landscapes structures and acoustic properties on singing insect communities. The experiment implements a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) design and replicate treatments. We will deploy AudiomothTM sound recorders inside each experimental landscape to characterize acoustic properties, the presence of Ensifera species and their singing behaviour. The proposed research activities will use in situ experiments to evaluate the response of soniferous species to change in landscape structures and acoustic properties. This will represent one of the first few attempts to manipulate whole landscapes experimentally. We will train a new generation of HQPs that can use and develop rapid assessment tools for monitoring soniferous animal communities at high resolution in space and time. HQPs will receive a formal training in eco-acoustics, landscape ecology and conservation biology.