Patterns and dynamics of (bird) soundscapes: A biosemiotic interpretation
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Almo Farina
Almo Farina (b. 1950) is a full professor at Urbino University 〈almo.farina@uniurb.it〉. His research interests include landscape ecology, soundscape ecology, and biosemiotics. His publications include “Il Paesaggio cognitivo” (2008); “Teorie ecologiche e società umane: verso l'ecologia del sociale. I nuovi paradigmi dello sviluppo” (2009);Ecology, cognition, and landscape (2010); and “A biosemiotic perspective of the resource criterion: Toward a general theory of resources” (2011).
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Nadia Pieretti
Nadia Pieretti (b. 1982) is a postdoc at the University of Urbino 〈nadia.pieretti@uniurb.it〉. Her research interests include soundscape research, acoustic recordings, and animal behavior. Her publications include “Soundscape Ecology: The Science of Sound in the Landscape” (with B. Pijanowski et al. 2011); “Avian soundscapes and cognitive landscapes: theory, application and ecological perspectives” (with A. Farina et al., 2011).Rachele Malavasi (b. 1980) is an independent researcher 〈rachele.malavasi@gmail.com〉. Her research interests include animal cognition, animal acoustic communication, and animal welfare. Her publications include “Seasonal changes in bird assemblages of a remnant wetland in a Mediterranean landscape: Implications for management” (with C. Battisti & C. Carpaneto, 2009); and “Breeding and wintering bird assemblages in a mediterranean wetland: A comparison using a diversity/dominance approach” (with C. Battisti & C. Carpaneto, 2009).
Abstract
The soundscape, which is defined as the entire acoustic environment of an area, is a relevant biosemiotic ingredient of environmental complexity. It is composed of geophonies, anthrophonies, and biophonies where, in temperate biomes, birds are the major producers of the latter. The soundscape is heterogeneous in terms of space and time, and is affected by landscape features such as vegetation cover (patch size and shape, length of edges, etc.). It also operates as a communication network in which intra- and inter-specific interactions create a complex, eavesdropping-broadcasting network, namely, the soundtope. This acoustic context provides public information for tracking resources like territory, mates, food, safety, and roosting sites and it can be considered a multifunctional eco-field. The Acoustic Complexity Index (ACI) is a new metric that is used to efficiently process the sound files that, when collected by sampling matrixes, return by interpolation the spatial distribution of a soundscape. High quality soundscapes are sought to guarantee the biosemiotic mechanisms among species, but polluted conditions (noisy acoustic environment of anthropogenic origin) degrade and mask biophonies, thus reducing communication efficiency, with severe consequences for both individual and collective fitness. Preserving high quality soundscapes is therefore an important conservation issue and a target to aim for if we are to assure animal and human wellbeing.
About the authors
Almo Farina (b. 1950) is a full professor at Urbino University 〈almo.farina@uniurb.it〉. His research interests include landscape ecology, soundscape ecology, and biosemiotics. His publications include “Il Paesaggio cognitivo” (2008); “Teorie ecologiche e società umane: verso l'ecologia del sociale. I nuovi paradigmi dello sviluppo” (2009); Ecology, cognition, and landscape (2010); and “A biosemiotic perspective of the resource criterion: Toward a general theory of resources” (2011).
Nadia Pieretti (b. 1982) is a postdoc at the University of Urbino 〈nadia.pieretti@uniurb.it〉. Her research interests include soundscape research, acoustic recordings, and animal behavior. Her publications include “Soundscape Ecology: The Science of Sound in the Landscape” (with B. Pijanowski et al. 2011); “Avian soundscapes and cognitive landscapes: theory, application and ecological perspectives” (with A. Farina et al., 2011).
Rachele Malavasi (b. 1980) is an independent researcher 〈rachele.malavasi@gmail.com〉. Her research interests include animal cognition, animal acoustic communication, and animal welfare. Her publications include “Seasonal changes in bird assemblages of a remnant wetland in a Mediterranean landscape: Implications for management” (with C. Battisti & C. Carpaneto, 2009); and “Breeding and wintering bird assemblages in a mediterranean wetland: A comparison using a diversity/dominance approach” (with C. Battisti & C. Carpaneto, 2009).
©2014 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin/Boston
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