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Spatial heterogeneity of ambient sound at the habitat type level: ecological implications and applications

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Abstract

While spatial heterogeneity is one the most studied ecological concepts, few or no studies have dealt with the subject of ambient sound heterogeneity from an ecological perspective. Similarly to ambient light conditions, which have been shown to play a significant role in ecological speciation, we investigated the existence of ambient sound heterogeneity and its possible relation to habitat structure and specifically to habitat types (as syntaxonomically defined ecological units). Considering that the structure and composition of animal communities are habitat type specific and that acoustic signals produced by animals may be shaped by the habitat’s vegetation structure, natural soundscapes are likely to be habitat specific. We recorded ambient sound in four forest and two grassland habitat types in Northern Greece. Using digital signal techniques and machine learning algorithms (self organizing maps, random forests), we concluded that ambient sound is not only spatially heterogeneous, but is also directly related to habitat type structure, pointing towards the existence of habitat type specific acoustic signatures. We provide evidence of the importance of soundscape heterogeneity and ambient sound signatures and a possible solution to the social cues versus vegetation characteristics debate in habitat selection theory.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the input from Dr. EG Drakou, Dr. AD Mazaris and Dr. I Tsiripidis and Dr. J Tzanopoulos. DB would like to thank E Mandravelli, A Stamellou, V Tsiogka, S Theodoridis and Prof. T Lanaras for input in earlier versions of the paper. This work was partially supported by the Postgraduate Studies Programme “Conservation of Biodiversity and Sustainable Exploitation of Native Plants” at the Biology Department of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

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  1. Dimitrios Bormpoudakis

    Present address: Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Kent, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Postgraduate Studies Program Conservation of Biodiversity and Sustainable Exploitation of Native Plants, School of Biology, Aristotle University, 54124, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Dimitrios Bormpoudakis

  2. Department of Ecology, School of Biology, Aristotle University, UPB 119, 54124, Thessaloníki, Greece

    Dimitrios Bormpoudakis & John D. Pantis

  3. Département Sytématique et Evolution, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, UMR 7205 CNRS OSEB, 45 rue Buffon, 75005, Paris, France

    Jérôme Sueur

  4. School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, Reading, UK

    Dimitrios Bormpoudakis

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  1. Dimitrios Bormpoudakis
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  2. Jérôme Sueur
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  3. John D. Pantis
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Correspondence to Dimitrios Bormpoudakis.

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Bormpoudakis, D., Sueur, J. & Pantis, J.D. Spatial heterogeneity of ambient sound at the habitat type level: ecological implications and applications. Landscape Ecol 28, 495–506 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-013-9849-1

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