Perspectives on the Ecological Role of Geophysical Sounds
Farina A. Mullet T.C. Bazarbayeva T.A. Tazhibayeva T. Bulatova D. Li P.
20 December 2021Frontiers Media S.A.
Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
2021#9
Humans categorize unwanted sounds in the environment as noise. Consequently, noise is associated with negative human and ecological values, especially when it is derived from an anthropogenic source. Although evidence confirms that many machine-generated anthropogenic sounds have negative impacts on animal behavior and communication, natural sources of non-biological sound, such as wind, rain, running water, and sea waves (geophonies) have also been categorized as noise and are frequently dismissed or mischaracterized in acoustic studies as an outside factor of acoustic habitats rather than an integrated sonic component of ecological processes and species adaptations. While the proliferation of machine-generated sound in the Biosphere has become an intrusive phenomenon in recent history, geophony has shaped the Earth’s sonic landscapes for billions of years. Therefore, geophonies have very important sonic implications to the evolution and adaptation of soniferous species, forming essential ecological and semiotical relationships. This creates a need to distinguish geophonies from machine-generated sounds and how species respond to each accordingly, especially given their acoustic similarities in the frequency spectrum. Here, we introduce concepts and terminology that address these differences in the context of ecoacoustics. We also discuss how Acoustic Complexity Indices (ACIs) can offer new possibilities to quantifiably evaluate geophony in relation to their sonic contest. Copyright
ecoacoustics , geophonies , natural quiet , noise , sonic signature
Text of the article Перейти на текст статьи
Department of Pure and Applied Sciences, Urbino University, Urbino, Italy
Kenai Fjords National Park, U.S. National Park Service, Seward, AK, United States
Department of UNESCO on Sustainable Development, Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
Department of Pure and Applied Sciences
Kenai Fjords National Park
Department of UNESCO on Sustainable Development
Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders
10 лет помогаем публиковать статьи Международный издатель
Книга Публикация научной статьи Волощук 2026 Book Publication of a scientific article 2026