MEFB 545 (02) - Field Bioacoustics and Soundscape Ecology

In this course students will gain hands-on introductory experience in bioacoustics and soundscape ecology research, including biological concepts behind animals' sound production and hearing, skills for deploying acoustic sensors in terrestrial and underwater habitats, and acoustic data analysis methods. The course will consist of several lectures covering fundamental concepts in acoustics, soundscapes, and digital sound signal processing. The majority of class time will be spent deploying and recovering acoustic sensors and conducting experiments in the field, as well as in computer-lab sessions to analyze and summarize collected data. We will primarily focus on "Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM)" which involves non-invasive recording of sounds present in an environment (i.e., soundscapes) with microphones (when deployed on land) or hydrophones (when deployed underwater). Gulls and other seabird residents of the Isles of Shoals will be the main focal animals for terrestrial field work, and opportunistic recordings may be made of other vocalizing animal inhabitants including mammals, fishes, and invertebrates. Students will further learn how to study the contributions of anthropogenic sounds (i.e., from human-made sources) to natural soundscapes. Students will also conduct field-based acoustic playback experiments to study how different properties of gull vocalizations influence gull behavior.