{"title":"Slope does not affect autonomous recorder detection shape: considerations for acoustic monitoring in forested landscapes","authors":"Taylor Shaw, S. Müller, M. Scherer‐Lorenzen","doi":"10.1080/09524622.2021.1925590","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT To date, there are no published guidelines on how to optimally install recorders on sloped terrain, although slope could potentially affect a recorder’s detection space. This study experimentally investigated the effect of microphone orientation in relation to slope of recorders from two cost classes. We installed four recorders at each plot centre (n = 16), oriented either parallel or perpendicular to the slope. We played standard tones of 1–11 kHz at distances of 10, 20, 40 and 80 m from the recorders. Our two response variables were the presence/absence of each tone (coarse spatial scale) and predicted sound extinction distance (fine spatial scale), which were tested for effects of microphone orientation and sound source direction (SSD). We observed a significant effect of microphone orientation on extinction distance when recorders were perpendicular to the slope at the finer spatial scale as an interaction with SSD, indicating that microphones are biased towards the direction they face. Despite the advertised directionality of most recorder microphones, detection space is not circular. This trend was observed across all frequencies, for both high- and low-cost recorders. Microphone orientation in relation to slope is not an important methodological consideration, instead dominant factors such as frequency and prevailing wind direction drive detection space shape.","PeriodicalId":55385,"journal":{"name":"Bioacoustics-The International Journal of Animal Sound and Its Recording","volume":"31 1","pages":"261 - 282"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5000,"publicationDate":"2021-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1080/09524622.2021.1925590","citationCount":"5","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Bioacoustics-The International Journal of Animal Sound and Its Recording","FirstCategoryId":"99","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/09524622.2021.1925590","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ZOOLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 5
Abstract
ABSTRACT To date, there are no published guidelines on how to optimally install recorders on sloped terrain, although slope could potentially affect a recorder’s detection space. This study experimentally investigated the effect of microphone orientation in relation to slope of recorders from two cost classes. We installed four recorders at each plot centre (n = 16), oriented either parallel or perpendicular to the slope. We played standard tones of 1–11 kHz at distances of 10, 20, 40 and 80 m from the recorders. Our two response variables were the presence/absence of each tone (coarse spatial scale) and predicted sound extinction distance (fine spatial scale), which were tested for effects of microphone orientation and sound source direction (SSD). We observed a significant effect of microphone orientation on extinction distance when recorders were perpendicular to the slope at the finer spatial scale as an interaction with SSD, indicating that microphones are biased towards the direction they face. Despite the advertised directionality of most recorder microphones, detection space is not circular. This trend was observed across all frequencies, for both high- and low-cost recorders. Microphone orientation in relation to slope is not an important methodological consideration, instead dominant factors such as frequency and prevailing wind direction drive detection space shape.
期刊介绍:
Bioacoustics primarily publishes high-quality original research papers and reviews on sound communication in birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, fish, insects and other invertebrates, including the following topics :
-Communication and related behaviour-
Sound production-
Hearing-
Ontogeny and learning-
Bioacoustics in taxonomy and systematics-
Impacts of noise-
Bioacoustics in environmental monitoring-
Identification techniques and applications-
Recording and analysis-
Equipment and techniques-
Ultrasound and infrasound-
Underwater sound-
Bioacoustical sound structures, patterns, variation and repertoires