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Monitoring soil fauna with ecoacoustics
Jake M Robinson1,2, Amy Annells1, Timothy R Cavagnaro1,2
1College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University , Bedford Park, SA 5042, Australia.
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|September 3, 2024
Summary
Ecoacoustics, or acoustic ecology, offers a novel method for monitoring soil fauna. This low-cost, non-intrusive technique can significantly improve soil biodiversity assessments and diagnostics for land management.
Area of Science:
- Ecoacoustics, also known as acoustic ecology, is an emerging scientific discipline.
- Focuses on the application of sound analysis for ecological monitoring.
Background:
- Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is established for tracking elusive species in terrestrial and aquatic environments.
- Soil ecosystems harbor significant biodiversity (59% of species), yet 75% are impacted by degradation.
- Current methods for soil biodiversity assessment are limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To illustrate the potential of ecoacoustics for monitoring soil fauna biodiversity.
- To highlight the opportunities and knowledge gaps in soil ecoacoustics.
- To propose a future research and development roadmap for soil ecoacoustics.
Main Methods:
- Description of sound sources within soil environments (biological, geological, anthropogenic).
- Assessment of acoustic technology's capability to detect and differentiate soil-borne sounds.
- Review of existing studies on soil ecoacoustics applications.
Main Results:
- Soil ecoacoustics can detect and differentiate various sound sources in the soil.
- Early studies demonstrate successful application across diverse ecosystems (grasslands, forests) and land uses (agriculture, natural areas).
- Soil ecoacoustics shows potential for 'soil health' diagnostics.
Conclusions:
- Soil ecoacoustics is a promising field for enhancing soil biodiversity monitoring.
- The method is cost-effective, minimally intrusive, and effective for biodiversity and biosecurity assessments.
- Advancement of soil ecoacoustics is advocated for future land management applications.
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