Interpretation and Analysis of the “Heartbeat of the City” Using Acoustic Signatures

The health of an ecosystem may be determined by the sounds produced in a particular environment. The types of emanating environmental sounds depend on habitat type, the mosaic of habitats within the landscape, the time of day and season of year, as well as many other critical components. Patterns of acoustic signals therefore reflect the dynamics of biological, social, and physical systems within each landscape. Many groups of animals produce sound and use acoustic signals to communicate information such as mating potential, territory size, and potential predation. When human-made interference disrupts animal communication, critical information is not relayed and populations may decline (Krause 1998).

With the growth of human populations and their subsequent expansion away from urban centers, dramatic changes in the soundscape often occur. The investigation into how acoustic patterns influence habitat quality and reflect that habitat's ability to sustain its array of organisms is therefore of critical importance.

Objectives

• Monitor acoustic signatures across an urban rural gradient.
• Analyze long-term acoustic patterns in relation to land use and land cover changes.
• Develop a better understanding of the complex ecological interactions critical to ecosystem function.

Methods

Environmental acoustic signals are being recorded at twenty-eight sampling sites selected from two transects: one crossing from northeast Lansing (Bath) to southwest Lansing (Delta Township), and the other crossing from northwest Lansing (DeWitt) to southeast Lansing (Mason). Both transects cross at the Capitol Building in downtown Lansing. All sites are spaced at one-mile intervals. Recordings are made for two consecutive days every two weeks, starting September 6, 2005, and continuing until December 2006.