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Fig. 8.6
Comparison
between a map of counts of
soil invertebrates (
a
) and a
contour map of estimated
invertebrates (
b
) by using
an acoustic method
(Reproduced with
permission from
Brandhorst-Hubbard
et al.
2001
)
a
No. inver-
tebrates
5-16
4
3
2
0-1
b
91 m
61
30
0
0
No. inver-
tebrates
30
9.94
8.14
6.34
4.54
2.74
0.94
61
-0.86
91 m
Some reptiles use vibrations produced by their prey for hunting. Vegetation
vibration has been proved to orient fossorial moles toward vegetation clumps rich in
insect food. Soil percussion is also a common mechanism used by elephants to
communicate at great distance.
Insects and arthropods use vibrations extensively to communicate or to escape
predators. Well documented is the case of
Diplocardia mississippiensis
, an earth-
worm that emerges from the soil after vibration is produced in the soil using a
“grunting” device. This behavior is explained as a strategy utilized by the worms to
escape hunting by moles.
It is disputed if ants have hearing systems or body vibrational sensing, but their
capacity to react to soil vibrations is surprisingly rapid. Substrate-borne vibrations
are extensively used by animals to locate mate, prey, and predators, as in the well-
documented case of antlion larvae.
Despite the scarcity of studies, soil monitoring appears a promising field of
research. Sound prospecting of the soil requires that standard microphones are
integrated with piezoelectric microphones, geophones, and accelerometers to cap-
ture airborne and soilborne vibrations.
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