Soundscape and Landscape Ecology - Soundscape Ecology: Principles, Patterns, Methods and Applications - page 19

1.10.2 Definition of Soundtope
The soundtope is the acoustic result of a volunteer organized (coordinated) assem-
blage of vocalizing animals that has as prevalent proxies the behavior of the
members. Soundtope can be considered a coordinated vocalization used as a
strategy to reduce the risk for intrusion of foreign individuals in a local community.
Soundtope is a potential subdivision of a sonotope and is created only by the
contribution of biophonies (Fig. 1.10 ). In fact, is the result of active intra- and
interspecific communication uttered especially at times of dawn and dusk.
A soundtope allows an active and passive exchange of information among
collaborative members of a community. Intensity, duration, and interaction of the
vocalizations depend on complex mechanism of semetic interactions (sensu
Hoffmeyer 2008 ). Soundtopes are particularly evident at dawn and at dusk (for
birds) and can be considered the behavioristic interpretation of a chorus.
Soundtopes are fundamental sonic patterns that are created by members of a
community with specific goals and which seem in some measure independent
from environmental constraints. In birds, soundtope structure emerges especially
at dawn and at dusk, known by the general name of choruses.
A chorus is a dimensionless phenomenon composed of different soundtopes that
are characterized by temporary, coordinated vocalizations. When a soundtope is
active, a large amount of information is transmitted between the members of this
aggregation. Soundtopes have a core area and a buffer area; at the border we can
distinguish the “soundtope sonotone” in which transient eavesdropping individuals
set the strength of the soundtope.
According to a biosemiotic perspective, the soundtope represents any type of
sonic eco-field (sonic field) for the location of some specific resources, such as
“abundance of resources” or “abundance of nesting sites.”
Soundtopes have more information than the sonotopes because the spatial
arrangement of vocal animals is not simply determined by environmental
constraints (vegetation, exposition, etc.) but also by behavioral processes (compe-
tition, courtship, etc.). For their epistemology it is necessary to refer to the eco-field
hypothesis (Farina and Belgrano 2004 , 2006 ).
The hypothesis of the existence of soundtopes is confirmed by the diffusion of
acoustic coordinated cues adopted by the majority of animals in different
environments and conditions (Malavasi and Farina 2013 ).
1.10.3 Definition of Sonotone
The ecotones are patterns created by the encounter of different patches, or different
types of vegetation . The ecotone conceptualization is a central paradigm in
landscape ecology, as confirmed by an impressive literature on this subject
(Farina 2006 , p. 195).