Biology Reference
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Fig. 1.11 At the border of
soundtopes, the sonic
environment results from a
combination of sounds
coming from different
soundtopes, which creates
sonotones
The term ecotone is the result of two words, eco (oikos) and tone (tension). At
the ecotones, many processes find a strong constraint called the edge effect. The
edge effect in most cases enhances biodiversity but also other processes such as
predation. Ecotones are also considered ecological traps or sink areas (sensu
Pulliam 1988 ) in which species attracted by their structure and food abundance
experience a higher predatory pressure or habitat disturbance.
It is reasonable to consider that, as for vegetation and animal distribution,
ecotones exist also for other phenomena such as the sonic environment. The
sonic environment is considered in a heterogeneous medium composed of distinct
sonotopes, and such sonotopes at their margins enter into contact with other
sonotopes. Thus, we can expect a mixing of different acoustic characteristics that,
blending in a stochastic way, create a very complex sonic area in which it is difficult
for acoustic signals to be decodified appropriately to avoid masking and overlap
(Fig. 1.11 ).
In bird in particular, singing at the ecotones means receiving acoustic informa-
tion also from different types of environment, and we can expect unwanted masking
effects and interspecific interferences. The acoustic novelties encountered at the
sonotones have to be considered as a tangle in the acoustic codification/
decodification process.
The sonic edge effect is expected to influence many acoustic functions such as
ranging, mating choice, territory patrolling, and acoustic partitioning. Definitive
effects are expected according to the acoustic niche hypothesis for species that enter
into sonic contact with acoustic novelties coming from adjacent
sonic
environments.
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