Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
2.10 The Sound of Fire
The sound of fire probably is an unknown sound from nature. Few people have
experience of such a sound when it represents a danger or a risk.
However, organisms that live in fire-prone habitats have developed a special
sensibility that allows them to benefit from the consequences of burns or to escape
the risk of being killed by flames using olfactory or visual sensations. For instance,
buprestid beetles are attracted by fire that is localized by using infrared sensors and
antenna olfactory receptors. Ungulates move in burnt areas to find fresh vegetable
masses sprouting from ash-fertilized soil. Birds are attracted by fires to find fleeing
insects in the proximity. Some animals fly away, but others, such as ticks, after
sensing smoke, drop to the ground and search for a safe shelter.
No animals until now have been found to use sound for fleeing or for finding
benefits from burn events. However, Grafe et al. ( 2002 ) have observed the red frog
( Hyperolius nitidulus ) to flee from a fire quite far from smoke or heat perception.
This West African species spends the summer time in savannah in dry exposed
positions. The idea that this frog was fleeing using the sound produced by a fire was
confirmed by playback experiments on juveniles. Frogs when exposed to the
crackling sound of a fire raised their head, scanning the surroundings, and then
jumped toward adjacent fire-resistant vegetation. This species reacts to the airborne
sound of a fire and uses acoustic cues not only for reproductive purposes but also for
other vital functions. In conclusion, in some anurans acoustic perception has
evolved not only for sexual selection but also for orienteering and escaping threats.
Summary
The sonic characters of the landscape are important to better understand animal
communication in the perspective of natural conservation and possible sustainable
actions to assure a standard of well-being for humanity.
Weather conditions and in general climatic context have a great influence on the
sonic environment, affecting the sound activity of vocal species. Wind depresses
biophonies but on the other hand is a source of important information on atmo-
spheric turbulence.
Most vocal species are directly affected by changes in climatic and weather
conditions, confirming the importance of sonic ambience as an indicator of changes
in ecosystems.
The structure of vegetation and its density are important drivers of sonic
propagation. Vegetation interferes with sonic energy by reverberation, absorption,
and scattering.
In a forested landscape sound propagation is strongly affected by ground effect,
by scattering from tree trunks and branches, and by absorption by leaves.
Wind-generated noise and animal-borne sounds are differently distributed when
core and edge areas are compared. In particular, forest edges represent not only an
ecological discontinuity and a tension zone but
is also a cause of sonic
discontinuity.
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