BIOE 146 Acoustic Ecology

Survey of the way sound is used by various taxa (mammals, birds, amphibians) across different environmental landscapes. Through a combination of lectures, group discussions, and hands-on activities (i.e., experiential learning), students learn about the physics of sound in both air and water, the physiology of sound production (including mechanisms and drivers), the role of the physical environment in signal design, hearing and masking, and the use of acoustic signals during different life-history events in a variety of animals from beetles to blue whales. Students learn about how humans impact natural soundscapes, and how animals are affected and respond to anthropogenic noise in the air and under the water's surface.