Influence of meteorological conditions and topography on the active space of mountain birds assessed by a wave-based sound propagation model

• Published in: The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America
• Main Authors: Guibard, Arthur, Sèbe, Frédéric, Dragna, Didier, Ollivier, Sébastien
• Other Authors: Sensory Neuro-Ethology (ENES), Centre de recherche en neurosciences de Lyon - Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Université Jean Monnet - Saint-Étienne (UJM)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Université Jean Monnet - Saint-Étienne (UJM)-Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Laboratoire de Mecanique des Fluides et d'Acoustique (LMFA), École Centrale de Lyon (ECL), Université de Lyon-Université de Lyon-Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 (UCBL), Université de Lyon-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon (INSA Lyon), Université de Lyon-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2022
• Subjects: [PHYS.MECA.ACOU]Physics [physics]/Mechanics [physics]/Acoustics [physics.class-ph]; [PHYS.PHYS.PHYS-BIO-PH]Physics [physics]/Physics [physics]/Biological Physics [physics.bio-ph]; rock ptarmigan
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-03716259; https://hal.science/hal-03716259/document; https://hal.science/hal-03716259/file/Guibard_2022_Influence%20of%20meteorological%20conditions%20and%20topography%20on%20the%20active%20space.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0011545

International audience The active space is a central bioacoustic concept to understand communication networks and animal behavior. Propagation of biological acoustic signals has often been studied in homogeneous environments using an idealized circular active space representation, but few studies have assessed the variations of the active space due to environment heterogeneities and transmitter position. To study these variations for mountain birds like the rock ptarmigan, we developed a sound propagation model based on the parabolic equation method that accounts for the topography, the ground effects, and the meteorological conditions. The comparison of numerical simulations with measurements performed during an experimental campaign in the French Alps confirms the capacity of the model to accurately predict sound levels. We then use this model to show how mountain conditions affect surface and shape of active spaces, with topography being the most significant factor. Our data reveal that singing during display flights is a good strategy to adopt for a transmitter to expand its active space in such an environment. Overall, our study brings new perspectives to investigate the spatiotemporal dynamics of communication networks.