The QUT Ecoacoustics Symposium 2022 is soliciting abstracts for contributed talks and posters. 

Ecoacoustics is an interdisciplinary science that investigates natural and anthropogenic sounds and their relationship with the environment over a wide range of study scales, both spatial and temporal, including populations, communities and landscapes. This symposium examines ecoacoustics from a scientific perspective through to practice and aims to: 

  • Bring together researchers and practitioners who use ecoacoustics in conservation to share knowledge; 
  • Provide training in ecoacoustics data analysis tools and techniques; 
  • Promote open science and sharing of data and analyses tools; 
  • Network, collaborate and advance the research field of ecoacoustics. 

The symposium has sessions devoted to the following four topics: 

  • Targeted ecoacoustics monitoring of biodiversity 
  • Involving communities in ecoacoustic monitoring of biodiversity 
  • Monitoring species assemblages and ecosystems through ecoacoustics 
  • Big ecoacoustic data analysis: opportunities and challenges 

Deadline for all abstracts has been extended to 19th August, 2022. 

Contributed talks and posters 

Abstracts for contributed talks (oral presentation) and posters can be submitted on any aspect related to ecoacoustics. We welcome abstracts based on any scientific discipline or focus (theory, method, analysis, tool or case study) provided there is some link to conservation and acoustics. Abstracts that are clearly positioned in one of the four topic sessions listed above will be given preference for talks.  

Please note, though we will do our best to accommodate your preference for either a talk or poster presentation, the number of timeslots for contributed talks is limited and your contribution may be allocated a poster presentation instead, at the discretion of the Symposium Organising Committee. Posters will need to be configured for the large electronic screens that will be used to display your poster. A poster template will be supplied to you upon notification of your successful application. 

All successful contributors will be notified by 2nd September 2022. 

Instructions 

Email ecoacoustics2022@qut.edu.au: 

  • One abstract using the guidelines below 
  • Your preference for a talk or poster presentation 

If you have questions about your submission please contact ecoacoustics2022@qut.edu.au. 

Abstract Guidelines 

Please use Times New Roman 12 point font with 1.5 line spacing and format your abstract using the following headings and order: 

  • Type (oral or poster) 
  • Title (max 20 words) 
  • Authors & Affiliations (presenting author marked in bold font) 
  • Abstract (max 300 words) 

EXAMPLE ONLY

Type 

Oral Presentation 

Title 

Disentangling landscape and vegetation drivers of soundscape quality in urban forest remnants 

Authors & Affiliations 

Tucker, D. 1, Gage, S. 2, Williamson, I. 1 and Fuller, S. 1 

1 Science and Engineering Faculty, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia 

2 Global Observatory for Ecosystem Services, Michigan State University, East Lansing, USA. 

Abstract 

Natural landscapes are increasingly subjected to anthropogenic pressure and fragmentation resulting in biodiversity loss and reduced ecological condition. Previous studies in eastern Australia have revealed a strong relationship between soundscape patterns, ecological condition and the extent of landscape fragmentation. However the effect that vegetation structure and species richness has on soundscape patterns remains little studied. Our goal in the current study was to examine the vegetation/soundscape relationship in urban forest remnants characterized by two different vegetation communities, spotted gum open forest and scribbly gum woodland. 

Our results indicate that landscape attributes, particularly patch size and extent of road fragmentation, are the primary drivers of soundscape patterns in both vegetation communities. Large, remnant forest patches close to conservation areas exhibit higher soundscape quality (normalized difference soundscape index; NDSI) than small urban fragments. However, soundscape quality was also related to a number of different vegetation structural attributes in spotted gum and scribbly gum forests. For example, native shrub cover was negatively correlated with soundscape quality in spotted gum forests, but positively correlated in scribbly gum woodland.  Neither vegetation type displayed any significant correlation between NDSI and native vegetation species richness.  We did not identify any one vegetation attribute that could be positively correlated with soundscape patterns in both vegetation communities. 

Comparison to a benchmark (or ‘natural’) site revealed that different patterns were related to disturbance and reduced vegetation quality; spotted gum forests in an undisturbed state have sparse shrub cover, while scribbly gum woodlands are characterized by a shrubby heath layer when in pristine condition. We conclude that soundscape patterns in urban forest remnants are strongly influenced by landscape fragmentation, disturbance and resultant changes in vegetation quality.