naturerecordists
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: Environmental Sounds Story

Subject: Re: Environmental Sounds Story
From: "Bernie Krause" bigchirp1
Date: Fri Mar 4, 2011 6:51 pm ((PST))
Good questions, John. The question to ask is "What is the source of  
the sound?" It's really the beholder's call. If one hears it as the  
vibration of the leaf when struck, then it's biophonic. If it's the  
percussive splintering of the raindrop, then it's geophonic. In the  
scenario you offer, it is probably a combo of both. We don't hear  
wind. Only its effects. Based on the high freq cavitation of the xylem  
and phloem in some trees, certain insects appear to be drawn to the  
signal. I have no idea about leaves, although the edge tones of  
certain leaves under certain conditions, could be a lure to some  
critters. Owls are known to be notably silent fliers.  Again, the  
premise is that the source is the determining factor.

Bernie


On Mar 4, 2011, at 4:50 PM, hartogj wrote:

> Hi Bernie,
> Thanks for sharing the article.
> Here is a question for you: Is the sound of a leaf meeting a  
> raindrop biotic or abiotic? Maybe for your work, you would say that  
> the sound is caused by the rain, thus Geophony. But what about wind  
> in the aspens? I can see how the shape of a tree's leaves, bark, or  
> branches might evolve to sound a specific way. Maybe some insects  
> find plants by the sound of their leaves in the wind.  And there  
> must be animals with bodies evolved to be quiet against wind and/or  
> water. How would you classify such examples?
>
> John Hartog
> rockscallop.org
>
>
>
> ------------------------------------
>
> "While a picture is worth a thousand words, a
> sound is worth a thousand pictures." R. Murray Schafer via Bernie  
> Krause.
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>

Wild Sanctuary
POB 536
Glen Ellen, CA 95442
707-996-6677
http://www.wildsanctuary.com

Google Earth zooms: http://earth.wildsanctuary.com
SKYPE: biophony










<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the naturerecordists mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the archive e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU