Acoustic Systems in Biology: From Insects to Elephants

Abstract

Nearly all animals use sound for communication, for seeking prey, and for avoiding predators. What physical principles govern their choice of frequency? What are their mechanisms of sound production and directional hearing? Why are cicadas so loud? How do birds produce those beautiful, or sometimes not-so-beautiful, sounds? Quantitative analysis of the acoustic mechanisms involved reveals (nearly) all: the action of the sensory hairs on caterpillars, the hollow bodies of cicadas that act as resonators, the horn-shaped burrows dug by crickets and their remarkably human-like auditory anatomy, the inflatable vocal sacs used by "pure tone" songbirds and by frogs, and the chaotic structure of the shrieks of sulphur-crested cockatoos. This lecture will explore all these matters and perhaps some more. Show more