Name: October Meeting : Insect choruses of the south-west forest region of Western Australia.
Start: 2024-10-09T19:30:00+08:00
Location: Kings Park Admin Block

October Meeting : Insect choruses of the south-west forest region of Western Australia.

Lauren Hawkins is research scientist with DBCA’s Ecosystem Science program. She utilizes passive acoustic monitoring technologies to study the acoustic communities residing within
the south-west forests of Western Australia. Her research aims to improve scientific understanding of the ecological functions, habitat quality, and acoustic biodiversity of these
ecosystems to inform the monitoring of forest health.
Talk Synopsis:
Biological choruses occur when many individuals call continuously in large aggregations for prolonged periods of time. Monitoring these large-scale calling events using passive acoustic
monitoring techniques can provide information on the presence, distribution, and activity of the species producing them. The south-west forest region of Western Australia hosts a
diverse range of terrestrial insect species, many of which likely produce choruses in association with life functions such as breeding or feeding. Monitoring these large-scale calling events using passive acoustic monitoring techniques can provide information on the presence, distribution, and activity of the species producing them; however, very little is known regarding what insect species in this region are responsible for the choruses being recorded in these forest environments. Passive acoustic data has been collected within the south-west Jarrah and Karri forests of Western Australia to identify and describe insect
choruses occurring in these environments. Insect choruses often dominated the biological components of the soundscapes at low, mid, and ultrasonic frequencies. Chorus types, activity, and distribution varied across different forest types. Future research will work towards identifying the species producing these choruses and how we can use these recordings to track effects of environmental or anthropogenic change on these insect populations over time.