Ziegenhorn, M. A. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2026

Overcoming software bottlenecks for scalable passive acoustic monitoring: insights from a global expert assessment

1.Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) enables non-invasive sampling of wildlife across broad spatial, temporal and taxonomic scales. Its ongoing and widespread use has generated unprecedented volumes of acoustic data, shifting the primary bottleneck from data collection to the storage, processing, integration, and interpretation of PAM outputs. Although many software tools exist to address these challenges, differences in their design, scope, and usability often create fragmented and complex analytical workflows. To identify the key barriers and opportunities shaping the implementation of PAM surveys, we conducted a structured expert solicitation involving 30 international practitioners working across terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Experts identified and ranked their most critical pain points in current PAM workflows, spanning data storage, processing, and interpretation. The top challenge identified related to accurate species identification using deep learning and artificial intelligence (AI) models, especially in noisy soundscapes or for underrepresented taxa. Eight additional priority challenges included workflow fragmentation, limited availability of user-friendly analytical and visualisation tools, uneven access to software, manual validation bottlenecks, computational constraints, and difficulties in data handling, standardisation, and sharing. Participants also proposed practical mitigation strategies for these priority challenges, supported by step-by-step guidance to help overcome key barriers. Together, these insights provide a roadmap toward more scalable, open-access, and collaborative software systems, which are increasingly essential to realise the full potential of PAM in global biodiversity monitoring.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2024

Source amplitude increases with body mass across avian genera

Amplitude, or intensity, of sound is a fundamental characteristic of inter acoustic communication, with relevance in many scientific fields. The amplitude of an animals acoustic signal at its source ("source amplitude") may be particularly relevant in the field of acoustic allometry, where relationships between species physical and acoustic features (e.g., dominant frequency) have been well-established across taxa. However, despite their potential scientific value, records and studies of source amplitudes remain remarkably scarce for avian species. Here we present novel estimates of source amplitude (range, mean, and median) for 17 species of Arctic-breeding birds, derived from measurements made in Utqia[g]vik, Alaska during June 2024. We found a strong positive correlation between body mass and source amplitude in this data via a Markov Chain Monte Carlo multivariate generalized linear mixed model (MCMCglmm). Both phylogeny and individual identity were important random effects in this model. In contrast, random effects from environmental factors and measurement characteristics were minimal. Our work represents the first model describing the relationship between source amplitude and allometry across avian genera. We hope that this study will spur other investigations into avian source amplitude and its relationship to morphological and life history features for species in the Arctic and elsewhere.

ecology↗