Nature’s Inaudible Soundscapes: Infrasound and Ultrasound

The provided text offers a comprehensive exploration of inaudible soundscapes in nature, distinguishing between infrasound (frequencies below human hearing) and ultrasound (frequencies above human hearing). It explains how the physical properties of these sound waves, particularly their wavelengths, dictate their diverse ecological roles, from long-range communication and geophysical monitoring using infrasound to high-resolution echolocation via ultrasound. The sources also highlight remarkable examples of convergent evolution, such as the shared genetic adaptations for ultrasonic hearing in bats and toothed whales, and discuss the impact of these unseen sound realms on predator-prey dynamics and broader ecosystem functioning. Finally, the text details the technologies developed to study these natural sounds, emphasizing their importance for bioacoustic monitoring and the growing concern over anthropogenic noise pollution affecting these vital acoustic environments.

Research done with the help of artificial intelligence, and presented by two AI-generated hosts.