Ecoacoustics for context‐rich direct and indirect trophic interaction data and ecological network construction
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Understanding species interactions is critical for ecology and conservation, yet conventional network construction methods often lack spatiotemporal resolution and important contextual information. The growing field of ecoacoustics enables remote sensing across large spatiotemporal scales and the monitoring of otherwise cryptic communities. This provides direct and indirect evidence of interactions by detecting characteristic acoustic signatures. Investigating species‐interactions through ecoacoustics presents a unique opportunity to enhance the construction, inference and interpretation of ecological networks, advancing the frontier of next‐generation biomonitoring. Application of ecoacoustics to the study of ecological interactions is, however, currently lacking, hindering the promising application of this approach to a broad range of contexts. In this perspective article, we explore the potential of ecoacoustics to detect and infer predator–prey interactions and outline how individual interactions can be detected from specific acoustic signatures such as feeding sounds, alarm calls and shifts in prey behaviour, each supported by case studies from the literature. When used in conjunction with other methods, ecoacoustics can provide contextual information that can guide inference of trophic networks by approximating structural properties of networks. Ecoacoustics offers a scalable, cost‐effective tool for identifying species interactions, biomonitoring and constructing trophic networks across a diverse range of ecological contexts, for which we envisage this article providing a foundation.
Source: Methods in Ecology and Evolution
Authors: Will Dawson, Darren M. Evans, Carlos Abrahams, James J. N. Kitson, Larissa Collins, Jordan P. Cuff
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,500
OpenAlex ID: W7135239263