Auditory Performance In Tigers

老虎的听觉表现

• 批准号: 0823417
• 负责人: Edward Walsh
• 金额: $ 60万
• 依托单位: Father Flanagan's Boys' Home
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-02-01 至 2013-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0823417&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Auditory; Performance; Tigers

Auditory performance in tigers, the biggest of the big cats, has not been documented in the scientific literature, although claims of extraordinary hearing attributes are legendary in anecdote. The purpose of this project is to examine the hearing and vocal capabilities of the tiger to lay the foundation for the development of acoustical tools for use in conservation. Is the tiger an auditory specialist, an animal that has evolved special hearing attributes that give it an advantage in the wild, or is it a generalist fitting predictably into its auditory niche? A non-invasive set of tools including sound elicited brain potentials will be used to evaluate hearing. Sound measurements in the infrasonic range (frequencies lower than those available to humans) will be used to determine if tigers are able to produce calls containing energy in this range. The working hypothesis is that tigers specialize in low frequency hearing to communicate over large distances. This project will set the stage for the development of 1) studies designed to more thoroughly understand the role of hearing and vocalization in the diverse communities inhabited by tigers, 2) acoustic census protocols designed to more effectively account for free-ranging tiger populations, and 3) acoustic tools designed to deter tigers from encroaching on human habitats, thereby reducing poaching. The tiger is regarded as a flagship species representing the critical need for the conservation of wide-ranging ecosystems including the coniferous, mixed-deciduous forests of southeastern Russia and the thick tropical rainforest of Sumatra. When combined with a comprehensive outreach and educational program designed to impact the public and students at all levels, this project will call attention to the plight of the tiger. Consequently, a major educational goal is to use the high profile nature of the tiger to leverage the conservation of ecosystems inhabited by these seriously threatened big cats.

老虎这种体型最大的大型猫科动物的听觉表现尚未在科学文献中得到记录，尽管在轶事中声称其非凡的听力特性是传奇的。 该项目的目的是检查老虎的听力和发声能力，为开发用于保护的声学工具奠定基础。 老虎是听觉专家，是一种进化出特殊听觉属性的动物，使其在野外具有优势，还是可以预见地适合其听觉环境的多面手？ 包括声音引发的大脑电位在内的一套非侵入性工具将用于评估听力。 次声波范围（低于人类可用频率）的声音测量将用于确定老虎是否能够发出包含该范围内能量的叫声。 有效的假设是，老虎擅长低频听力，以便进行远距离交流。 该项目将为以下方面的发展奠定基础：1）旨在更全面地了解听力和发声在老虎居住的不同社区中的作用的研究，2）旨在更有效地解释自由放养的老虎种群的声学普查协议，以及3）旨在阻止老虎侵占人类栖息地，从而减少偷猎的声学工具。 老虎被认为是旗舰物种，代表了保护广泛生态系统的迫切需要，包括俄罗斯东南部的针叶林、混合落叶林和苏门答腊岛茂密的热带雨林。 当与旨在影响公众和各级学生的综合外展和教育计划相结合时，该项目将引起人们对老虎困境的关注。 因此，一个主要的教育目标是利用老虎的高调性质来保护这些受到严重威胁的大型猫科动物栖息的生态系统。