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.

尽管有非凡的听力属性的主张在轶事中是传奇的，但在科学文献中，最大的大猫的听觉表现尚未在科学文献中得到记录。 该项目的目的是检查老虎的听力和声音能力，以奠定开发用于保护的声学工具的基础。 Tiger是一位听觉专家，是一种发展了特殊听力属性的动物，它在野外具有优势，还是可以预见的是通才适合其听觉的利基市场？ 一套无创的工具，包括声音引起的大脑电位，用于评估听力。 在不传动范围内的声音测量（低于人类可用的频率）将用于确定老虎是否能够在此范围内产生包含能量的呼叫。 工作假设是，老虎专门从事低频听证会以大距离进行交流。 该项目将为开发1）研究旨在更彻底地了解老虎居住的各种社区中的听力和发声的作用，2）旨在更有效地说明老虎种群的声音普查方案，以及3）旨在侵犯人类栖息地的声学工具，从而使老虎侵害了人类栖息地，从而侵犯了人类的生命，从而重新批准了销售。 老虎被视为一种旗舰物种，代表了对守恒生态系统的保存的迫切需求，包括俄罗斯东南部的针叶性，混合呈果的森林和苏门答腊的热带雨林。 当结合旨在影响所有级别的公众和学生的全面宣传和教育计划时，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备受瞩目的性质来利用这些受到严重威胁的大猫居住的生态系统的保护。