Bioacoustic Analysis in R

The study of animal acoustic signals is a central tool for many fields in behavior, ecology, evolution and biodiversity monitoring. The accessibility of recording equipment and growing availability of open-access acoustic libraries provide an unprecedented opportunity to study animal acoustic signals at large temporal, geographic and taxonomic scales. However, the diversity of analytical methods and the multidimensionality of these signals posts significant challenges to conduct analyses that can quantify biologically meaningful variation. The recent development of acoustic analysis tools in the R programming environment provides a powerful means for overcoming these challenges, facilitating the gathering and organization of large acoustic data sets and the use of more elaborated analyses that better fit the studied acoustic signals and associated biological questions. The course will introduce students on the basic concepts in animal acoustic signal research as well as hands-on experience on analytical tools in R.