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Bio-diversity Hot Spot
Written By: Charlotte Muir - Highlands Biological Station | Issue: 2019/03 - March
The Highlands Biological Foundation annually supports researchers coming to Highlands to further explore our unique biodiversity hot-spot.
Over the past 10 years, the Foundation has awarded over $300,000 in grants-in-aid to individuals conducting research here at the Highlands Biological Station. Last summer, nine grants were awarded by the Station’s Board of Scientific Advisors to outstanding applicants studying a variety of topics including salamanders, mice, and
climate change.
One recipient, Radmila Petric, a PhD student at UNC-Greensboro, has spent the past three summers in Highlands conducting her research on the effect of man-made noise as pollution to deer mice.
“Man-made (anthropogenic) noise is a pervasive global pollutant that negatively affects vocal communication in various species,” she says. “Vocal communication is an essential component of animal behavior yet we know relatively little about the impact of audible or ultrasonic (high-frequency sounds that are above human hearing) noise on vocal signals of nocturnal animals.
“Rodents play a crucial role in maintaining a healthy ecosystem by directly and indirectly influencing the abundance and distribution of other species. In order to better understand the effects of anthropogenic noise on vocal communication, my research focused on free-living, nocturnal, and vocal rodents; the Deer Mouse (Peromyscus maniculatus) and Woodland Jumping Mouse (Napaeozapus insignis).
“I live-trapped mice, put radio-transmitters on individuals, recorded their vocalizations and measured their activity level. At night, when the mice were active, I experimentally broadcast noise and natural sounds in the territory of individual mice. To record vocalizations, and monitor movements and activity, I used three remote sensing systems: a microphone array, radiotelemetry tracking equipment, and thermal imaging cameras. My results suggest that in the presence of anthropogenic noise, Deer Mice spend less time foraging, exploring and vocalizing, whereas Woodland Jumping Mice seem more tolerant of the noise.”
For more information regarding our grant-in aid program, visit highlandsbiological.org or give us a call at (828) 526-2221.
