Icke-destruktiv övervakning av markens makrofauna med hjälp av markljud

We currently lack methods that allow us to study the in situ behaviour of soil macrofauna and their response to chemical stressors without disturbing the soil system itself.

This is of urgent concern, as chemically-induced behavioural changes are believed to be the primary driver behind widespread declines in insect and pollinator populations since the 1990s.

The development of a research tool permitting non-destructive studies of soil macrofauna would greatly advance the quality of environmental monitoring in contaminated soil systems.

Sounds emanating from macrofauna activities (feeding, burrowing, etc.) represent an unexplored and non-destructive source of information that can provide real-time insights into faunal behaviours within opaque soil matrices. However, no sound-based monitoring system for soil fauna has been developed to date.

This project will: i) develop a system that tracks the behaviour of soil-dwelling organisms using the acoustic signals they generate; ii) evaluate the technique’s capacity to detect behavioural changes induced by common soil contaminants (neonicotinoids and lead); and iii) communicate the benefits and shortcomings of the outlined method(s) to both potential users and the developers of scientific equipment.

We will couple our expertise in acoustic tracking techniques, laboratory- and field-based experiments, and assessments of pollution gradients to evaluate the promise and limitations of utilizing acoustic methods for soil monitoring.