Acoustic Environment Topic of July 6 UW Research Center Talk

Biologist Jesse Barber, a Boise State University associate professor, will discuss chronic noise and how it affects animal behaviors Thursday, July 6, at the University of Wyoming-National Park Service (UW-NPS) Research Center. The center is located at the AMK Ranch in Grand Teton National Park.

Barber will present “The role of the acoustic environment in shaping behavior, community structure, and evolution” as part of the center’s Harlow Summer Seminars at 6:30 p.m. at the AMK Ranch, located north of Leeks Marina. A barbecue, at a cost of $5 per person, will take place at 5:30 p.m. Reservations are not required.

Barber says growth in transportation networks, resource extraction, motorized recreation and urban development is responsible for chronic noise exposure across the globe, including remote wilderness sites. Increased noise levels reduce the distance and area over which acoustic signals can be perceived by animals, he adds.

Barber will present a broad range of experimental research conducted in his lab that indicates the potential severity of this threat to diverse animal groups.

“This evidence documents substantial changes in animal behaviors, distributions and community structure in response to noise,” he says.

Barber received both his B.S. and M.S. degrees at UW, and a Ph.D. from Wake Forest University. He held a postdoctoral fellowship at Colorado State University in collaboration with the National Park Service Natural Sounds and Night Skies Division before beginning his career at Boise State University’s Department of Biology.

The UW-NPS Research Center provides a base for university faculty members and government scientists from throughout North America to conduct research in the diverse aquatic and terrestrial environments of Grand Teton National Park and the greater Yellowstone area.

For more information about the Harlow Summer Seminars, contact Michael Dillon at (307) 543-2463 or michael.dillon@uwyo.edu.