Reverberation and frequency attenuation in forests--implications for acoustic communication in animals

Rates of reverberative decay and frequency attenuation are measured within two Australian forests. In particular, their dependence on the distance between a source and receiver, and the relative heights of both, is examined. Distance is always the most influential of these factors. The structurally denser of the forests exhibits much slower reverberative decay, although the frequency dependence of reverberation is qualitatively similar in the two forests. There exists a central range of frequencies between 1 and 3 kHz within which reverberation varies relatively little with distance. Attenuation is much greater within the structurally denser forest, and in both forests it generally increases with increasing frequency and distance, although patterns of variation differ between the two forests. Increasing the source height generally reduces reverberation, while increasing the receiver height generally reduces attenuation. These findings have considerable implications for acoustic communication between inhabitants of these forests, particularly for the perching behaviors of birds. Furthermore, this work indicates the ease with which the general acoustic properties of forests can be measured and compared.