Acoustics, Audition and Auditory System

Abstract

In the darkness of the subterranean ecotope, hearing seems to be predestined to counterbalance the visual restrictions similar to the situation familiar in cave dwellers like bats. It is therefore generally assumed that audition and acoustic signals play a major role in communication and alertness of subterranean mammals, and it is not surprising that studies on sensory ecology of subterranean species are biased toward hearing and vocalisations. The auditory system represents the receiver for acoustic (and also seismic) signals.What the animals can really hear in their natural surroundings depends, however, not only on the capabilities of their auditory systems (ears and neural processing), but also on the tunnels’ acoustic characteristics. Acoustics of the environment, auditory systems, and audition are inevitably interwoven.