A software and hardware system, detailed in the current issue of the journal PeerJ, has been used at sites in Puerto Rico and Costa Rica to identify frogs, insects, birds, and monkeys. Many of the animals identified by the system are typically difficult to spot in their natural environment, but audio recordings of their calls reveal not only their presence but also their activity patterns. The platform, which is called the Automated Remote Biodiversity Monitoring Network (ARBIMON), could potentially allow scientists to monitor species in remote sites without having a physical presence on the ground, according to the study's lead author Mitchell Aide of the University of Puerto Rico.

 

The ARBIMON will provide scientists with uninterrupted long-term field recordings to help scientists understand the impacts of deforestation and climate change. This data would otherwise be very limited and incomplete due to the complications of setting up biologists in the field 24 hours a day throughout the year.

 

Study co-author Carlos Corrada-Bravo, also of the University of Puerto Rico, says the technology enables experts to leverage their knowledge and test hypotheses on a broader scale in the field. He added that because the data is stored for perpetuity in an online repository, it can be used by future generations of scientists.