Listening to cities during the COVID-19 lockdown: How do human activities and urbanization impact soundscapes in Colombia?

Noise is one of the fastest growing and most ubiquitous type of environmental pollution, with prevalence in cities. The COVID-19 confinement in 2020 in Colombia led to a reduction in human activities and their associated noise. We used this unique opportunity to measure the impacts of noise on urban soundscapes, and explore the effects of urbanization intensity independently of human activity. We launched a community science initiative inviting participants to collect audio recordings from their windows using smartphones. Recordings were taken during severe mobility restrictions (April), and during a period of lightened restrictions (May-June). From the data collected, we measured changes in sound pressure levels (SPL), acoustic structure (soundscape spectro-temporal characteristics), and human perception between the two periods. A 12% increase in human activities had a detectable acoustic footprint, with a significant increase of SPL (2.15 dB, 128% increase), a shift towards dominance of low-frequency broadband signals, and a perceived dominance of human-made over wildlife sounds. Measured changes in SPL and acoustic structure were directly proportional to urbanization; however, perception of these changes was not. This gap may be associated with a masking effect generated by noise or a disconnect of humans from nature in large cities. The mobility restrictions created a chance to better understand the impacts of urbanization and human activities on the soundscape, while raising public awareness regarding noise pollution effects on people and wildlife. Information analyzed here might serve in urban planning in developing countries where urban expansion is occurring in a rapid, unplanned fashion.

Differential reporting of biodiversity in two citizen science platforms during COVID-19 lockdown in Colombia.

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the potential of using data from long-term citizen science projects to answer questions about the impacts of unexpected events on biodiversity. We evaluate the suitability of data from the citizen science platforms iNaturalist and eBird to describe the effects of the "anthropause" on biodiversity observation in Colombia. We compared record distribution according to human footprint, sampling behaviors, overall and conservation priority species composition during the strictest phase of the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 to the same periods in 2015-2019. Overall participation in both platforms during the lockdown was high when compared to previous years, but records were concentrated on highly-transformed regions, had lower sampling efforts, and fewer species were recorded. For eBird, species composition was similar to that observed in previous years, and records of species of conservation concern declined in proportion to the decrease in overall species richness across samples. For iNaturalist, the species pool sampled each year remained too dissimilar for comparisons. Once differences in observer behaviors are accounted for, data from these platforms can be used in unplanned comparisons of relatively common species, in regions with high levels of human transformation, and at narrowly defined geographical contexts. To increase the potential of citizen science to monitor rarer species, more natural areas, or be used in large-scale analyses, we need to build and strengthen more diverse networks of observers that can further promote decentralization, democratization, and cost-effectiveness in biodiversity research.

Global COVID-19 lockdown highlights humans as both threats and custodians of the environment.

The global lockdown to mitigate COVID-19 pandemic health risks has altered human interactions with nature. Here, we report immediate impacts of changes in human activities on wildlife and environmental threats during the early lockdown months of 2020, based on 877 qualitative reports and 332 quantitative assessments from 89 different studies. Hundreds of reports of unusual species observations from around the world suggest that animals quickly responded to the reductions in human presence. However, negative effects of lockdown on conservation also emerged, as confinement resulted in some park officials being unable to perform conservation, restoration and enforcement tasks, resulting in local increases in illegal activities such as hunting. Overall, there is a complex mixture of positive and negative effects of the pandemic lockdown on nature, all of which have the potential to lead to cascading responses which in turn impact wildlife and nature conservation. While the net effect of the lockdown will need to be assessed over years as data becomes available and persistent effects emerge, immediate responses were detected across the world. Thus, initial qualitative and quantitative data arising from this serendipitous global quasi-experimental perturbation highlights the dual role that humans play in threatening and protecting species and ecosystems. Pathways to favorably tilt this delicate balance include reducing impacts and increasing conservation effectiveness.

Satellite remote sensing of environmental variables can predict acoustic activity of an orthopteran assemblage.

Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is a promising method for biodiversity assessment, which allows for longer and less intrusive sampling when compared to traditional methods (e.g., collecting specimens), by using sound recordings as the primary data source. Insects have great potential as models for the study and monitoring of acoustic assemblages due to their sensitivity to environmental changes. Nevertheless, ecoacoustic studies focused on insects are still scarce when compared to more charismatic groups. Insects' acoustic activity patterns respond to environmental factors, like temperature, moonlight, and precipitation, but community acoustic perspectives have been barely explored. Here, we provide an example of the usefulness of PAM to track temporal patterns of acoustic activity for a nocturnal assemblage of insects (Orthoptera). We integrate satellite remote sensing and astronomically measured environmental factors at a local scale in an Andean Forest of Colombia and evaluate the acoustic response of orthopterans through automated model detections of their songs for nine weeks (March and April of 2020). We describe the acoustic frequency range and diel period for the calling song of each representative species. Three species overlapped in frequency and diel acoustics but inhabit different strata: canopy, understory, and ground surface level. Based on the acoustic frequency and activity, we identified three trends: (i) both sampled cricket species call at lower frequency for shorter periods of time (dusk); (ii) all sampled katydid species call at higher frequency for longer time periods, including later hours at night; and (iii) the diel acoustic activity span window seems to increase proportionally with dominant acoustic frequency, but further research is required. We also identified a dusk chorus in which all the species sing at the same time. To quantify the acoustic response to environmental factors, we calculated a beta regression with the singing activity as a response variable and moon phase, surface temperature and daily precipitation as explanatory variables. The response to the moon phase was significant for the katydids but not for the crickets, possibly due to differences in diel activity periods. Crickets are active during dusk, thus the effects of moonlight on acoustic activity are negligible. The response to precipitation was significant for the two crickets and not for the katydids, possibly because of higher likelihood of rain interrupting crickets' shorter diel activity period. Our study shows how the local survey of orthopteran acoustic assemblages, with a species taxonomic resolution coupled with remote-sensing environmental measurements can reveal responses to environmental factors. In addition, we demonstrate how satellite data might prove to be a useful alternative source of environmental data for community studies with geographical, financial, or other constraints.

Passive acoustic sampling data of the Colección de Sonidos Ambientales Mauricio Álvarez-Rebolledo - Instituto Humboldt (IAvH-CSA) during 2018 and 2019 in Colombia.

We present the dataset of passive acoustic sampling events deposited in the Colección de Sonidos Ambientales Mauricio Álvarez-Rebolledo at the Humboldt Institute (IAvH-CSA) during the years 2018-2019. The acoustic sampling events were generated from different projects, including Colombia Bio, Santander Bio, Boyacá Bio, Lisama, Riqueza Natural, and occasional events collected during this time. In total, 44,704 sampling events are deposited in the collection, corresponding to 1 minute of automatic recording sampled at a 44.1 kHz sampling rate and 16-bit resolution. The recording schedules correspond to 1 minute every 5, 10, or 30 min throughout the day, during 1 to 20 sampling days, across 79 localities in Colombia. The geographical coverage includes the departments of Bolívar, Boyacá, Caquetá, Cundinamarca, Meta, Santander, and Sucre. The present information was collected within the framework of the passive monitoring methodology established by the Humboldt Institute .

Body mass data set for 1,317 bird and 270 mammal species from Colombia.

Body mass is one of the most important phenotypic attributes in animal ecology and life history. This trait is widely used in the fields of ecology and macroevolution, since it influences physiology, morphological functions, and a myriad of ecological and social interactions. In this data set, our aim was to gather a comprehensive bird and mammal body mass data set from northern South America. We report body mass, discriminated by sex, for 42,022 individual birds and 7,441 mammals representing 1,317 bird species (69% of Colombia's avifauna) and 270 mammal species (51% of Colombian mammals) from the Neotropics. The data were sourced from vouchers collected between 1942 and 2020 and from individuals captured and released at banding stations over the last two decades for birds (2000-2020) and the last decade for mammals (2010-2020), by 10 research groups and institutions in Colombia. This data set fills gaps identified in other similar databases, as it focuses on northern South America, a highly diverse Neotropical region often underrepresented in morphological data sets. We provide wide taxonomic coverage for studies interested in information both at regional and local scales. There are no copyright restrictions; the present data paper should be appropriately cited when data are used for publication. The authors would appreciate learning about research projects, teaching exercises, and other uses given to this data set and are open to contribute in further collaborations using these data.

Dataset on audio records of animals from the northeast Andes of Colombia I: The bird sounds of Boyacá department.

This dataset is the first effort to combine the audio biodiversity of a taxonomic group in a selected location, the Boyacá department in Colombia. We conducted a detailed review of the sound recordings for birds from the Boyacá department within three repositories, the environmental sound collection of the Humboldt Institute, the Macaulay Library of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the xeno-canto platform of the Naturalis Biodiversity Center. We selected recordings that were identified up to species and had complete metadata information. Using latitude and longitude information, we assigned each recording to one of the three regions and one of the 12 biotic units reported for Boyacá. We reported a total of 2321 recordings belonging to the Andean region (1892), Orinoquian region (425), and Carare-Lebrija-Nechi-Sinu (4). The sounds of Boyacá birds have been sampled for approximately three decades, with two peaks of activity in the early 2000's and 2018. We also included a map with the distribution of biotic units and sound recordings of our dataset. This dataset can be used to extract acoustic traits to test hypotheses of turnover in the acoustic space or traits by species, or to compare acoustic traits between species. It can also allow decision-makers to support biodiversity-based economies such as avitourism.

Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection for Clustering Taxa through Vocalizations in a Neotropical Passerine (Rough-Legged Tyrannulet, Phyllomyias burmeisteri).

Vocalizations from birds are a fruitful source of information for the classification of species. However, currently used analyses are ineffective to determine the taxonomic status of some groups. To provide a clearer grouping of taxa for such bird species from the analysis of vocalizations, more sensitive techniques are required. In this study, we have evaluated the sensitivity of the Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP) technique for grouping the vocalizations of individuals of the Rough-legged Tyrannulet Phyllomyias burmeisteri complex. Although the existence of two taxonomic groups has been suggested by some studies, the species has presented taxonomic difficulties in classification in previous studies. UMAP exhibited a clearer separation of groups than previously used dimensionality-reduction techniques (i.e., principal component analysis), as it was able to effectively identify the two taxa groups. The results achieved with UMAP in this study suggest that the technique can be useful in the analysis of species with complex in taxonomy through vocalizations data as a complementary tool including behavioral traits such as acoustic communication.

Dataset on audio records of animals from the northeast Andes of Colombia II: The vertebrate sounds of Santander department.

Colombia holds one of the most spectacular biodiversity of the world. Yet, vast aspects of this biodiversity are still poorly inventoried. One of the least known aspects of Colombia's biodiversity is the sound produced by its animals, even for the most conspicuous ones, the vertebrates. Here we reviewed and compiled the sound records available for the Department of Santander, a region in the North-East of Colombia, gathering the sound records of birds, anurans, mammals, and fishes. By conducting a detailed review in the environmental sound collection of the Humboldt Institute, the Macaulay Library of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Xeno-canto platform of the Naturalis Biodiversity Center, we present the first dataset of vertebrate sounds information from the Santander department. We selected recordings with a taxonomic resolution up to species and complete metadata information. Using latitude and longitude information, we assigned each recording to one of the six biotic units reported for Santander. We found a total of 1499 recordings, which belong to six biotic units: Guane-Yariguíes (597), Middle Magdalena Valley and Mompox Depression (484), High Andes Eastern Cordillera (167), Nechí-San Lucas (150), Middle Magdalena Eastern Cordillera (95), Catatumbo (6). This dataset can have a wide scope of applications, from basic scientific questions, to analyses made by decision makers regarding conservation strategies, to support biodiversity-based economies such as ecotourism.

Aves de Quindicocha - Valle de Sibundoy, Putumayo - Colombia: Potencial área de conservación / Birds from Quindicocha - Sibundoy Valley, Putumayo - Colombia: Potential Conservation Area / Aves Quindicocha - Vale do Sibundoy, Putumayo-Colômbia: Área Potencial de Conservação

La base para la conservación es el conocimiento de la biodiversidad. Para establecer Áreas de Importancia para la Conservación de Aves (AICA) en el valle de Sibundoy (departamento de Putumayo, territorio Quindicocha, sudoeste de Colombia), se realizaron 21 jornadas de observación de aves en 11 zonas entre mayo y junio de 2013. Fueron registradas 164 especies de aves, nueve de estas corresponden a amplitudes o confirmaciones de distribución en la región. Los resultados obtenidos apoyan la propuesta de nominar esta región como un AICA independiente a AICA Laguna de la Cocha; ya que cumple con los criterios propuestos por BirdLife International en cuanto a presencia de especies amenazadas - A1 (Hapalopsittaca amazonina; Grallaria rufocinerea; Doliornis remseni; Sericossypha albocristata; Buthraupis wetmorei; Hypopyrrhus pyrohypogaster); presencia de siete aves restringidas a cinco Áreas de Endemismo de Aves (EBAs) - A2; y la presencia de 27 especies de aves restringidas al bioma Norte de los Andes - A3. Algunas de las especies no incluidas para el AICA Laguna de la Cocha.

Knowledge of the existing biodiversity is the basis of conservation. To establish Area of Important Bird Area (IBA) in the valley of Sibundoy (department of Putumayo, Quindicocha territory, in the southwest of Colombia). I conducted 21 days of birding in 11 areas between May and June 2013. I recorded 164 bird species; nine of these species correspond to distribution amplitudes or confirmations in the region. The results support the request to designate this region as an IBA, independent to IBA Laguna de la Cocha. It meets the BirdLife International criteria regarding the presence of endangered species - A1 (Hapalopsittaca amazonina; Grallaria rufodnerea; Doliornis remseni; Sericossypha albocristata; Buthraupis wetmorei;Hypopyrrhuspyrohypogaster), the presence of seven birds restricted to five Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs) - A2, and the presence of 27 species of birds restricted to the North Andes biome - A3. Some of the species not included for IBA Laguna de la Cocha.

A base para a conservação é o conhecimento da biodiversidade. Para estabelecer Áreas de Importância para a Conservação das Aves (IBA), no vale do Sibundoy (departamento de Putumayo, território Quindicocha, sudoeste da Colômbia), realizaram-se 21 dias de observação de pássaros em 11 áreas, entre maio e junho de 2013. Foram registadas 164 espécies de aves, nove delas correspondem a amplitudes ou confirmações de distribuição na região. Os resultados apoiam a proposta de nomear esta região como um AICA independente a AICA Lagoa da Cocha; pois cumpre com os critérios propostos pela BirdLife International para a presença de espécies ameaçadas de extinção - A1 (Hapalopsittaca amazonina; Grallaria rufocinerea; Doliornis remseni;albocristata Sericossypha; Buthraupis wetmorei; Hypopyrrhus pyrohypogaster); presença de sete aves restritas a cinco Áreas endémicas de pássaros (EBAS) - A2, bem como a presença de 27 espécies de aves restritas ao bioma Norte dos Andes - A3 . Algumas das espécies não incluídas para a AICA Lagoa da Cocha.

ANOTACIONES SOBRE LOS REGISTROS DEL VIREO VERDEAMARILLO (Vireo flavoviridis: Vireonidae) EN LA SABANA DE BOGOTÁ, CUNDINAMARCA (COLOMBIA) / Notes of Records about Yellow-Green Vireo (Vireo flavoviridis: Vireonidae) at the Sabana de Bogotá, Cundinamarca (Colombia)

El vireo verdeamarillo (Vireo flavoviridis) es una especie de ave migratoria que no cuenta con registros en literatura dentro del departamento de Cundinamarca. Adicionalmente, la distribución conocida de V. flavoridis en Colombia solo incluye localidades por debajo de 1500 msnm. Dos individuos de V. flavoviridis fueron vistos a 2600 msnm en el campus de Bogotá de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia, dentro de la Sabana de Bogotá del departamento de Cundinamarca en 2011. Posterior a consulta en colecciones y reportes de observadores de aves, encontramos 18 registros no publicados de la especie para el departamento de Cundinamarca por encima de 2500 msnm. Diez registros fueron a partir de colecciones científicas (Instituto de Ciencias Naturales de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Colección de Vertebrados (Ornitología) de la Universidad de los Andes y colección del Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt), y los otros ocho por reportes de observadores de aves. El primer registro fue en 1964, pero la mayoría de registros corresponden al período entre 2008 y 2013. Consideramos que V. flavoviridis ha pasado desapercibido en Cundinamarca por las similitudes morfológicas con el vireo ojirrojo (V. olivaceus). Además, la falta de revisión de colecciones científicas y un inconstante depósito de especímenes en ellas, genera un vacío de información sobre la distribución de la biodiversidad. Al parecer, V. flavoviridis puede ser más común de lo que se espera por encima de 1500 m durante migración, como ocurre para el departamento de Cundinamarca.

The Yellow-green Vireo (Vireo flavoviridis) is migrant bird specie, previously non reported to Cundinamarca Department. Distribution known in Colombia only includes localities below 1500 masl. Two individuals of the Yellow-green Vireo were observed at 2600 masl in the Universidad Nacional de Colombia Bogotá Campus, at the Sabana de Bogotá in Cundinamarca Department in 2011. In addition, we found 18 unpublished records for this species in the Cundinamarca Department above 2500 masl. Ten records were museum specimens (Instituto de Ciencias Naturales de la Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Vertebrate collection (Ornitology) Universidad de los Andes and Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt Museum), and the other eight were birdwatching records. The oldest record was in 1964, but the great majority of records were collected between 2008 and 2013. We consider that the Yellow-green Vireo has been unnoticed in the Cundinamarca Department because of its morphological similarities with the Red-eye Vireo (V. olivaceus). Furthermore, the lack of review of scientific collections, and the deposition of specimens discontinuous there, make gap information about biodiversity distribution. Apparently, Yellow-green Vireo could be more common than expected above 1500 m during its migration, such as it was observed in at Cundinamarca Department.

Registros nuevo o poco conocidos de aves migraorias en la laguna del otún, paarque nacional natural los nevados, risaralda, Colombia / Records of New or Poorly Known Migratory Birds from Laguna del Otún, los Nevados National Natural Park, Risaralda, Colombia

Colombia es un sitio importante para las aves migratorias. Sin embargo, aún falta mucho conocimiento de dónde estas se encuentran durante su paso o permanencia por el país y cuáles utilizan los páramos. Registramos nuevas especies de aves migratorias para la laguna del Otún, inmersa en un complejo de humedales declarados sitio Ramsar desde el 2008. La laguna está localizada en el Parque Nacional Natural Los Nevados a 3932 msnm, en ecosistema de páramo, en la Cordillera Central de los Andes de Colombia. Durante cinco salidas entre 2010 y 2012 se registraron cuatro nuevas especies de aves migratorias para el parque: Anas acuta, Pandion haliaetus, Riparia riparia y Dendroica petechia. Adicionalmente, se registró una ampliación del rango altitudinal para dos especies migratorias que solo habían sido registradas en la región a menos de 3500 msnm: Tringa flavipes e Hirundo rustica. Estas observaciones sugieren que dichas especies podrían tolerar condiciones de alta montaña y utilizar el páramo. Es necesario estudiar a fondo las dinámicas migratorias y el uso de hábitat de alta montaña por las aves migratorias.