Advisor: Helmut Kratochvil

Master's Defensio - Friday, July 22nd 2026, 11:00
SR 1.2, UBB, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna 

Abstract

Structure-borne sound measurement methods have rarely been applied in bioacoustics research to date. One of the first such studies focused on the sound signals of chicken embryos shortly before hatching, which were recorded undistorted through the eggshell. Another study investigated the jumping sounds of Collembola, which could be recorded through the outer wall of the container. As part of a preceding bachelor's thesis, it was demonstrated that it is possible to record the photosynthesis sounds of Elodea densa on the outer wall of the water container. This enabled an efficient and low-effort procedure, which could also be applied in an educational context. Building on these findings, the present work investigates the activity of small soil dwelling animals using acoustic methods and their effectiveness for educational purposes. Acoustic recordings of the movement activity of various soil organisms were conducted on the outer wall of the container and evaluated using a specially developed analytical method. The results showed that structure-borne sound measurements are a reliable and resource efficient method for detecting the activity of small soil animals. This work opens new perspectives for bioacoustics research and offers potential for use in both educational and scientific contexts.