The Wildest Noises in Wildlife… and Dunes

TL;DR

Advances in audio recording have allowed scientists to uncover the hidden sounds of nature, revealing that plants communicate with stress signals, spiders "purr" to attract mates, fish larvae use thumping sounds to stay together, bacteria produce drumming and vocal noises, and sand dunes create booms and belches.

Transcript

Thanks to Brilliant for supporting this SciShow video! As a SciShow viewer, you can keep building your STEM skills with a 30 day free trial and 20% off an annual premium subscription at Brilliant.org/SciShow. Dogs bark, birds chirp, and foxes… well, the jury’s still out on that one. Nature is full of interesting sounds, but there are a whole host o... Read More

Key Insights

• 🌱 Plants can make popping sounds when under stress due to a process called cavitation, potentially signaling to neighboring plants.
• 🕵️‍♀️ Male wolf spiders use purring and drumming sounds to communicate with females through vibrations.
• 👂 Fish larvae create knocking and growling sounds in the dark ocean to maintain proximity with each other.
• 🎚️ Bacteria produce drumming noises by moving on surfaces, which can indicate their activity and antibiotic resistance levels.
• 🥪 Sand dunes can emit booming and belching sounds caused by the physics of sand movement on steep slopes.

Questions & Answers

Q: How do plants communicate through their stress signals?

Plants produce popping sounds when stressed, such as when they are cut or deprived of water. This is caused by a process called cavitation, where bubbles burst and release shock waves through the stem. These sounds might serve as signals to other plants.

Q: How do male wolf spiders attract females without having ears?

Male wolf spiders create purring sounds by rubbing their pedipalps together and drumming sounds by striking their abdomen against the ground. Females sense these vibrations through the surface they are standing on, allowing for communication without the need for traditional hearing structures.

Q: Why do fish larvae produce thumping sounds in the dark?

Fish larvae, like grey snapper, create knocking and growling sounds using muscle movements connected to their swim bladder. These sounds help them stay close to each other when visibility is low, increasing their chances of survival.

Q: How can bacteria produce sound and why is it significant?

Bacteria like E. coli produce drumming sounds by moving on ultrathin graphene sheets, with or without flagella. The intensity of the sound indicates their activity level and can potentially be used to test antibiotic resistance on a single bacterium.

Q: What causes sand dunes to make booming and belching sounds?

Booming sounds occur when sand dunes avalanche due to overlapping sound waves created by individual sand layers moving at different speeds. Burping sounds result from a rolling wave of sand on the surface, interacting with swirling sand particles in a chaotic manner.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Plants, such as tomato and tobacco plants, make popping sounds when they are stressed due to a process called cavitation.

• Male wolf spiders use purring sounds to attract females, using their vibration-sensing abilities to communicate without ears.

• Grey snapper larvae produce knocking and growling sounds to stay close to each other in the dark ocean.

• Bacteria, like E. coli, create drumming sounds when moving on ultrathin sheets, potentially indicating their activity level and antibiotic resistance.

• Sand dunes in desert areas emit booming and belching sounds caused by the physics of sand movement on steep slopes.