Pregled metoda kvantifikacije količine svakodnevnih podražaja u životinja

undergraduate thesis

• Title (english): An overview of methods for quantifying the amount of stimuli in daily routine of animals
• Author: David Špiljak
• Mentor: Josip Skejo (mentor)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Science; (Department of Biology); Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2024-09-16, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: NATURAL SCIENCES; Biology

Abstract

Živčani sustav svake životinje prilagođen je podražajima iz okoliša u kojem ta životinja živi, no vrijedi li isto u suvremenom životu čovjeka. Općeprihvaćeno je mišljenje da smo “bombardirani” velikom količinom informacija tijekom života u modernom okolišu, i to svakodnevno. Unatoč tom gotovo uvriježenom mišljenju, tek je nekolicina istraživača pokušala primjeniti znanstvene metode na mjerenje količine signala koje prosječan čovjek dobiva svakodnevno i to usporediti s količinom signala koje je prosječan čovjek dobivao tijekom naše recentne evolucijske povijesti, primjerice kroz posljednjih 10 000 godina. Do sada su znanstvenici mnogo puta pokušali pronaći uzorke u komunikaciji kitova, primata, ptica i kukaca pa su se zahvaljujući njihovim istraživanjima pojavili koncepti entropije i kompleksnosti signala koji su postali korisni alati u analizi interakcije životinja. Još nitko nije spomenute alate iskoristio za mjerenje količine signala u „prirodnom“ i „antropogenom“ okolišu. Cilj ovog rada je predložiti smjer razmišljanja, odnosno osnovnu metodu za procjenu količine svakodnevnog signala, a također postaviti temelj daljnjem istraživanju ove problematike uspostavom prvih alata za procjenu signalne opterećenosti. Rad je ograničen na zvučne (akustičke) signale jer su isti jednostavni za kvantifikaciju i jer su postojeće metode standardiziranije od metoda za analizu video-zapisa, no ista se logika sigurno može primijeniti i na vidne (vizualne) signale, što bi bio logičan sljedeći korak u ovom području. Poznate matematičke funkcije koje se koriste za analizu zvučnih zapisa u području ekologije prenamijenjene su i iskombinirane u skladu s definicijom signala, kako bi se dobila vrijednost koja predstavlja količinu snimljenog signala. Preliminarni podaci pokazuju da je količina informacija u današnjem svakodnevnom životu čovjeka nesrazmjerno veća od količine koja postoji u prirodnim ekosistemima. Pogotovo se u količini informacija u svakodnevom životu čovjeka ističu televizijske reklame i elektronička glazba.

Abstract (english)

The nervous system of every animal is adapted to the stimuli of the environment in which the animal lives, but does the same hold true in modern human life? It is a widely accepted belief that we are “bombarded” with a large amount of information in our daily lives within the modern environment. Despite this common notion, only a few researchers have attempted to apply scientific methods to measure the quantity of signals the average person receives daily and compare it to the amount of signals an average person received throughout recent evolutionary history, such as in the past 10,000 years. Scientists have often sought patterns in the communication of whales, primates, birds, and insects, and through their research, concepts like entropy and signal complexity have emerged, which have become useful tools in analyzing animal interactions. However, no one has yet used these tools to measure the quantity of signals in both "natural" and "anthropogenic" environments. The goal of this paper is to propose a direction of thought, specifically a basic method for assessing the amount of daily signals, and to lay the foundation for further research in this area by establishing the first tools for evaluating signal load. The study is limited to sound (acoustic) signals, as they are easier to quantify and because existing methods for their analysis are more standardized compared to methods for video analysis. However, the same logic can certainly be applied to visual signals, which would be a logical next step in this field. Known mathematical functions used for the analysis of audio recordings in the field of ecology have been adapted and combined in accordance with the definition of a signal, in order to obtain a value representing the amount of the recorded signal. Preliminary data show that the amount of information in modern human daily life is disproportionately greater than the amount present in natural ecosystems. Notably, television advertisements and electronic music stand out as major sources of information in everyday human life.

• Keywords: signalna opterećenost; ekoakustika; evolucija; signal; kognitivni limit
• Keywords (english): signal load; ecoacoustics; evolution; signal; cognitive limit
• Language: croatian
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:217:413670
• Study programme: Title: Molecular biology-University undergraduate programme; Study programme type: university; Study level: undergraduate; Academic / professional title: sveučilišni/a prvostupnik/prvostupnica (baccalaureus/baccalaurea) molekularne biologije (sveučilišni/a prvostupnik/prvostupnica (baccalaureus/baccalaurea) molekularne biologije)
• Type of resource: Text
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2024-10-03 08:36:27