Ebook: The Physics of Birdsong
- Tags: Biophysics/Biomedical Physics, Neurobiology, Acoustics, Animal Anatomy / Morphology / Histology
- Series: Biological and Medical Physics Biomedical Engineering
- Year: 2005
- Publisher: Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
- Edition: 1
- Language: English
- pdf
In recent years birdsong has developed into an extremely interesting problem for researchers in several branches of the scientific community. The reason is that of the approximately 10,000 species of birds known to exist, some 4000 share with humans (and just a few other species in the animal kingdom) a remarkable feature: their acquisition of vocalization requires a certain degree of exposure to a tutor. Between the complex neural architecture involved in the process and the song itself, stands a delicate apparatus that the bird must control with incredible precision. This book deals with the physical mechanisms at work in the production of birdsong, the acoustic effects that the avian vocal organ is capable of generating, and the nature of the neural instructions needed to drive it. The book provides fascinating reading for physicists, biologists and general readers alike.
In recent years birdsong has developed into an extremely interesting problem for researchers in several branches of the scientific community. The reason is that of the approximately 10,000 species of birds known to exist, some 4000 share with humans (and just a few other species in the animal kingdom) a remarkable feature: their acquisition of vocalization requires a certain degree of exposure to a tutor. Between the complex neural architecture involved in the process and the song itself, stands a delicate apparatus that the bird must control with incredible precision. This book deals with the physical mechanisms at work in the production of birdsong, the acoustic effects that the avian vocal organ is capable of generating, and the nature of the neural instructions needed to drive it. The book provides fascinating reading for physicists, biologists and general readers alike.
In recent years birdsong has developed into an extremely interesting problem for researchers in several branches of the scientific community. The reason is that of the approximately 10,000 species of birds known to exist, some 4000 share with humans (and just a few other species in the animal kingdom) a remarkable feature: their acquisition of vocalization requires a certain degree of exposure to a tutor. Between the complex neural architecture involved in the process and the song itself, stands a delicate apparatus that the bird must control with incredible precision. This book deals with the physical mechanisms at work in the production of birdsong, the acoustic effects that the avian vocal organ is capable of generating, and the nature of the neural instructions needed to drive it. The book provides fascinating reading for physicists, biologists and general readers alike.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages I-X
Elements of the Description....Pages 1-15
Sources and Filters....Pages 17-35
Anatomy of the Vocal Organ....Pages 37-46
The Sources of Sound in Birdsong....Pages 47-60
The Instructions for the Syrinx....Pages 61-77
Complex Oscillations....Pages 79-97
Synthesizing Birdsong....Pages 99-112
From the Syrinx to the Brain....Pages 113-132
Complex Rhythms....Pages 133-149
Back Matter....Pages 151-157
In recent years birdsong has developed into an extremely interesting problem for researchers in several branches of the scientific community. The reason is that of the approximately 10,000 species of birds known to exist, some 4000 share with humans (and just a few other species in the animal kingdom) a remarkable feature: their acquisition of vocalization requires a certain degree of exposure to a tutor. Between the complex neural architecture involved in the process and the song itself, stands a delicate apparatus that the bird must control with incredible precision. This book deals with the physical mechanisms at work in the production of birdsong, the acoustic effects that the avian vocal organ is capable of generating, and the nature of the neural instructions needed to drive it. The book provides fascinating reading for physicists, biologists and general readers alike.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages I-X
Elements of the Description....Pages 1-15
Sources and Filters....Pages 17-35
Anatomy of the Vocal Organ....Pages 37-46
The Sources of Sound in Birdsong....Pages 47-60
The Instructions for the Syrinx....Pages 61-77
Complex Oscillations....Pages 79-97
Synthesizing Birdsong....Pages 99-112
From the Syrinx to the Brain....Pages 113-132
Complex Rhythms....Pages 133-149
Back Matter....Pages 151-157
....