Home| Feed Back| Picture Gallery| Video Gallery| Contact us| Media and features| Staff Profile | Discussion Forum | Blogs | Get involved

Introduction

Biophysics (also biological physics) is an interdisciplinary science that employs and develops theories and methods of the physical sciences for the investigation of biological systems. Bioacoustics is a cross-disciplinary science that combines biology and acoustics. Usually it refers to the investigation of sound production, dispersion through elastic media and reception in animals, including humans. This involves neurophysiologic and anatomical basis of sound production and detection, and relation of acoustic signals to the medium they disperse through. The findings give us some evidence about the evolution of acoustic mechanisms, and from that, the evolution of animals that employ them.

This research station was established in December, 2008 at the BRC headquarters, Islamabad. The main theme for development of this unit was to organize such a unit, which will develop digital recordings, equipments, computer software’s and algorithms that will be used by the scientists and researchers of BRC to study animal communication and to monitor diversity of wildlife populations. This division will be a natural meeting ground for people interested in interactions that transcend the boundaries between the other relative disciplines. The researchers in biophysics will have the opportunity to perform cutting edge researches in an extremely wide range of areas of biophysics and bioacoustics.

Aims and Objective

Bioacoustics is a field that has not being paid enough attention and so far basic level research has been done on bioacoustics in Pakistan. Our main objectives will be to unleash the avifauna of Pakistan through this branch of biophysics. So far the center has been able to study vocals of 450 indigenous bird species of Pakistan. Our main objectives are:

1.      A complete profiling of avifauna of Pakistan.

2.      Phylogeny of songs birds through their sounds. 

3.      Conservation plans for best preservation and protection to endangered species.

4.  Management policies for the avifauna of Pakistan.

Facilities

The testing grounds for this station will be equipped with:

• Microphones and hydrophone
• Directional microphones and parabolas
• Bat detectors and the recording of ultrasounds
• Sound recorders
• Instrumentation recorders
• Hardware and software for sound analysis

Software’s for Animal Sound Analysis

Also the supporting softwares for this study are as under:

• Ravenlight
• Sound ruler
• Avisoft Lab SAS pro
• VCD cutter
• Media decoder

Future perspectives

BRC is also pioneering new techniques in order to approach the following future perspectives of this field.

• Categorization of avifauna with reference to their breeding season
• A complete data base of birds geographic diversity regarding vocalization
• Seasonal variation in the breeding season with contrast to the bird song
• A present status of the existence breeding sites of the migratory birds
• Tagging of the migratory birds of Pakistan, to study the bird song diversity

                  Habitat Estimation

                                           Contact us | Feed Back | Blogs | Get involved