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Freshwater systems are globally threatened and in need of enhanced monitoring and assessment. We applied soundscape recording and analysis—which presents an opportunity for long‐term, high‐resolution animal community monitoring and assessment—to a freshwater context to better understand the acoustic diversity and dynamics of these systems.We recorded the aquatic soundscape of a Neotropical freshwater swamp in Costa Rica for 23 days in January and February 2015 during the dry season. We classified biological sound types in these recordings and developed measurements of richness and occupancy based on this classification. We also calculated six complementary acoustic indices to assess soundscape diversity and daily and longer‐term soundscape dynamics, and we examined correlations between these acoustic indices and sound type metrics.We found rich soundscapes in which biological sounds were almost always present, and we classified 18 sound types that we attribute to aquatic insects. These sound types showed distinct daily patterns and exhibited temporal and spectral acoustic niche partitioning. Sound type richness was most correlated with the number of peaks index (correlation =.36; p <.001), while sound type occupancy was most correlated with the Bioacoustic Index (correlation =.92; p <.001). In contrast to generally high levels of acoustic activity, there were brief (approximately 1 hr), unexpected quiet periods around dawn and dusk.This study represents an early attempt to comprehensively describe tropical freshwater soundscapes in a systematic and quantitative manner. We demonstrate that sound type classification and the quantification of acoustic occupancy capture aspects of soundscape diversity and dynamics that are complementary to those assessed by acoustic indices. Our analyses reveal that the soundscapes of this tropical wetland were diverse and exhibited daily dynamics that differed from those found in other ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We conducted surveys on nature relatedness and soundscape perception in Argentina. • Hearing was of secondary importance to vision in experiences of nature. • Nature relatedness was positively correlated with valuation of natural soundscapes. • Valuation of natural soundscapes was higher than that of technophonic soundscapes. • Natural-soundscape-based educational programs may help promote nature relatedness. Human disconnection from nature is thought to have contributed to the environmental crises we currently face, and increasing connection with nature has been proposed as one way of promoting pro-environmental behavior, nature conservation, and social-ecological sustainability. Some efforts to increase connection with nature ("nature relatedness") have centered on exploring the social-ecological importance of soundscapes, but there is a paucity of empirical evidence supporting the theoretical linkage between soundscape perception and nature relatedness. Using prerecorded and in situ soundscape prompts, we conducted a street intercept survey in Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina to assess: 1) the relative importance of senses in experiences of nature, 2) the relationship between nature relatedness and soundscape perception, 3) differences in soundscape perception between various soundscapes, and 4) possible sociodemographic influences on sense importance, nature relatedness, and soundscape perception. Participants reported that hearing was of secondary importance to vision in experiences of nature. We also found that nature relatedness was positively correlated with the valuation of soundscapes—particularly more natural ones—but not with the discernment of soundscapes or identification of where soundscapes were recorded. Valuation of more natural soundscapes was higher than valuation of more technophonically dominated soundscapes, while soundscape discernment and location identification were higher for soundscapes that were likely more familiar to listeners. Sociodemographic influences on these variables were minor, but women reported higher sense importance, and having a nature-based occupation was associated with higher nature relatedness and valuation of a soundscape from a penguin colony. Our study highlighted a number of potential research areas concerning soundscape perception, including differences between prerecorded and in situ soundscape prompts, defining various aspects of soundscape perception, and the relative influences of sound sources and quantitative acoustic parameters on soundscape perception. Further research is certainly needed to account for global diversity in cultures and soundscapes, but we found some promising empirical support for the use of natural-soundscape-focused educational programs in efforts to promote nature relatedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Avian diversity was assessed with point counts and passive acoustic monitoring. • Highway noise and its edge effect negatively affected diversity in certain habitats. • Effects differed between interior and edge specialist species. • Avian acoustic activity increased with distance from highways. In the 1940s, Aldo Leopold took extensive notes on birds and their sounds near his iconic shack in Baraboo, Wisconsin, USA. His observations, along with his land management techniques, helped frame his seminal book, A Sand County Almanac. After his death, two interstate highways were built near his property and subjected this historically significant area to traffic noise. While highways currently represent vital transportation corridors, their observed and potential impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services are cause for concern. As the area including Leopold's shack is now an Important Bird Area, we sought to evaluate the impact of these highways on the bird community and its related acoustic diversity. In 2011, 150 avian point counts were conducted in the three main habitats composing the landscape—upland deciduous forest, floodplain forest, and herbaceous wetland. In 2012, soundscape recordings were collected in seven floodplain forest sites using automated passive acoustic recorders. We described the local bird communities and measured their acoustic diversity. Linear models accounting for additional factors including land cover and vegetation structure characteristics showed that as the distance from highways increased, bird community descriptors (overall abundance and species richness) and acoustic diversity increased (when relationships were significant). On the species level, forest interior specialists were negatively affected by the presence of the highways, contrary to edge specialists. In addition to the direct effects of the edges produced by the highway structure, this difference might be due to the masking effect of traffic noise on interior specialists' low-frequency vocalizations and their reliance on acoustic, as opposed to visual, communication. We conclude that while habitat structure is a principle driver of bird diversity on a broader scale, highway-induced changes in both habitat structure and soundscapes may affect bird communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]