Hidden worlds: Testing applicability of acoustic methods for examination of deadwood arthropod communities

Deadwood is an important component of forest health and terrestrial carbon storage. However, the diversity of arthropods inhabiting deadwood and the biotic factors influencing decledomposition remain poorly understood, partly due to the challenges associated with studying wood-dwelling organisms. Ecoacoustic methods—non-invasive and non-destructive—offer a promising approach to investigating saproxylic arthropod communities. We tested and optimised ecoacoustic techniques (including recording duration, sensor attachment methods, and soundproofing strategies) for saproxylic detecting abundance and diversity in a multisite experiment spanning Mississippi and Arizona, USA, and Comayagua, Honduras. While linear mixed-effects models revealed no significant relationships between overall arthropod diversity and ecoacoustic diversity, models incorporating the abundance of particular taxa showed significant associations. Notably, the abundance of Hymenoptera and Blattodea correlated with ecoacoustic diversity measures. Effect size varied, ranging from small (−0.000015 ± 0.000005) to moderate (2.5569 ± 0.7623), depending on the diversity metrics included in the model. This study represents the first application of ecoacoustic methods to access arthropod diversity in deadwood and highlights the potential of these tools for targeting studies of macroarthropods in decomposing wood environments.