Our focus on airborne sounds in both natural and urban settings has spurred the growth of ecoacoustics. However, while we’re accustomed to recording and analysing these audible soundscapes, there’s another, less obvious layer: the world of substrate-borne vibrations, or the “vibroscape”. 

These vibrations are not directly perceptible to our senses, yet they are critical for many animals, especially insects. While we might tune into the soundscape, many animals are equally attuned to the vibroscape. This ancient communication system shaped early evolutionary interactions, and we might still be attuned to it to some degree that we can’t even understand. 

In this performative lecture, we will introduce ecotremology, a discipline focused on studying these substrate-borne vibrations to uncover ecological processes and that could support biological conservation. After our scientific lecture, we will listen to different Slovenian vibroscapes recorded during our research.

Juan José López Díez is a researcher at the National Institute of Biology in Ljubljana. He studies insect vibrational communication and aims to bring the world of insects closer to humans.

Rok Šturm is a researcher at the National Institute of Biology in Ljubljana. He studies insect vibrational communication and aims to bring the world of insects closer to humans.