2024 total eclipse subtly shifted animal calling across three Ohio prairies, study finds

No natural phenomenon provides a rarer chance to study the secrets of the animal world than a total solar eclipse. This was recently demonstrated by researchers investigating how a total solar eclipse might affect the soundscape of Midwestern United States prairie communities. Their objective was to discover how soundscapes—combinations of natural and artificial sounds that shape an environment—are influenced by ambient light, as light level helps cue annual biological events such as sexual reproduction and migration.