Ecoacoustics & Worldwide Soundscapes (2021 - ongoing)
In 2021, I launched the Worldwide Soundscapes project that unites researchers and practitioners worldwide by collating and sharing their meta-data from soundscape recordings recorded across terrestrial and aquatic biomes into a single database.
Authored publications:
Darras, K.F.A., et al., 2025. Worldwide Soundscapes: A Synthesis of Passive Acoustic Monitoring Across Realms. Global Ecology and Biogeography 34, e70021. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.70021
Darras, K.F.A., 2025. Bryan C. Pijanowski: Principles of soundscape ecology: discovering our sonic world (book review). Community Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42974-025-00255-4
Authored publications:
Darras, K.F.A., et al., 2025. Worldwide Soundscapes: A Synthesis of Passive Acoustic Monitoring Across Realms. Global Ecology and Biogeography 34, e70021. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.70021
Darras, K.F.A., 2025. Bryan C. Pijanowski: Principles of soundscape ecology: discovering our sonic world (book review). Community Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42974-025-00255-4
Automated Biodiversity Monitoring Technologies (2012 - ongoing)
I started using acoustic sampling methods in 2012 for my PhD to discover the potential that the technology holds. A lot of my work is about how to effectively use automated sound recorders in a standardised way. We compared automated sound recorders to point count sampling methods, showed how sound detection spaces can be measured, designed open-design microphones, and created ecoSound-web, an open-source online platform for ecoacoustics.
Starting in 2018, I started integrating new sensing technologies into sampling workflows for monitoring biodiversity. We designed rigs for technologically-enabled bat point counts with thermal and near-infrared imaging in combination with ultrasound recording.
From 2021 to 2023, I worked at the Sustainable Agricultural Systems & Engineering Lab with Thomas C Wanger at Westlake University (Hangzhou, China). I designed embedded machine vision cameras based on the openMV board for terrestrial biodiversity monitoring and we continue their development to apply them to various use cases.
From 2022 to 2023, I worked in the Chair of Computational Landscape Ecology at TU Dresden (Germany) with Anna Cord on passive acoustic monitoring in the Earth System Sciences within the NFDI4Earth Pilot projects while assuming student teaching tasks.
Authored publications:
Funosas, D., Sebastián-González, E., [...], Darras, K.F.A., Pérez-Granados, C., 2026. A global assessment of BirdNET performance: Differences among continents, biomes, and species. Ecological Indicators 182, 114550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.114550
Darras, K.F.A., Balle, M., Xu, W., Yan, Y., Zakka, V.G., Toledo-Hernández, M., Sheng, D., Lin, W., Zhang, B., Lan, Z., Fupeng, L., Wanger, T.C., n.d. Eyes on nature: Embedded vision cameras for terrestrial biodiversity monitoring. Methods in Ecology and Evolution n/a. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.14436
Darras, K.F.A., Pérez, N., Mauladi -, Dilong, L., Hanf-Dressler, T., Markolf, M., Wanger, T.C., 2023. ecoSound-web: an open-source, online platform for ecoacoustics. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.26369.2
Darras, K.F.A., Yusti, E., Huang, J.C.-C., Zemp, D.-C., Kartono, A.P., Wanger, T.C., 2021 Bat point counts: A novel sampling method shines light on flying bat communities. Ecology and Evolution n/a. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8356
Darras, K., Yusti, E., Knorr, A., Huang, J.C.-C., Kartono, A.P., . I., 2021. Sampling flying bats with thermal and near-infrared imaging and ultrasound recording: hardware and workflow for bat point counts. F1000Res 10, 189. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.51195.1
Darras, K.F.A., Deppe, F., Fabian, Y., Kartono, A.P., Angulo, A., Kolbrek, B., Mulyani, Y.A., Prawiradilaga, D.M., 2020. High microphone signal-to-noise ratio enhances acoustic sampling of wildlife. PeerJ 8, e9955. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.9955
Darras, K., Batáry, P., Furnas, B.J., Grass, I., Mulyani, Y.A., Tscharntke, T., 2019. Autonomous sound recording outperforms human observation for sampling birds: a systematic map and user guide. Ecological Applications 29, e01954. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.1954
Darras, K., Kolbrek, B., Knorr, A., Meyer, V., Zippert, M., Wenzel, A., 2021. Assembling cheap, high-performance microphones for recording terrestrial wildlife: the Sonitor system. F1000Res 7, 1984. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.17511.3
Darras, K., Batáry, P., Furnas, B., Celis‐Murillo, A., Wilgenburg, S.L.V., Mulyani, Y.A., Tscharntke, T., 2018. Comparing the sampling performance of sound recorders versus point counts in bird surveys: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Ecology 55, 2575–2586. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13229
Darras, K., Furnas, B., Fitriawan, I., Mulyani, Y., Tscharntke, T., 2018. Estimating bird detection distances in sound recordings for standardizing detection ranges and distance sampling. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 9, 1928–1938. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13031
Darras, K., Pütz, P., Fahrurrozi, Rembold, K., Tscharntke, T., 2016. Measuring sound detection spaces for acoustic animal sampling and monitoring. Biological Conservation 201, 29–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.06.021
Co-authored publications:
Hanf-Dressler, T., Nouioua, R., Thomisch, K., Cazau, D., Longchamps, S. de S., Darras, K.F.A., 2026. Software Tools for Passive Acoustic Monitoring in Aquatic and Terrestrial Bio- and Ecoacoustics: A Living Systematic Review. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.173495.1
Funosas, D., [...], Darras, K.F.A., Pérez-Granados, C., 2026. A global assessment of BirdNET performance: Differences among continents, biomes, and species. Ecological Indicators 182, 114550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.114550
Wang, M., Darras, K.F.A., Xue, R., Liu, F., 2016. Animal acoustic identification, denoising and source separation using generative adversarial networks. Methods in Ecology and Evolution n/a. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.70148
Cord, A.F., Darras, K., Ogawa, R., Barbaro, L., Gerling, C., Kernecker, M., Markova-Nenova, N., Rodriguez-Barrera, G., Zichner, F., Wätzold, F., 2025. Leveraging passive acoustic monitoring for result-based agri-environmental schemes: Opportunities, challenges and next steps. Biological Conservation 305, 111042. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111042
Balle, M., Xu, W., Darras, K.F., Wanger, T.C., 2024. A Power Management and Control System for Environmental Monitoring Devices. IEEE Transactions on AgriFood Electronics 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1109/TAFE.2024.3472493
Wang, M., Mei, J., Darras, K.F., Liu, F., 2023. VGGish-based detection of biological sound components and their spatio-temporal variations in a subtropical forest in eastern China. PeerJ 11, e16462. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.16462
Starting in 2018, I started integrating new sensing technologies into sampling workflows for monitoring biodiversity. We designed rigs for technologically-enabled bat point counts with thermal and near-infrared imaging in combination with ultrasound recording.
From 2021 to 2023, I worked at the Sustainable Agricultural Systems & Engineering Lab with Thomas C Wanger at Westlake University (Hangzhou, China). I designed embedded machine vision cameras based on the openMV board for terrestrial biodiversity monitoring and we continue their development to apply them to various use cases.
From 2022 to 2023, I worked in the Chair of Computational Landscape Ecology at TU Dresden (Germany) with Anna Cord on passive acoustic monitoring in the Earth System Sciences within the NFDI4Earth Pilot projects while assuming student teaching tasks.
Authored publications:
Funosas, D., Sebastián-González, E., [...], Darras, K.F.A., Pérez-Granados, C., 2026. A global assessment of BirdNET performance: Differences among continents, biomes, and species. Ecological Indicators 182, 114550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.114550
Darras, K.F.A., Balle, M., Xu, W., Yan, Y., Zakka, V.G., Toledo-Hernández, M., Sheng, D., Lin, W., Zhang, B., Lan, Z., Fupeng, L., Wanger, T.C., n.d. Eyes on nature: Embedded vision cameras for terrestrial biodiversity monitoring. Methods in Ecology and Evolution n/a. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.14436
Darras, K.F.A., Pérez, N., Mauladi -, Dilong, L., Hanf-Dressler, T., Markolf, M., Wanger, T.C., 2023. ecoSound-web: an open-source, online platform for ecoacoustics. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.26369.2
Darras, K.F.A., Yusti, E., Huang, J.C.-C., Zemp, D.-C., Kartono, A.P., Wanger, T.C., 2021 Bat point counts: A novel sampling method shines light on flying bat communities. Ecology and Evolution n/a. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.8356
Darras, K., Yusti, E., Knorr, A., Huang, J.C.-C., Kartono, A.P., . I., 2021. Sampling flying bats with thermal and near-infrared imaging and ultrasound recording: hardware and workflow for bat point counts. F1000Res 10, 189. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.51195.1
Darras, K.F.A., Deppe, F., Fabian, Y., Kartono, A.P., Angulo, A., Kolbrek, B., Mulyani, Y.A., Prawiradilaga, D.M., 2020. High microphone signal-to-noise ratio enhances acoustic sampling of wildlife. PeerJ 8, e9955. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.9955
Darras, K., Batáry, P., Furnas, B.J., Grass, I., Mulyani, Y.A., Tscharntke, T., 2019. Autonomous sound recording outperforms human observation for sampling birds: a systematic map and user guide. Ecological Applications 29, e01954. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.1954
Darras, K., Kolbrek, B., Knorr, A., Meyer, V., Zippert, M., Wenzel, A., 2021. Assembling cheap, high-performance microphones for recording terrestrial wildlife: the Sonitor system. F1000Res 7, 1984. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.17511.3
Darras, K., Batáry, P., Furnas, B., Celis‐Murillo, A., Wilgenburg, S.L.V., Mulyani, Y.A., Tscharntke, T., 2018. Comparing the sampling performance of sound recorders versus point counts in bird surveys: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Ecology 55, 2575–2586. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13229
Darras, K., Furnas, B., Fitriawan, I., Mulyani, Y., Tscharntke, T., 2018. Estimating bird detection distances in sound recordings for standardizing detection ranges and distance sampling. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 9, 1928–1938. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.13031
Darras, K., Pütz, P., Fahrurrozi, Rembold, K., Tscharntke, T., 2016. Measuring sound detection spaces for acoustic animal sampling and monitoring. Biological Conservation 201, 29–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.06.021
Co-authored publications:
Hanf-Dressler, T., Nouioua, R., Thomisch, K., Cazau, D., Longchamps, S. de S., Darras, K.F.A., 2026. Software Tools for Passive Acoustic Monitoring in Aquatic and Terrestrial Bio- and Ecoacoustics: A Living Systematic Review. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.173495.1
Funosas, D., [...], Darras, K.F.A., Pérez-Granados, C., 2026. A global assessment of BirdNET performance: Differences among continents, biomes, and species. Ecological Indicators 182, 114550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.114550
Wang, M., Darras, K.F.A., Xue, R., Liu, F., 2016. Animal acoustic identification, denoising and source separation using generative adversarial networks. Methods in Ecology and Evolution n/a. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.70148
Cord, A.F., Darras, K., Ogawa, R., Barbaro, L., Gerling, C., Kernecker, M., Markova-Nenova, N., Rodriguez-Barrera, G., Zichner, F., Wätzold, F., 2025. Leveraging passive acoustic monitoring for result-based agri-environmental schemes: Opportunities, challenges and next steps. Biological Conservation 305, 111042. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2025.111042
Balle, M., Xu, W., Darras, K.F., Wanger, T.C., 2024. A Power Management and Control System for Environmental Monitoring Devices. IEEE Transactions on AgriFood Electronics 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1109/TAFE.2024.3472493
Wang, M., Mei, J., Darras, K.F., Liu, F., 2023. VGGish-based detection of biological sound components and their spatio-temporal variations in a subtropical forest in eastern China. PeerJ 11, e16462. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.16462
