Environmental disturbance and animal communication

This chapter describes how human impacts alter animal communication. It addresses the ecological and evolutionary consequences of altered animal communication, and emphasizes on their effects in animal behaviour. It investigates how animals utilize social signals in performing daily tasks, and examines the influence of anthropogenic communication disturbance regarding survival patterns, change in the magnitude and direction of natural and sexual selection, and impingement of basic evolutionary processes like reproductive isolation and hybridization. It looks into some of the processes of disturbance that reduces the efficacy of communication such as weakening the signal production, distorting or attenuating signals as they travel to the receiver, or hampering perception. It also highlights certain environmental changes that can modify distribution of signals.