Behavioural Responses to a Changing World

For many animals, behavioural adjustments represent the first response to human-modified conditions. By improving reproduction and survival, such adjustments can play the lead in maintaining viable populations in the face of rapid environmental change. Behavioural responses, however, can also be maladaptive and reduce individual fitness, particularly if favourable ‘reaction norms’ have not yet evolved because animals are encountering conditions that they have never experienced before. Clearly, behaviour matters. But how can we capitalise on our understanding of animal behaviour to improve conservation and management outcomes? Behavioural Responses to a Changing World: Challenges and Applications – a companion volume to the first edition published in 2012 – examines wildlife behavioural responses to human-induced environmental change through a translational lens. Despite considerable and growing interest in research on the topic, the predictive value and practical application of what has been learned remains underappreciated and underutilized in the context of developing real-world solutions. To redress this, the current book builds upon the foundations of the original volume, but with a more applied perspective that focuses on highlighting how different forms of environmental challenges – from climate change to urbanisation – influence animal behaviour, and how we can effectively harness knowledge of animal behaviour to effect practical solutions to predicting and mitigating the weighty impacts of a radically changed and changing world.