Toward improved conservation management: a consideration of sensory ecology

All organisms rely on sensory systems to obtain, interpret, and respond to information available in their environment. With rapid alterations of ecosystems occurring across the globe, organisms are being faced with sensory challenges that result in behavioural changes and disruptions with potential population-level consequences. Through a consideration of sensory ecology, it is possible to identify the underlying causes of disturbances at the individual level and use this information to develop better-informed, highly targeted, and more effective management strategies. Indeed, sensory-based approaches have already been successful in response to a variety of conservation issues. This article provides a general discussion of how a consideration of sensory ecology can benefit conservation biology and proceeds to describe three areas of rapid growth and potential for expansion: (1) mitigation of anthropogenic noise disturbance; (2) prevention and amelioration of ecological and other evolutionary traps; (3) targeted population control with special attention to aquatic invasive species. I conclude with general recommendations on how sensory ecologists and conservation biologists can mutually benefit from integrated endeavours.