Receiver Biases in Modern Environments

Animals have evolved perceptual systems to detect and respond to environmental cues and social signals. The close fit among perceptual systems, ecology, and fitness has led to the evolution of behavioral predispositions known as receiver biases. While largely adaptive, receiver biases can prompt inadequate behavior when cues or signals to which they are attuned are obscured, mimicked, or decoupled from their adaptive relevance by rapid environmental change, often induced by humans. This mismatch between the evolved and the current perceptual environment may threaten populations. Receiver biases can also open novel ecological opportunities to species facing rapid environmental change and can be modified in response to natural (including human-induced) selection. We review evidence that altered perceptual environments impact receiver biases across sensory modalities and contexts, discuss selection-driven modifications of receiver biases or the associated responses, and suggest research directions to evaluate potential negative consequences of receiver biases in anthropized systems.