A good example of this is shown in a scientific study involving whales, orca Whales, which happened to be one of the largest whales species. Now, orcas have a very sharp sense of hearing that is absolutely vital to their existence. In fact, they make special sounds and listen to the sounds, echoes to help them determine the location, shape, and size of objects in their appetite, like food. In other words, an orca whale uses an ecosystem to gather Information about its immediate surroundings. It makes a series of clicking sounds, and the echoes from these clicking sounds helplead the whale to the location of its next meal.
Now, in their research, scientists studied noises in an orca whale habitat of the west coast of Canada. The scientists focused on noise from boats using the same waterway as the whales. These researchers wanted to learn about possible changes in the whale's behavior when the noise level from the boats increased.
In the end, an increase in the level of environmental noise from the boats is believed to have blocked the transmission distance of the whales clicking sounds. Scientists noticed that the size of the area in which the whale searched for food became smaller by up to 20 %. It appears that the whales ecosystems were not able to function fully. Basically, the whales couldn't gather as much Information about possible sources of food in their surroundings.
Explain the concept of masking and how it affects orca whales.
According to the reading, masking occurs when excessive environmental noise covers or overwhelms the sounds crucial for communication and survival in an animal's daily activities, hindering its ability to transmit or receive vital biological signals. In the listening, the professor discusses a scientific study focusing on orca whales, known for their acute hearing crucial for survival. They use echolocation to navigate and locate food, emitting clicks whose echoes provide information about their environment. Researchers studied noise in a whale habitat, particularly from boats sharing the area. Increased boat noise disrupted the whales' echolocation, causing them to search for food in a reduced area, diminishing their ability to gather vital information about potential food sources. This indicates that heightened environmental noise impairs the whales' ecosystem, hindering their foraging abilities.
