Factors impacting reliance on, and usefulness of, social learning in urban environments

Urban environments provide a range of new environmental conditions that individuals can adapt to. Social learning is thought to be particularly useful in novel or variable environments, such as urban environments. However, there are multiple pathways through which different factors in urban environments could impact reliance on and usefulness of social learning. In this review, I tease apart how specific factors in urban environments may affect the social component and the learning component of social learning. Specifically, I look at how pollution (chemical, light, noise), food resources, temperature, habitat structure, and the rate of environmental change may impact the availability of social information, its usefulness, the likelihood of using social information, and the ability to learn. I highlight that while there are large areas of studies on each component, very little empirical work is currently present on the relationship between urbanisation and social learning overall.