Answer
The sound waves enable communication over long distances when visibility is low. These waves are short-lived and have to be sent repeatedly to reach the recipient. This requires the expenditure of time and energy.
Work Step by Step
Benefit: The visibility in the water is generally low in the absence of sunlight. The speed of the sound waves is faster in water in comparison to that of the light waves. Thus, sound production helps them to communicate over long distances.
Harm: The sound waves last for a short time period in the medium. Therefore, they have to be sent again-and-again in order to reach the other organisms. Generating sound waves repeatedly requires a lot of energy and can exhaust the organism. Thus, this mode of communication is time- and energy-consuming for the whales.
