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Tomonaga M, Haraguchi D, Wilkinson A. Slowly walking down to the more food: relative quantity discrimination in African spurred tortoises (Centrochelys sulcata). Anim Cogn 2023; 26:1675-1683. [PMID: 37477740 PMCID: PMC10442272 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01812-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 06/30/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Quantity discrimination, is thought to be highly adaptive as it allows an organism to select greater amounts of food or larger social groups. In contrast to mammals, the processes underlying this ability are not as well understood in reptiles. This study examined the effects of ratio and number size on relative quantity discrimination in African spurred tortoises (Centrochelys sulcata). To assess these effects, tortoises were presented with trays containing favored food pieces in all possible number combinations between 1 and 7. The tortoises had to approach the tray they perceived as having the larger quantity. If correct, they received one piece of food as reinforcement. The results revealed that relative quantity discrimination was influenced by the ratio between the numbers of pieces, with performance improving as the ratio between the numbers increased. This finding suggests that the approximate number system or analogue magnitude estimation may control their behavior. However, as the number size increased, their performance declined, also suggesting that the approximate number system alone could not explain the present results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masaki Tomonaga
- Japan Monkey Centre, Inuyama, Aichi, 484-0081, Japan.
- University of Human Environments, Matsuyama, Ehime, 790-0825, Japan.
| | | | - Anna Wilkinson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Lincoln, Lincoln, LN6 7DL, UK.
- Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, 606-8203, Japan.
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2
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Szenczi P, Martínez-Byer S, Chacha J, Hudson R, Bánszegi O. Quantity discrimination by kittens of the domestic cat (Felis silvestris catus). Anim Cogn 2023:10.1007/s10071-023-01784-z. [PMID: 37179500 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01784-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Quantitative abilities are well described in many species and in diverse life situations, including in the adult domestic cat. However, such abilities have been much less studied during ontogeny. In the present study we examined spontaneous quantity discrimination by pre-weaning age kittens in two-way food choice experiments. In Experiment 1, 26 kittens performed 12 trials with different ratios between the number of same-size food items. In Experiment 2, 24 other kittens performed eight trials with different ratios between the size of two food items. We found, in general, that the kittens discriminated between the different amounts of food and spontaneously chose the larger one, but that their choice was influenced by the ratio of difference. The kittens in Experiment 1 chose the larger number of same-size food items if the ratio was smaller than 0.4 and in Experiment 2 they chose the larger pieces of food if the ratio between the items was smaller than 0.5. Because the kittens' choice was not influenced by the absolute number of food items or the numerical difference between them in Experiment 1, it suggests that their cognitive performance relied on an analog magnitude system rather than on an object file system during the quantity discrimination tasks. We discuss our results considering the ecological and social background of cats and compare it with the performance of previously studied species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Péter Szenczi
- CONACYT-Instituto Nacional de Psiquiatría Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz, Unidad Psicopatología y Desarrollo, Calz. México-Xochimilco 101, 14370, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Sandra Martínez-Byer
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Unidad de Posgrado, Edificio A, 1er Piso, Circuito de Posgrados, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, 04510, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Jimena Chacha
- Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Unidad de Posgrado, Edificio A, 1er Piso, Circuito de Posgrados, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacán, 04510, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Robyn Hudson
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, AP 70228, 04510, Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Oxána Bánszegi
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, AP 70228, 04510, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
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3
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Motta AGC, Guerra V, do Amaral DF, da Costa Araújo AP, Vieira LG, de Melo E Silva D, Rocha TL. Assessment of multiple biomarkers in Lithobates catesbeianus (Anura: Ranidae) tadpoles exposed to zinc oxide nanoparticles and zinc chloride: integrating morphological and behavioral approaches to ecotoxicology. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:13755-13772. [PMID: 36138291 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-022-23018-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 09/09/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
The ecotoxicological risk to vertebrates posed by zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) is still poorly understood, especially in animals with a biphasic life cycle, which have aquatic and terrestrial phases, such as amphibians. In the present study, we investigated whether acute exposure (7 days) to ZnO NPs and zinc chloride (ZnCl2) at three environmentally relevant concentrations (0.1, 1.0, and 10 mg L-1) induces changes in the morphology, chondrocranium, and behavior of the tadpoles of Lithobates catesbeianus (Anura: Ranidae). Tadpoles exposed to both forms of Zn did not undergo any morphological or behavioral changes at the lowest concentrations (0.1 and 1.0 mg L-1). However, the animals exposed to the highest concentration (10 mg L-1) lacked oral disc structures, were smaller in size, had a longer tail, and presented changes in the position and coiling of the intestine and malformations of the chondrocranium in comparison with the control group. This indicates that ZnO NPs and ZnCl2 altered the development of the tadpoles, causing delays in their metamorphosis and even reducing individual fitness. The tadpoles exposed to both forms of Zn at 10 mg L-1 also had reduced mobility, especially in the presence of conspecifics. Based on these findings, we emphasize the importance of studying morphological, skeletal, and behavioral biomarkers to evaluate the toxic effects of metal-based nanoparticles in amphibians.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreya Gonçalves Costa Motta
- Mutagenesis Laboratory, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
- Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Rua 235, Goiânia, GoiâniaGoiás, Brazil
| | - Vinicius Guerra
- Graduate Program in Ecology and the Management of Natural Resources, Federal University of Acre, Rio Branco, Acre, Brazil
- Boitatá Institute of Ethnobiology and Conservation of the Fauna, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Diogo Ferreira do Amaral
- Mutagenesis Laboratory, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
- Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Rua 235, Goiânia, GoiâniaGoiás, Brazil
| | - Amanda Pereira da Costa Araújo
- Biological Research Laboratory, Graduate Program in the Conservation of Natural Resources in the Cerrado, Goiás Federal Institute - Urutaí Campus, Urutaí, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Lucélia Gonçalves Vieira
- Ontogeny and Morphology Research Laboratory, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Daniela de Melo E Silva
- Mutagenesis Laboratory, Institute of Biological Sciences, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Thiago Lopes Rocha
- Laboratory of Environmental Biotechnology and Ecotoxicology, Institute of Tropical Pathology and Public Health, Federal University of Goiás, Rua 235, Goiânia, GoiâniaGoiás, Brazil.
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4
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Abstract
Numerosity, that is, the number of items in a set, is a significant aspect in the perception of the environment. Behavioral and in silico experiments suggest that number sense belongs to a core knowledge system and can be present already at birth. However, neurons sensitive to the number of visual items have been so far described only in the brain of adult animals. Therefore, it remained unknown to what extent their selectivity would depend on visual learning and experience. We found number neurons in the caudal nidopallium (a higher associative area functionally similar to the mammalian prefrontal cortex) of very young, numerically naïve domestic chicks. This result suggests that numerosity perception is possibly an inborn feature of the vertebrate brain. Numerical cognition is ubiquitous in the animal kingdom. Domestic chicks are a widely used developmental model for studying numerical cognition. Soon after hatching, chicks can perform sophisticated numerical tasks. Nevertheless, the neural basis of their numerical abilities has remained unknown. Here, we describe number neurons in the caudal nidopallium (functionally equivalent to the mammalian prefrontal cortex) of young domestic chicks. Number neurons that we found in young chicks showed remarkable similarities to those in the prefrontal cortex and caudal nidopallium of adult animals. Thus, our results suggest that numerosity perception based on number neurons might be an inborn feature of the vertebrate brain.
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Sheardown E, Torres-Perez JV, Anagianni S, Fraser SE, Vallortigara G, Butterworth B, Miletto-Petrazzini ME, Brennan CH. Characterizing ontogeny of quantity discrimination in zebrafish. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20212544. [PMID: 35135351 PMCID: PMC8826302 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
A sense of non-symbolic numerical magnitudes is widespread in the animal kingdom and has been documented in adult zebrafish. Here, we investigated the ontogeny of this ability using a group size preference (GSP) task in juvenile zebrafish. Fish showed GSP from 21 days post-fertilization and reliably chose the larger group when presented with discriminations of between 1 versus 3, 2 versus 5 and 2 versus 3 conspecifics but not 2 versus 4 conspecifics. When the ratio between the number of conspecifics in each group was maintained at 1 : 2, fish could discriminate between 1 versus 2 individuals and 3 versus 6, but again, not when given a choice between 2 versus 4 individuals. These findings are in agreement with studies in other species, suggesting the systems involved in quantity representation do not operate separately from other cognitive mechanisms. Rather they suggest quantity processing in fishes may be the result of an interplay between attentional, cognitive and memory-related mechanisms as in humans and other animals. Our results emphasize the potential of the use of zebrafish to explore the genetic and neural processes underlying the ontogeny and function of number cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Sheardown
- Centre for Developmental Neurobiology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Kings College London, New Hunt's House, Guy's Campus, London SE1 1UL, UK
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - Jose Vicente Torres-Perez
- Departament de Biologia Cellular, Biologia Funcional i Antropologia física, Fac. de CC. Biològiques, Universitat de València, C/ Dr. Moliner 50, 46100 Burjassot (València), Spain
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - Sofia Anagianni
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
| | - Scott E. Fraser
- Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA
| | | | - Brian Butterworth
- UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, 17 Queen Square, London WC1N 3AZ, UK
| | - Maria Elena Miletto-Petrazzini
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
- Department of General Psychology, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Caroline H. Brennan
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London, E1 4NS, UK
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Curi L, Cuzziol Boccioni A, Peltzer P, Attademo A, Bassó A, León E, Lajmanovich R. Signals from predators, injured conspecifics, and pesticide modify the swimming behavior of the gregarious tadpole of the Dorbigny’s Toad, Rhinella dorbignyi (Anura: Bufonidae). CAN J ZOOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2021-0075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Tadpoles detect chemical signals released from predators and conspecifics, as well as those present in the environment, and adjust their behavioral responses. This study evaluated the swimming activity of Dorbigny’s Toad (Rhinella dorbignyi (Duméril and Bibron, 1841)) tadpoles exposed to chemical signals, including cues from a predator fish, the marbled swamp eel (Synbranchus marmoratus Bloch, 1795), and an injured conspecific; sublethal concentration of insecticide cypermethrin; and their combination. Swimming behavior (total distance moved, mean speed, global activity, number of contacts between tadpoles) was evaluated in an individual (1) and groups of different size (3, 5, 7, and 10 tadpoles) using a video-tracking software tool. Predator exposure modified behavioral parameters, reducing encounters with predators and, therefore, mortality. Total distance moved and mean speed increased in trials involving 1 tadpole and 3 interacting tadpoles exposed to injured conspecifics, whereas global activity increased in all group sizes, showing that gregarious tadpoles may be affected by alarm cues and their behavior may be disrupted. The insecticide treatments (alone and combined) increased parameters in all group sizes, causing hyperactivity due to its neurotoxic effect. The different responses observed after exposure to alarm cues and environmental signals in the different group sizes modified the normal behavior and the ecological dynamics of gregarious tadpoles.
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Affiliation(s)
- L.M. Curi
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Instituto de Ictiología del Nordeste (INICNE), Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Nacional del Nordeste (FCV, UNNE), Sargento Cabral 2139, CP 3400, Corrientes, Argentina
| | - A.P. Cuzziol Boccioni
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Laboratorio de Ecotoxicología, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (FBCB-UNL-CONICET), Ciudad Universitaria, Paraje “El Pozo”, RN N° 168, Km 472, CP 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - P.M. Peltzer
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Laboratorio de Ecotoxicología, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (FBCB-UNL-CONICET), Ciudad Universitaria, Paraje “El Pozo”, RN N° 168, Km 472, CP 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - A.M. Attademo
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Laboratorio de Ecotoxicología, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (FBCB-UNL-CONICET), Ciudad Universitaria, Paraje “El Pozo”, RN N° 168, Km 472, CP 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - A. Bassó
- Laboratorio de Ecotoxicología, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (FBCB-UNL-CONICET), Ciudad Universitaria, Paraje “El Pozo”, RN N° 168, Km 472, CP 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - E.J. León
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Laboratorio de Ecotoxicología, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (FBCB-UNL-CONICET), Ciudad Universitaria, Paraje “El Pozo”, RN N° 168, Km 472, CP 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina
- Instituto Nacional de Limnología, Laboratorio de Biodiversidad y Conservación de tetrápodos (INALI-UNL- CONICET), Ciudad Universitaria, Paraje “El Pozo”, RN n° 168, Km 472, CP 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina
| | - R.C. Lajmanovich
- Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Laboratorio de Ecotoxicología, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral (FBCB-UNL-CONICET), Ciudad Universitaria, Paraje “El Pozo”, RN N° 168, Km 472, CP 3000, Santa Fe, Argentina
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Lin FC, Whiting MJ, Hsieh MY, Shaner PJL, Lin SM. Superior continuous quantity discrimination in a freshwater turtle. Front Zool 2021; 18:49. [PMID: 34563231 PMCID: PMC8466656 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-021-00431-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Quantity discrimination, the ability to discriminate a magnitude of difference or discrete numerical information, plays a key role in animal behavior. While quantitative ability has been well documented in fishes, birds, mammals, and even in previously unstudied invertebrates and amphibians, it is still poorly understood in reptiles and has never been tested in an aquatic turtle despite the fact that evidence is accumulating that reptiles possess cognitive skills and learning ability. To help address this deficiency in reptiles, we investigated the quantitative ability of an Asian freshwater turtle, Mauremys sinensis, using red cubes on a white background in a trained quantity discrimination task. While spontaneous quantity discrimination methods are thought to be more ecologically relevant, training animals on a quantity discrimination task allows more comparability across taxa. RESULTS We assessed the turtles' quantitative performance in a series of tests with increasing quantity ratios and numerosities. Surprisingly, the turtles were able to discriminate quantities of up to 9 versus 10 (ratio = 0.9), which shows a good quantitative ability that is comparable to some endotherms. Our results showed that the turtles' quantitative performance followed Weber's law, in which success rate decreased with increasing quantity ratio across a wide range of numerosities. Furthermore, the gradual improvement of their success rate across different experiments and phases suggested that the turtles possess learning ability. CONCLUSIONS Reptile quantitative ability has long been ignored and therefore is likely under-estimated. More comparative research on numerical cognition across a diversity of species will greatly contribute to a clearer understanding of quantitative ability in animals and whether it has evolved convergently in diverse taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng-Chun Lin
- School of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Martin J Whiting
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | | | - Pei-Jen Lee Shaner
- School of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan.
| | - Si-Min Lin
- School of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan.
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Khatiwada S, Burmeister SS. Quantity discrimination in a spontaneous task in a poison frog. Anim Cogn 2021; 25:27-32. [PMID: 34322772 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01528-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 06/16/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The use of quantitative information underlies a range of animal behaviors. There are thought to be two parallel systems for judging quantity: a precise representation of small numbers of objects, typically less than 4, that can be tracked visually (object tracking system) and an imprecise system for larger quantities (approximate number system) governed by Weber's law. Using a spontaneous discrimination task with live prey, we examined the ability of the poison frog Dendrobates auratus to discriminate quantities of low (1-4) or high (4-16) numerosity over a range of ratio contrasts (0.33, 0.5, 0.67, 0.75). Similar to a previous study in treefrogs, we found that the poison frogs chose the larger quantity of flies when choosing between 1 and 3 and between 1 and 2. However, their performance was near chance when choosing between 2 and 3 and below chance when choosing between 3 and 4. When the numerosity of flies was higher, they did not discriminate between the larger and smaller quantity. Our findings are consistent with the ability of poison frogs to discriminate small quantities of objects using an object tracking system, but could also reflect a singular vs. plural discrimination. We did not find evidence of an approximate number system governed by Weber's law, nor evidence of a speed-accuracy tradeoff. However, total set size was associated with lower accuracy and longer latencies to choose. Future studies should explore quantity discrimination in additional contexts to better understand the limits of these abilities in poison frogs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sunil Khatiwada
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, 27599, USA
| | - Sabrina S Burmeister
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, 27599, USA.
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Lorenzi E, Perrino M, Vallortigara G. Numerosities and Other Magnitudes in the Brains: A Comparative View. Front Psychol 2021; 12:641994. [PMID: 33935896 PMCID: PMC8082025 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.641994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/12/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to represent, discriminate, and perform arithmetic operations on discrete quantities (numerosities) has been documented in a variety of species of different taxonomic groups, both vertebrates and invertebrates. We do not know, however, to what extent similarity in behavioral data corresponds to basic similarity in underlying neural mechanisms. Here, we review evidence for magnitude representation, both discrete (countable) and continuous, following the sensory input path from primary sensory systems to associative pallial territories in the vertebrate brains. We also speculate on possible underlying mechanisms in invertebrate brains and on the role played by modeling with artificial neural networks. This may provide a general overview on the nervous system involvement in approximating quantity in different animal species, and a general theoretical framework to future comparative studies on the neurobiology of number cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Lorenzi
- Centre for Mind/Brain Science, CIMeC, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
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10
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Abstract
Many species from diverse and often distantly related animal groups (e.g. monkeys, crows, fish and bees) have a sense of number. This means that they can assess the number of items in a set - its 'numerosity'. The brains of these phylogenetically distant species are markedly diverse. This Review examines the fundamentally different types of brains and neural mechanisms that give rise to numerical competence across the animal tree of life. Neural correlates of the number sense so far exist only for specific vertebrate species: the richest data concerning explicit and abstract number representations have been collected from the cerebral cortex of mammals, most notably human and nonhuman primates, but also from the pallium of corvid songbirds, which evolved independently of the mammalian cortex. In contrast, the neural data relating to implicit and reflexive numerical representations in amphibians and fish is limited. The neural basis of a number sense has not been explored in any protostome so far. However, promising candidate regions in the brains of insects, spiders and cephalopods - all of which are known to have number skills - are identified in this Review. A comparative neuroscientific approach will be indispensable for identifying evolutionarily stable neuronal circuits and deciphering codes that give rise to a sense of number across phylogeny.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Nieder
- Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, 72076 Tübingen, Germany
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Miletto Petrazzini ME, Mantese F, Prato-Previde E. Food quantity discrimination in puppies (Canis lupus familiaris). Anim Cogn 2020; 23:703-710. [PMID: 32253517 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-020-01378-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2019] [Revised: 03/24/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
There is considerable evidence that animals are able to discriminate between quantities. Despite the fact that quantitative skills have been extensively studied in adult individuals, research on their development in early life is restricted to a limited number of species. We, therefore, investigated whether 2-month-old puppies could spontaneously discriminate between different quantities of food items. We used a simultaneous two-choice task in which puppies were presented with three numerical combinations of pieces of food (1 vs. 8, 1 vs. 6 and 1 vs. 4), and they were allowed to select only one option. The subjects chose the larger of the two quantities in the 1 vs. 8 and the 1 vs. 6 combinations but not in the 1 vs. 4 combination. Furthermore, the last quantity the puppies looked at before making their choice and the time spent looking at the larger/smaller amounts of food were predictive of the choices they made. Since adult dogs are capable of discriminating between more difficult numerical contrasts when tested with similar tasks, our findings suggest that the capacity to discriminate between quantities is already present at an early age, but that it is limited to very easy discriminations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Fabio Mantese
- Department of Animal and Human Biology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
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