1
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Islam M, Behura SK. Molecular Regulation of Fetal Brain Development in Inbred and Congenic Mouse Strains Differing in Longevity. Genes (Basel) 2024; 15:604. [PMID: 38790233 PMCID: PMC11121069 DOI: 10.3390/genes15050604] [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: 04/19/2024] [Revised: 05/04/2024] [Accepted: 05/08/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024] Open
Abstract
The objective of this study was to investigate gene regulation of the developing fetal brain from congenic or inbred mice strains that differed in longevity. Gene expression and alternative splice variants were analyzed in a genome-wide manner in the fetal brain of C57BL/6J mice (long-lived) in comparison to B6.Cg-Cav1tm1Mls/J (congenic, short-lived) and AKR/J (inbred, short-lived) mice on day(d) 12, 15, and 17 of gestation. The analysis showed a contrasting gene expression pattern during fetal brain development in these mice. Genes related to brain development, aging, and the regulation of alternative splicing were significantly differentially regulated in the fetal brain of the short-lived compared to long-lived mice during development from d15 and d17. A significantly reduced number of splice variants was observed on d15 compared to d12 or d17 in a strain-dependent manner. An epigenetic clock analysis of d15 fetal brain identified DNA methylations that were significantly associated with single-nucleotide polymorphic sites between AKR/J and C57BL/6J strains. These methylations were associated with genes that show epigenetic changes in an age-correlated manner in mice. Together, the finding of this study suggest that fetal brain development and longevity are epigenetically linked, supporting the emerging concept of the early-life origin of longevity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maliha Islam
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
| | - Susanta K. Behura
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- MU Institute for Data Science and Informatics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- Interdisciplinary Reproduction and Health Group, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
- Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA
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2
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Beccari E, Capdevila P, Salguero-Gómez R, Carmona CP. Worldwide diversity in mammalian life histories: Environmental realms and evolutionary adaptations. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14445. [PMID: 38783648 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14445] [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: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 05/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
Mammalian life history strategies can be characterised by a few axes of variation, conforming a space where species are positioned based on the life history strategies favoured in the environment they exploit. Yet, we still lack global descriptions of the diversity of realised mammalian life history and how this diversity is shaped by the environment. We used six life history traits to build a life history space covering worldwide mammalian adaptation, and we explored how environmental realms (land, air, water) influence mammalian life history strategies. We demonstrate that realms are tightly linked to distinct life history strategies. Aquatic and aerial species predominantly adhere to slower life history strategies, while terrestrial species exhibit faster life histories. Highly encephalised terrestrial species are a notable exception to these patterns. Furthermore, we show that different mode of life may play a significant role in expanding the set of strategies exploitable in the terrestrial realm. Additionally, species transitioning between terrestrial and aquatic realms, such as seals, exhibit intermediate life history strategies. Our results provide compelling evidence of the link between environmental realms and the life history diversity of mammals, highlighting the importance of differences in mode of life to expand life history diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Beccari
- Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - P Capdevila
- Departament de Biologia Evolutiva, Ecologia i Ciències Ambientals, Facultat de Biologia, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain
- Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat (IRBio), Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - R Salguero-Gómez
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Evolutionary Demography Laboratory, Max Plank Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany
| | - C P Carmona
- Department of Botany, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
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3
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Gómez-Robles A, Nicolaou C, Smaers JB, Sherwood CC. The evolution of human altriciality and brain development in comparative context. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:133-146. [PMID: 38049480 PMCID: PMC10781642 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02253-z] [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: 03/02/2023] [Accepted: 10/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023]
Abstract
Human newborns are considered altricial compared with other primates because they are relatively underdeveloped at birth. However, in a broader comparative context, other mammals are more altricial than humans. It has been proposed that altricial development evolved secondarily in humans due to obstetrical or metabolic constraints, and in association with increased brain plasticity. To explore this association, we used comparative data from 140 placental mammals to measure how altriciality evolved in humans and other species. We also estimated how changes in brain size and gestation length influenced the timing of neurodevelopment during hominin evolution. Based on our data, humans show the highest evolutionary rate to become more altricial (measured as the proportion of adult brain size at birth) across all placental mammals, but this results primarily from the pronounced postnatal enlargement of brain size rather than neonatal changes. In addition, we show that only a small number of neurodevelopmental events were shifted to the postnatal period during hominin evolution, and that they were primarily related to the myelination of certain brain pathways. These results indicate that the perception of human altriciality is mostly driven by postnatal changes, and they point to a possible association between the timing of myelination and human neuroplasticity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aida Gómez-Robles
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, UK.
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK.
| | | | - Jeroen B Smaers
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, USA
| | - Chet C Sherwood
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, Department of Anthropology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
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4
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Grunstra NDS, Betti L, Fischer B, Haeusler M, Pavlicev M, Stansfield E, Trevathan W, Webb NM, Wells JCK, Rosenberg KR, Mitteroecker P. There is an obstetrical dilemma: Misconceptions about the evolution of human childbirth and pelvic form. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2023; 181:535-544. [PMID: 37353889 PMCID: PMC10952510 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2023] [Revised: 05/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
Compared to other primates, modern humans face high rates of maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality during childbirth. Since the early 20th century, this "difficulty" of human parturition has prompted numerous evolutionary explanations, typically assuming antagonistic selective forces acting on maternal and fetal traits, which has been termed the "obstetrical dilemma." Recently, there has been a growing tendency among some anthropologists to question the difficulty of human childbirth and its evolutionary origin in an antagonistic selective regime. Partly, this stems from the motivation to combat increasing pathologization and overmedicalization of childbirth in industrialized countries. Some authors have argued that there is no obstetrical dilemma at all, and that the difficulty of childbirth mainly results from modern lifestyles and inappropriate and patriarchal obstetric practices. The failure of some studies to identify biomechanical and metabolic constraints on pelvic dimensions is sometimes interpreted as empirical support for discarding an obstetrical dilemma. Here we explain why these points are important but do not invalidate evolutionary explanations of human childbirth. We present robust empirical evidence and solid evolutionary theory supporting an obstetrical dilemma, yet one that is much more complex than originally conceived in the 20th century. We argue that evolutionary research does not hinder appropriate midwifery and obstetric care, nor does it promote negative views of female bodies. Understanding the evolutionary entanglement of biological and sociocultural factors underlying human childbirth can help us to understand individual variation in the risk factors of obstructed labor, and thus can contribute to more individualized maternal care.
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Affiliation(s)
- N. D. S. Grunstra
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Unit for Theoretical BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
- Mammal CollectionNatural History Museum ViennaViennaAustria
| | - L. Betti
- School of Life and Health SciencesUniversity of RoehamptonLondonUK
| | - B. Fischer
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Unit for Theoretical BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - M. Haeusler
- Institute of Evolutionary MedicineUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - M. Pavlicev
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Unit for Theoretical BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - E. Stansfield
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Unit for Theoretical BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - W. Trevathan
- School for Advanced ResearchSanta FeNew MexicoUSA
| | - N. M. Webb
- Institute of Evolutionary MedicineUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Institute of Archaeological Sciences, Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and PalaeoenvironmentEberhard‐Karls University of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - J. C. K. Wells
- UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, Population, Policy and Practice Research and Teaching ProgrammeChildhood Nutrition Research CentreLondonUK
| | - K. R. Rosenberg
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of DelawareNewarkDelawareUSA
| | - P. Mitteroecker
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Unit for Theoretical BiologyUniversity of ViennaViennaAustria
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5
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Clark FE, Greggor AL, Montgomery SH, Plotnik JM. The endangered brain: actively preserving ex-situ animal behaviour and cognition will benefit in-situ conservation. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230707. [PMID: 37650055 PMCID: PMC10465207 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230707] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/01/2023]
Abstract
Endangered species have small, unsustainable population sizes that are geographically or genetically restricted. Ex-situ conservation programmes are therefore faced with the challenge of breeding sufficiently sized, genetically diverse populations earmarked for reintroduction that have the behavioural skills to survive and breed in the wild. Yet, maintaining historically beneficial behaviours may be insufficient, as research continues to suggest that certain cognitive-behavioural skills and flexibility are necessary to cope with human-induced rapid environmental change (HIREC). This paper begins by reviewing interdisciplinary studies on the 'captivity effect' in laboratory, farmed, domesticated and feral vertebrates and finds that captivity imposes rapid yet often reversible changes to the brain, cognition and behaviour. However, research on this effect in ex-situ conservation sites is lacking. This paper reveals an apparent mismatch between ex-situ enrichment aims and the cognitive-behavioural skills possessed by animals currently coping with HIREC. After synthesizing literature across neuroscience, behavioural biology, comparative cognition and field conservation, it seems that ex-situ endangered species deemed for reintroduction may have better chances of coping with HIREC if their natural cognition and behavioural repertoires are actively preserved. Evaluating the effects of environmental challenges rather than captivity per se is recommended, in addition to using targeted cognitive enrichment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fay E. Clark
- School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | | | | | - Joshua M. Plotnik
- Department of Psychology, Hunter College, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Psychology, The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
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6
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Goswami A, Noirault E, Coombs EJ, Clavel J, Fabre AC, Halliday TJD, Churchill M, Curtis A, Watanabe A, Simmons NB, Beatty BL, Geisler JH, Fox DL, Felice RN. Developmental origin underlies evolutionary rate variation across the placental skull. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220083. [PMID: 37183904 PMCID: PMC10184245 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The placental skull has evolved into myriad forms, from longirostrine whales to globular primates, and with a diverse array of appendages from antlers to tusks. This disparity has recently been studied from the perspective of the whole skull, but the skull is composed of numerous elements that have distinct developmental origins and varied functions. Here, we assess the evolution of the skull's major skeletal elements, decomposed into 17 individual regions. Using a high-dimensional morphometric approach for a dataset of 322 living and extinct eutherians (placental mammals and their stem relatives), we quantify patterns of variation and estimate phylogenetic, allometric and ecological signal across the skull. We further compare rates of evolution across ecological categories and ordinal-level clades and reconstruct rates of evolution along lineages and through time to assess whether developmental origin or function discriminate the evolutionary trajectories of individual cranial elements. Our results demonstrate distinct macroevolutionary patterns across cranial elements that reflect the ecological adaptations of major clades. Elements derived from neural crest show the fastest rates of evolution, but ecological signal is equally pronounced in bones derived from neural crest and paraxial mesoderm, suggesting that developmental origin may influence evolutionary tempo, but not capacity for specialisation. This article is part of the theme issue 'The mammalian skull: development, structure and function'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjali Goswami
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Eve Noirault
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Ellen J Coombs
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA
| | - Julien Clavel
- Université Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR 5023 LEHNA, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Anne-Claire Fabre
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Naturhistorisches Museum Bern, 3005 Bern, Switzerland
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Thomas J D Halliday
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Morgan Churchill
- Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI 54901, USA
| | - Abigail Curtis
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Akinobu Watanabe
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Nancy B Simmons
- Department of Mammalogy, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Brian L Beatty
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
| | - Jonathan H Geisler
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
| | - David L Fox
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Ryan N Felice
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Centre for Integrative Anatomy, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
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7
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Amici F, Ersson-Lembeck M, Holodynski M, Liebal K. Face to face interactions in chimpanzee ( Pan troglodytes) and human ( Homo sapiens) mother-infant dyads. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210478. [PMID: 36871581 PMCID: PMC9985962 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Human mothers interact with their infants in different ways. In Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic (WEIRD) societies, face-to-face interactions and mutual gazes are especially frequent, yet little is known about their developmental trajectories and if they differ from those of other primates. Using a cross-species developmental approach, we compared mother-infant interactions in 10 dyads of urban humans from a WEIRD society (Homo sapiens) and 10 dyads of captive zoo-based chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), when infants were one, six and 12 months old. Results showed that face-to-face interactions with mutual gaze events were common in both groups throughout the infant's first year of life. The developmental trajectories of maternal and infants' looks partially differed between species, but mutual gaze events were overall longer in humans than in chimpanzees. Mutual gazes were also more frequent in humans, peaking at six months in humans, while increasing with age in chimpanzees. The duration and frequency of mutual gazes varied across contexts in both groups, with mutual gazes being longer during caring/grooming and feeding contexts. These findings confirm that some aspects of early socio-cognitive development are shared by humans and other primates, and highlight the importance of combining developmental and cross-species approaches to better understand the evolutionary roots of parenting behaviour. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Face2face: advancing the science of social interaction'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Amici
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Institute of Biology, Human Biology and Primate Cognition, Leipzig University, Talstrasse 33, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Manuela Ersson-Lembeck
- Department of Education and Psychology, Comparative Developmental Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Manfred Holodynski
- Faculty of Psychology, Institute of Psychology in Education, University of Münster, Fliednerstrasse 21, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Katja Liebal
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Institute of Biology, Human Biology and Primate Cognition, Leipzig University, Talstrasse 33, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Education and Psychology, Comparative Developmental Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Habelschwerdter Allee 45, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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8
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Constanti Crosby L, Sayol F, Horswill C. Relative brain size is associated with natal dispersal rate and species' vulnerability to climate change in seabirds. OIKOS 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
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9
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Jiang Y, Luan X, Liao W. Anuran brain size predicts food availability-driven population density. SCIENCE CHINA. LIFE SCIENCES 2023; 66:415-417. [PMID: 36369479 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-022-2177-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ying Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637002, China
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Xiaofeng Luan
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China
| | - Wenbo Liao
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637002, China.
- School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, 100083, China.
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10
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Abstract
Large brains provide adaptive cognitive benefits but require unusually high, near-constant energy inputs and become fully functional well after their growth is completed. Consequently, young of most larger-brained endotherms should not be able to independently support the growth and development of their own brains. This paradox is solved if the evolution of extended parental provisioning facilitated brain size evolution. Comparative studies indeed show that extended parental provisioning coevolved with brain size and that it may improve immature survival. The major role of extended parental provisioning supports the idea that the ability to sustain the costs of brains limited brain size evolution.
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11
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Abstract
Large brains support numerous cognitive adaptations and therefore may appear to be highly beneficial. Nonetheless, the high energetic costs of brain tissue may have prevented the evolution of large brains in many species. This problem may also have a developmental dimension: juveniles, with their immature and therefore poorly performing brains, would face a major energetic hurdle if they were to pay for the construction of their own brain, especially in larger-brained species. Here, we explore the possible role of parental provisioning for the development and evolution of adult brain size in birds. A comparative analysis of 1,176 bird species shows that various measures of parental provisioning (precocial vs. altricial state at hatching, relative egg mass, time spent provisioning the young) strongly predict relative brain size across species. The parental provisioning hypothesis also provides an explanation for the well-documented but so far unexplained pattern that altricial birds have larger brains than precocial ones. We therefore conclude that the evolution of parental provisioning allowed species to overcome the seemingly insurmountable energetic constraint on growing large brains, which in turn enabled bird species to increase survival and population stability. Because including adult eco- and socio-cognitive predictors only marginally improved the explanatory value of our models, these findings also suggest that the traditionally assessed cognitive abilities largely support successful parental provisioning. Our results therefore indicate that the cognitive adaptations underlying successful parental provisioning also provide the behavioral flexibility facilitating reproductive success and survival.
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12
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Sundaram M, Schmidt JP, Han BA, Drake JM, Stephens PR. Traits, phylogeny and host cell receptors predict Ebolavirus host status among African mammals. PLoS Negl Trop Dis 2022; 16:e0010993. [PMID: 36542657 PMCID: PMC9815631 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0010993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2022] [Revised: 01/05/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
We explore how animal host traits, phylogenetic identity and cell receptor sequences relate to infection status and mortality from ebolaviruses. We gathered exhaustive databases of mortality from Ebolavirus after exposure and infection status based on PCR and antibody tests. We performed ridge regressions predicting mortality and infection as a function of traits, phylogenetic eigenvectors and separately host receptor sequences. We found that mortality from Ebolavirus had a strong association to life history characteristics and phylogeny. In contrast, infection status related not just to life history and phylogeny, but also to fruit consumption which suggests that geographic overlap of frugivorous mammals can lead to spread of virus in the wild. Niemann Pick C1 (NPC1) receptor sequences predicted infection statuses of bats included in our study with very high accuracy, suggesting that characterizing NPC1 in additional species is a promising avenue for future work. We combine the predictions from our mortality and infection status models to differentiate between species that are infected and also die from Ebolavirus versus species that are infected but tolerate the virus (possible reservoirs of Ebolavirus). We therefore present the first comprehensive estimates of Ebolavirus reservoir statuses for all known terrestrial mammals in Africa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mekala Sundaram
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - John Paul Schmidt
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Barbara A. Han
- Cary Institute of Ecosystems Studies, Millbrook, New York, United States of America
| | - John M. Drake
- Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
- Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Patrick R. Stephens
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States of America
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13
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Palmer EI, Betty EL, Murphy S, Perrott MR, Smith ANH, Stockin KA. Reproductive biology of female common dolphins ( Delphinus delphis) in New Zealand waters. MARINE BIOLOGY 2022; 169:158. [PMID: 36466079 PMCID: PMC9705467 DOI: 10.1007/s00227-022-04139-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2022] [Accepted: 10/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Reproductive biology was assessed in 106 female common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) examined post-mortem from stranding and bycatch events along the New Zealand coastline between 1997 and 2019. The average age (ASM) and length (LSM) at sexual maturity was estimated at 7.5 years and 183.5 cm, respectively. The total number of corpora in mature individuals increased with age and appeared to persist throughout life. Ovarian asymmetry was apparent, with the left ovary displaying higher rates of ovulation, and a maximum of 19 corpora recorded for a 24-year-old female. The estimated ovulation and annual pregnancy rates for mature females were 0.39 year-1 and 30%, respectively. Conception and calving occurred year-round, with a weak seasonal increase observed in late austral spring and early austral summer. As these data did not clearly show whether seasonality was present, the gestation, lactation, and resting periods were calculated as either 12.6 or 12.8 months based on the presence/absence of seasonality, respectively. Similarly, calving interval ranged from 3.15 to 3.2 years, depending upon whether seasonality was considered. The estimated LSM of the New Zealand population aligns with other populations globally, although the estimated ASM is younger by approximately 6 months. Other reproductive parameters align with Northern Hemisphere populations, although demonstrate variation, which may reflect adaptations to local conditions such as water temperature and prey availability. As the species is subject to anthropogenic impacts including pollution and bycatch, we suggest our findings be used as a baseline with which to monitor trends in population parameters. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00227-022-04139-3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily I. Palmer
- Cetacean Ecology Research Group, School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, 0745 New Zealand
| | - Emma L. Betty
- Cetacean Ecology Research Group, School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, 0745 New Zealand
| | - Sinéad Murphy
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Marine and Freshwater Research Centre, School of Science and Computing, Atlantic Technological University, ATU Galway City, Old Dublin Road, Galway, H91 T8NW Ireland
| | - Matthew R. Perrott
- School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, 4472 New Zealand
| | - Adam N. H. Smith
- School of Mathematical and Computational Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, 0745 New Zealand
| | - Karen A. Stockin
- Cetacean Ecology Research Group, School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, 0745 New Zealand
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14
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Shaia KL, Harris BS, Selter JH, Price TM. Reproductive Functions of the Mitochondrial Progesterone Receptor (PR-M). Reprod Sci 2022; 30:1443-1452. [PMID: 36255658 DOI: 10.1007/s43032-022-01092-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2021] [Accepted: 09/16/2022] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Classic transcriptional regulation by progesterone via the nuclear progesterone receptors A and B (PR-A, PR-B) has been recognized for decades. Less attention has been given to a mitochondrial progesterone receptor (PR-M) responsible for non-nuclear activities. PR-M is derived from the progesterone receptor (PR) gene from an alternate promoter with the cDNA encoding a unique 5' membrane binding domain followed by the same hinge and hormone-binding domain of the nPR. The protein binds to the mitochondrial outer membrane and functions to increase cellular respiration via increased beta-oxidation and oxidative phosphorylation with resulting adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production. Physiologic activities of PR-M have been studied in cardiac function, spermatozoa activation, and myometrial growth, all known to respond to progesterone. Progesterone via PR-M increases cardiomyocyte cellular respiration to meet the metabolic demands of pregnancy with increased contractility. Consequential gene changes associated with PR-M activation include production of proteins for sarcomere development and for fatty acid oxidation. Regarding spermatozoa function, progesterone via PR-M increases cellular energy production necessary for progesterone-dependent hyperactivation. A role of progesterone in myometrial and leiomyomata growth may also be explained by the increase in necessary cellular energy for proliferation. Lastly, the multi-organ increase in cellular respiration may contribute to the progesterone-dependent increase in metabolic rate reflected by an increase in body temperature through compensatory non-shivering thermogenesis. An evolutionary comparison shows PR-M expressed in humans, apes, and Old World monkeys, but the necessary gene sequence is absent in New World monkeys and lower species. The evolutionary advantage to PR-M remains to be defined, but its presence may enhance catabolism to support the extended gestation and brain development found in these primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn L Shaia
- Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Benjamin S Harris
- Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Jessica H Selter
- Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Thomas M Price
- Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
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15
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Teeth, prenatal growth rates, and the evolution of human-like pregnancy in later Homo. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2200689119. [PMID: 36191229 PMCID: PMC9564099 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2200689119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence of how gestational parameters evolved is essential to understanding this fundamental stage of human life. Until now, these data seemed elusive given the skeletal bias of the fossil record. We demonstrate that dentition provides a window into the life of neonates. Teeth begin to form in utero and are intimately associated with gestational development. We measured the molar dentition for 608 catarrhine primates and collected data on prenatal growth rate (PGR) and endocranial volume (ECV) for 19 primate genera from the literature. We found that PGR and ECV are highly correlated (R2 = 0.93, P < 0.001). Additionally, we demonstrated that molar proportions are significantly correlated with PGR (P = 0.004) and log-transformed ECV (P = 0.001). From these correlations, we developed two methods for reconstructing PGR in the fossil record, one using ECV and one using molar proportions. Dental proportions reconstruct hominid ECV (R2 = 0.81, P < 0.001), a result that can be extrapolated to PGR. As teeth dominate fossil assemblages, our findings greatly expand our ability to investigate life history in the fossil record. Fossil ECVs and dental measurements from 13 hominid species both support significantly increasing PGR throughout the terminal Miocene and Plio-Pleistocene, reflecting known evolutionary changes. Together with pelvic and endocranial morphology, reconstructed PGRs indicate the need for increasing maternal energetics during pregnancy over the last 6 million years, reaching a human-like PGR (i.e., more similar to humans than to other extant apes) and ECV in later Homo less than 1 million years ago.
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16
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Negrey JD, Emery Thompson M, Dunn CD, Otali E, Wrangham RW, Mitani JC, Machanda ZP, Muller MN, Langergraber KE, Goldberg TL. Female reproduction and viral infection in a long-lived mammal. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:1999-2009. [PMID: 35988037 PMCID: PMC9532343 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13799] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
For energetically limited organisms, life-history theory predicts trade-offs between reproductive effort and somatic maintenance. This is especially true of female mammals, for whom reproduction presents multifarious energetic and physiological demands. Here, we examine longitudinal changes in the gut virome (viral community) with respect to reproductive status in wild mature female chimpanzees Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii from two communities, Kanyawara and Ngogo, in Kibale National Park, Uganda. We used metagenomic methods to characterize viromes of individual chimpanzees while they were cycling, pregnant and lactating. Females from Kanyawara, whose territory abuts the park's boundary, had higher viral richness and loads (relative quantity of viral sequences) than females from Ngogo, whose territory is more energetically rich and located farther from large human settlements. Viral richness (total number of distinct viruses per sample) was higher when females were lactating than when cycling or pregnant. In pregnant females, viral richness increased with estimated day of gestation. Richness did not vary with age, in contrast to prior research showing increased viral abundance in older males from these same communities. Our results provide evidence of short-term physiological trade-offs between reproduction and infection, which are often hypothesized to constrain health in long-lived species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob D. Negrey
- Department of Pathobiological SciencesUniversity of Wisconsin‐MadisonMadisonWIUSA
| | | | - Christopher D. Dunn
- Department of Pathobiological SciencesUniversity of Wisconsin‐MadisonMadisonWIUSA
| | | | | | - John C. Mitani
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of MichiganAnn ArborMIUSA
| | | | - Martin N. Muller
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of New MexicoAlbuquerqueNMUSA
| | - Kevin E. Langergraber
- School of Human Evolution and Social ChangeArizona State UniversityTempeAZUSA,Institute of Human OriginsArizona State UniversityTempeAZUSA
| | - Tony L. Goldberg
- Department of Pathobiological SciencesUniversity of Wisconsin‐MadisonMadisonWIUSA
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17
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Fu Y, Song Y, Yang C, Liu X, Liu Y, Huang Y. Relationship between brain size and digestive tract length support the expensive-tissue hypothesis in Feirana quadranus. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.982590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The brain is among the most energetically costly organs in the vertebrate body, while the size of the brain varies within species. The expensive-tissue hypothesis (ETH) predicts that increasing the size of another costly organ, such as the gut, should compensate for the cost of a small brain. Here, the ETH was tested by analyzing the relationship between brain size variation and digestive tract length in a Swelled-vented frog (Feirana quadranus). A total of 125 individuals across 10 populations ranging from 586 to 1,702 m a.s.l. from the Qinling-Daba Mountains were sampled. With the increase in altitude, the brain size decreases and the digestive tract length increases. Different brain regions do not change their relative size in a consistent manner. The sizes of telencephalon and cerebellum decrease with the increase in altitude, while the olfactory nerve increases its size at high altitudes. However, the olfactory bulb and optic tectum have no significant relationship with altitude. After controlling for snout-vent length (SVL), a significant negative correlation could be found between brain size and digestive tract length in F. quadranus. Therefore, the intraspecific variation of brain size follows the general patterns of ETH in this species. The results suggest that annual mean temperature and annual precipitation are environmental factors influencing the adaptive evolution of brain size and digestive tract length. This study also suggests that food composition, activity times, and habitat complexity are the potential reasons driving the adaptive evolution of brain size and digestive tract length.
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18
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Stark G. Large and expensive brain comes with a short lifespan: The relationship between brain size and longevity among fish taxa. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2022; 101:92-99. [PMID: 35482011 PMCID: PMC9544989 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.15074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Vertebrates show substantial interspecific variation in brain size in relation to body mass. It has long been recognized that the evolution of large brains is associated with both costs and benefits, and it is their net benefit which should be favoured by natural selection. On one hand, the substantial energetic cost imposed by the maintenance of neural tissue is expected to compromise the energetic budget of organisms with large brains and their investment in other critical organs (expensive brain framework, EBF) or important physiological process, such as somatic maintenance and repair, thus accelerating ageing that shortens lifespan, as predicted by the disposable soma theory (DST). However, selection towards larger brain size can provide cognitive benefits (e.g., high behavioural flexibility) that may mitigate extrinsic mortality pressures, and thus may indirectly select for slower ageing that prolongs lifespan, as predicted by the cognitive buffer hypothesis (CBH). The relationship between longevity and brain size has been investigated to date only among terrestrial vertebrates, although the same selective forces acting on those species may also affect vertebrates living in aquatic habitats, such as fish. Thus, whether this evolutionary trade-off for brain size and longevity exists on a large scale among fish clades remains to be addressed. In this study, using a global dataset of 407 fish species, I undertook the first phylogenetic test of the brain size/longevity relationship in aquatic vertebrate species. The study revealed a negative relationship between brain size and longevity among cartilaginous fish confirming EBF and DST. However, no pattern emerged among bony fish species. Among sharks and rays, the high metabolic cost of producing neural tissue transcends the cognitive benefits of evolving a larger brain. Consequently, my findings suggest that the cost of maintaining brain tissue is relatively higher in ectothermic species than in endothermic ones.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin Stark
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life SciencesTel Aviv UniversityTel AvivIsrael
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19
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Heldstab SA, Isler K, Graber SM, Schuppli C, van Schaik CP. The economics of brain size evolution in vertebrates. Curr Biol 2022; 32:R697-R708. [PMID: 35728555 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.04.096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Across the animal kingdom, we see remarkable variation in brain size. This variation has even increased over evolutionary time. Traditionally, studies aiming to explain brain size evolution have looked at the fitness benefits of increased brain size in relation to its increased cognitive performance in the social and/or ecological domain. However, brains are among the most energetically expensive tissues in the body and also require an uninterrupted energy supply. If not compensated, these energetic demands inevitably lead to a reduction in energy allocation to other vital functions. In this review, we summarize how an increasing number of studies show that to fully comprehend brain size evolution and the large variation in brain size across lineages, it is important to look at the economics of brains, including the different pathways through which the high energetic costs of brains can be offset. We further show how numerous studies converge on the conclusion that cognitive abilities can only drive brain size evolution in vertebrate lineages where they result in an improved energy balance through favourable ecological preconditions. Cognitive benefits that do not directly improve the organism's energy balance can only be selectively favoured when they produce such large improvements in reproduction or survival that they outweigh the negative energetic effects of the large brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra A Heldstab
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; Development and Evolution of Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Bücklestrasse 5a, 78467 Konstanz, Germany.
| | - Karin Isler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sereina M Graber
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Caroline Schuppli
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; Development and Evolution of Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Bücklestrasse 5a, 78467 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Carel P van Schaik
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; Comparative Socioecology Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Bücklestrasse 5a, 78467 Konstanz, Germany; Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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20
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Fischer S, Jungwirth A. The costs and benefits of larger brains in fishes. J Evol Biol 2022; 35:973-985. [PMID: 35612352 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The astonishing diversity of brain sizes observed across the animal kingdom is typically explained in the context of trade-offs: the benefits of a larger brain, such as enhanced cognitive ability, are balanced against potential costs, such as increased energetic demands. Several hypotheses have been formulated in this framework, placing different emphasis on ecological, behavioural, or physiological aspects of trade-offs in brain size evolution. Within this body of work, there exists considerable taxonomic bias towards studies of birds and mammals, leaving some uncertainty about the generality of the respective arguments. Here, we test three of the most prominent such hypotheses, the 'expensive tissue', 'social brain' and 'cognitive buffer' hypotheses, in a large dataset of fishes, derived from a publicly available resource (FishBase). In accordance with predictions from the 'expensive tissue' and the 'social brain' hypothesis, larger brains co-occur with reduced fecundity and increased sociality in at least some Classes of fish. Contrary to expectations, however, lifespan is reduced in large-brained fishes, and there is a tendency for species that perform parental care to have smaller brains. As such, it appears that some potential costs (reduced fecundity) and benefits (increased sociality) of large brains are near universal to vertebrates, whereas others have more lineage-specific effects. We discuss our findings in the context of fundamental differences between the classically studied birds and mammals and the fishes we analyse here, namely divergent patterns of growth, parenting and neurogenesis. As such, our work highlights the need for a taxonomically diverse approach to any fundamental question in evolutionary biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Fischer
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Arne Jungwirth
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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21
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Small brains predisposed Late Quaternary mammals to extinction. Sci Rep 2022; 12:3453. [PMID: 35361771 PMCID: PMC8971383 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-07327-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 02/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The Late Quaternary witnessed a dramatic wave of large mammal extinctions, that are usually attributed to either human hunting or climatic change. We hypothesized that the large mammals that survived the extinctions might have been endowed with larger brain sizes than their relatives, which could have conferred enhanced behavioral plasticity and the ability to cope with the rapidly changing Late Quaternary environmental conditions. We assembled data on brain sizes of 291 extant mammal species plus 50 more that went extinct during the Late Quaternary. Using logistic, and mixed effect models, and controlling for phylogeny and body mass, we found that large brains were associated with higher probability to survive the Late Quaternary extinctions, and that extant species have brains that are, on average, 53% larger when accounting for order as a random effect, and 83% when fitting a single regression line. Moreover, we found that models that used brain size in addition to body size predicted extinction status better than models that used only body size. We propose that possessing a large brain was an important, yet so far neglected characteristic of surviving megafauna species.
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22
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Smeele SQ, Conde DA, Baudisch A, Bruslund S, Iwaniuk A, Staerk J, Wright TF, Young AM, McElreath MB, Aplin L. Coevolution of relative brain size and life expectancy in parrots. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20212397. [PMID: 35317667 PMCID: PMC8941425 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have demonstrated a correlation between longevity and brain size in a variety of taxa. Little research has been devoted to understanding this link in parrots; yet parrots are well-known for both their exceptionally long lives and cognitive complexity. We employed a large-scale comparative analysis that investigated the influence of brain size and life-history variables on longevity in parrots. Specifically, we addressed two hypotheses for evolutionary drivers of longevity: the cognitivebuffer hypothesis, which proposes that increased cognitive abilities enable longer lifespans, and the expensive brain hypothesis, which holds that increases in lifespan are caused by prolonged developmental time of, and increased parental investment in, large-brained offspring. We estimated life expectancy from detailed zoo records for 133 818 individuals across 244 parrot species. Using a principled Bayesian approach that addresses data uncertainty and imputation of missing values, we found a consistent correlation between relative brain size and life expectancy in parrots. This correlation was best explained by a direct effect of relative brain size. Notably, we found no effects of developmental time, clutch size or age at first reproduction. Our results suggest that selection for enhanced cognitive abilities in parrots has in turn promoted longer lifespans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simeon Q Smeele
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.,Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Dalia A Conde
- Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Species360 Conservation Science Alliance, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Annette Baudisch
- Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Simon Bruslund
- Vogelpark Marlow gGmbH, Marlow, Germany.,Parrot Taxon Advisory Group, European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Andrew Iwaniuk
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada
| | - Johanna Staerk
- Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Species360 Conservation Science Alliance, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Timothy F Wright
- Biology Department, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA
| | - Anna M Young
- The Living Desert Zoo and GardensPalm Desert, Palm Desert, CA, USA
| | - Mary Brooke McElreath
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Lucy Aplin
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany.,Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.,Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
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23
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The Evolution of Brain Size in Ectothermic Tetrapods: Large Brain Mass Trades-Off with Lifespan in Reptiles. Evol Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11692-022-09562-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
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24
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A milk-sharing economy allows placental mammals to overcome their metabolic limits. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2114674119. [PMID: 35238685 PMCID: PMC8915790 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2114674119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Here, we demonstrate that a naturally evolving behavior (allonursing) has greater effect on reproductive power (mass per unit of time) and output (litter mass at birth) than does artificial selection (domestication). Additionally, we demonstrate the importance of resource optimization afforded by sociality (rather than resource abundance per se) in shaping a species’ life history profile and its ability to overcome its own physiological constraints. Maternal resource availability and metabolism have a strong limiting effect on reproductive output. Allomaternal care and domestication increase the energy available to the mother and should correlate with an increase in reproductive output. Here, we take a comparative approach to understand how this increase is accomplished (e.g., litter mass, reproductive frequency, etc.) and the strength of the effect among different forms of external energetic supplementation. We find that domestication and all forms of allocare correlate with increased fertility. All forms of provisioning correlate with larger litters without compromising offspring size. The greatest increase we observe in reproductive power is in species that practice allonursing. Our results suggest that the ultimate factor limiting reproductive output in placental mammals is maternal metabolic power rather than resource availability.
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25
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DeCasien AR, Barton RA, Higham JP. Understanding the human brain: insights from comparative biology. Trends Cogn Sci 2022; 26:432-445. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2022.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
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26
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Shiomi K. Possible link between brain size and flight mode in birds: Does soaring ease the energetic limitation of the brain? Evolution 2022; 76:649-657. [PMID: 34989401 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Elucidating determinants of interspecies variation in brain size has been a long-standing challenge in cognitive and evolutionary ecology. As the brain is an energetically expensive organ, energetic tradeoffs among organs are considered to play a key role in brain size evolution. This study examined the tradeoff between the brain and locomotion in birds by testing the relationship between brain size, flight modes with different energetic costs (flapping and soaring), and migratory behavior, using published data on the whole-brain mass of 2242 species. According to comparative analyses considering phylogeny and body mass, soarers, who can gain kinetic energy from wind shear or thermals and consequently save flight costs, have larger brains than flappers among migratory birds. Meanwhile, the brain size difference was not consistent in residents, and the size variation appeared much larger than that in migrants. In addition, the brain size of migratory birds was smaller than that of resident birds among flappers, whereas this property was not significant in soarers. Although further research is needed to draw a definitive conclusion, these findings provide further support for the energetic tradeoff of the brain with flight and migratory movements in birds and advance the idea that a locomotion mode with lower energetic cost could be a driver of encephalization during the evolution of the brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kozue Shiomi
- Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8578, Japan.,Department of Ecological Developmental Adaptability Life Sciences, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, Miyagi, 980-8578, Japan
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27
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Vicencio-Jimenez S, Villalobos M, Maldonado PE, Vergara RC. The Energy Homeostasis Principle: A Naturalistic Approach to Explain the Emergence of Behavior. Front Syst Neurosci 2022; 15:782781. [PMID: 35069133 PMCID: PMC8770284 DOI: 10.3389/fnsys.2021.782781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
It is still elusive to explain the emergence of behavior and understanding based on its neural mechanisms. One renowned proposal is the Free Energy Principle (FEP), which uses an information-theoretic framework derived from thermodynamic considerations to describe how behavior and understanding emerge. FEP starts from a whole-organism approach, based on mental states and phenomena, mapping them into the neuronal substrate. An alternative approach, the Energy Homeostasis Principle (EHP), initiates a similar explanatory effort but starts from single-neuron phenomena and builds up to whole-organism behavior and understanding. In this work, we further develop the EHP as a distinct but complementary vision to FEP and try to explain how behavior and understanding would emerge from the local requirements of the neurons. Based on EHP and a strict naturalist approach that sees living beings as physical and deterministic systems, we explain scenarios where learning would emerge without the need for volition or goals. Given these starting points, we state several considerations of how we see the nervous system, particularly the role of the function, purpose, and conception of goal-oriented behavior. We problematize these conceptions, giving an alternative teleology-free framework in which behavior and, ultimately, understanding would still emerge. We reinterpret neural processing by explaining basic learning scenarios up to simple anticipatory behavior. Finally, we end the article with an evolutionary perspective of how this non-goal-oriented behavior appeared. We acknowledge that our proposal, in its current form, is still far from explaining the emergence of understanding. Nonetheless, we set the ground for an alternative neuron-based framework to ultimately explain understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Vicencio-Jimenez
- The Center for Hearing and Balance, Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Mario Villalobos
- Escuela de Psicología y Filosofía, Universidad de Tarapacá, Arica, Chile
| | - Pedro E. Maldonado
- Laboratorio de Neurosistemas, Departamento de Neurociencia & BNI, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Rodrigo C. Vergara
- Departamento de Kinesiología, Facultad de Artes y Educación Física, Universidad Metropolitana de las Ciencias de la Educación, Ñuñoa, Chile
- *Correspondence: Rodrigo C. Vergara
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28
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Chambers HR, Heldstab SA, O’Hara SJ. Why big brains? A comparison of models for both primate and carnivore brain size evolution. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0261185. [PMID: 34932586 PMCID: PMC8691615 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0261185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite decades of research, much uncertainty remains regarding the selection pressures responsible for brain size variation. Whilst the influential social brain hypothesis once garnered extensive support, more recent studies have failed to find support for a link between brain size and sociality. Instead, it appears there is now substantial evidence suggesting ecology better predicts brain size in both primates and carnivores. Here, different models of brain evolution were tested, and the relative importance of social, ecological, and life-history traits were assessed on both overall encephalisation and specific brain regions. In primates, evidence is found for consistent associations between brain size and ecological factors, particularly diet; however, evidence was also found advocating sociality as a selection pressure driving brain size. In carnivores, evidence suggests ecological variables, most notably home range size, are influencing brain size; whereas, no support is found for the social brain hypothesis, perhaps reflecting the fact sociality appears to be limited to a select few taxa. Life-history associations reveal complex selection mechanisms to be counterbalancing the costs associated with expensive brain tissue through extended developmental periods, reduced fertility, and extended maximum lifespan. Future studies should give careful consideration of the methods chosen for measuring brain size, investigate both whole brain and specific brain regions where possible, and look to integrate multiple variables, thus fully capturing all of the potential factors influencing brain size.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Rebecca Chambers
- School of Science, Engineering & Environment, University of Salford, Salford, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom
| | | | - Sean J. O’Hara
- School of Science, Engineering & Environment, University of Salford, Salford, Greater Manchester, United Kingdom
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29
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Tsuboi M. Exceptionally Steep Brain-Body Evolutionary Allometry Underlies the Unique Encephalization of Osteoglossiformes. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2021; 96:49-63. [PMID: 34634787 DOI: 10.1159/000519067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Brain-body static allometry, which is the relationship between brain size and body size within species, is thought to reflect developmental and genetic constraints. Existing evidence suggests that the evolution of large brain size without accompanying changes in body size (that is, encephalization) may occur when this constraint is relaxed. Teleost fish species are generally characterized by having close-fitting brain-body static allometries, leading to strong allometric constraints and small relative brain sizes. However, one order of teleost, Osteoglossiformes, underwent extreme encephalization, and its mechanistic bases are unknown. Here, I used a dataset and phylogeny encompassing 859 teleost species to demonstrate that the encephalization of Osteoglossiformes occurred through an increase in the slope of evolutionary (among-species) brain-body allometry. The slope is virtually isometric (1.03 ± 0.09 SE), making it one of the steepest evolutionary brain-body allometric slopes reported to date, and it deviates significantly from the evolutionary brain-body allometric slopes of other clades of teleost. Examination of the relationship between static allometric parameters (intercepts and slopes) and evolutionary allometry revealed that the dramatic steepening of the evolutionary allometric slope in Osteoglossiformes was a combined result of evolution in the slopes and intercepts of static allometry. These results suggest that the evolution of static allometry, which likely has been driven by evolutionary changes in the rate and timing of brain development, has facilitated the unique encephalization of Osteoglossiformes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masahito Tsuboi
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.,Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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30
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Haeusler M, Grunstra ND, Martin RD, Krenn VA, Fornai C, Webb NM. The obstetrical dilemma hypothesis: there's life in the old dog yet. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:2031-2057. [PMID: 34013651 PMCID: PMC8518115 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2020] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/10/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The term 'obstetrical dilemma' was coined by Washburn in 1960 to describe the trade-off between selection for a larger birth canal, permitting successful passage of a big-brained human neonate, and the smaller pelvic dimensions required for bipedal locomotion. His suggested solution to these antagonistic pressures was to give birth prematurely, explaining the unusual degree of neurological and physical immaturity, or secondary altriciality, observed in human infants. This proposed trade-off has traditionally been offered as the predominant evolutionary explanation for why human childbirth is so challenging, and inherently risky, compared to that of other primates. This perceived difficulty is likely due to the tight fit of fetal to maternal pelvic dimensions along with the convoluted shape of the birth canal and a comparatively low degree of ligamentous flexibility. Although the ideas combined under the obstetrical dilemma hypothesis originated almost a century ago, they have received renewed attention and empirical scrutiny in the last decade, with some researchers advocating complete rejection of the hypothesis and its assumptions. However, the hypothesis is complex because it presently captures several, mutually non-exclusive ideas: (i) there is an evolutionary trade-off resulting from opposing selection pressures on the pelvis; (ii) selection favouring a narrow pelvis specifically derives from bipedalism; (iii) human neonates are secondarily altricial because they are born relatively immature to ensure that they fit through the maternal bony pelvis; (iv) as a corollary to the asymmetric selection pressure for a spacious birth canal in females, humans evolved pronounced sexual dimorphism of pelvic shape. Recently, the hypothesis has been challenged on both empirical and theoretical grounds. Here, we appraise the original ideas captured under the 'obstetrical dilemma' and their subsequent evolution. We also evaluate complementary and alternative explanations for a tight fetopelvic fit and obstructed labour, including ecological factors related to nutrition and thermoregulation, constraints imposed by the stability of the pelvic floor or by maternal and fetal metabolism, the energetics of bipedalism, and variability in pelvic shape. This reveals that human childbirth is affected by a complex combination of evolutionary, ecological, and biocultural factors, which variably constrain maternal pelvic form and fetal growth. Our review demonstrates that it is unwarranted to reject the obstetrical dilemma hypothesis entirely because several of its fundamental assumptions have not been successfully discounted despite claims to the contrary. As such, the obstetrical dilemma remains a tenable hypothesis that can be used productively to guide evolutionary research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Haeusler
- Institute of Evolutionary MedicineUniversity of ZurichWinterthurerstrasse 190Zürich8057Switzerland
| | - Nicole D.S. Grunstra
- Konrad Lorenz Institute (KLI) for Evolution and Cognition ResearchMartinstrasse 12Klosterneuburg3400Austria
- Department of Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of ViennaUniversity Biology Building (UBB), Carl Djerassi Platz 1Vienna1030Austria
- Mammal CollectionNatural History Museum ViennaBurgring 7Vienna1010Austria
| | - Robert D. Martin
- Institute of Evolutionary MedicineUniversity of ZurichWinterthurerstrasse 190Zürich8057Switzerland
- The Field Museum1400 S Lake Shore DrChicagoIL60605U.S.A.
| | - Viktoria A. Krenn
- Institute of Evolutionary MedicineUniversity of ZurichWinterthurerstrasse 190Zürich8057Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary AnthropologyUniversity of ViennaUniversity Biology Building (UBB), Carl Djerassi Platz 1Vienna1030Austria
| | - Cinzia Fornai
- Institute of Evolutionary MedicineUniversity of ZurichWinterthurerstrasse 190Zürich8057Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary AnthropologyUniversity of ViennaUniversity Biology Building (UBB), Carl Djerassi Platz 1Vienna1030Austria
| | - Nicole M. Webb
- Institute of Evolutionary MedicineUniversity of ZurichWinterthurerstrasse 190Zürich8057Switzerland
- Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum FrankfurtSenckenberganlage 25Frankfurt am Main60325Germany
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31
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Sowersby W, Eckerström-Liedholm S, Kotrschal A, Näslund J, Rowiński P, Gonzalez-Voyer A, Rogell B. Fast life-histories are associated with larger brain size in killifishes. Evolution 2021; 75:2286-2298. [PMID: 34270088 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The high energetic demands associated with the vertebrate brain are proposed to result in a trade-off between the pace of life-history and relative brain size. However, because both life-history and brain size also have a strong relationship with body size, any associations between the pace of life-history and relative brain size may be confounded by coevolution with body size. Studies on systems where contrasts in the pace of life-history occur without concordant contrasts in body size could therefore add to our understanding of the potential coevolution between relative brain size and life-history. Using one such system - 21 species of killifish - we employed a common garden design across two ontogenetic stages to investigate the association between relative brain size and the pace of life-history. Contrary to predictions, we found that relative brain size was larger in adult fast-living killifishes, compared to slow-living species. Although we found no differences in relative brain size between juvenile killifishes. Our results suggest that fast- and slow-living killifishes do not exhibit the predicted trade-off between brain size and life-history. Instead, fast and slow-living killifishes could differ in the ontogenetic timing of somatic versus neural growth or inhabit environments that differ considerably in cognitive demands.
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Affiliation(s)
- Will Sowersby
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Biology, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Simon Eckerström-Liedholm
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Wild Animal Initiative, Farmington, Minnesota, USA
| | - Alexander Kotrschal
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Animal Sciences: Behavioural Ecology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Joacim Näslund
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Aquatic Resources, Institute of Freshwater Research, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Drottningholm, Sweden
| | - Piotr Rowiński
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Alejandro Gonzalez-Voyer
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, Mexico
| | - Björn Rogell
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Aquatic Resources, Institute of Freshwater Research, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Drottningholm, Sweden
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32
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Watanabe A, Balanoff AM, Gignac PM, Gold MEL, Norell MA. Novel neuroanatomical integration and scaling define avian brain shape evolution and development. eLife 2021; 10:68809. [PMID: 34227464 PMCID: PMC8260227 DOI: 10.7554/elife.68809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
How do large and unique brains evolve? Historically, comparative neuroanatomical studies have attributed the evolutionary genesis of highly encephalized brains to deviations along, as well as from, conserved scaling relationships among brain regions. However, the relative contributions of these concerted (integrated) and mosaic (modular) processes as drivers of brain evolution remain unclear, especially in non-mammalian groups. While proportional brain sizes have been the predominant metric used to characterize brain morphology to date, we perform a high-density geometric morphometric analysis on the encephalized brains of crown birds (Neornithes or Aves) compared to their stem taxa—the non-avialan coelurosaurian dinosaurs and Archaeopteryx. When analyzed together with developmental neuroanatomical data of model archosaurs (Gallus, Alligator), crown birds exhibit a distinct allometric relationship that dictates their brain evolution and development. Furthermore, analyses by neuroanatomical regions reveal that the acquisition of this derived shape-to-size scaling relationship occurred in a mosaic pattern, where the avian-grade optic lobe and cerebellum evolved first among non-avialan dinosaurs, followed by major changes to the evolutionary and developmental dynamics of cerebrum shape after the origin of Avialae. Notably, the brain of crown birds is a more integrated structure than non-avialan archosaurs, implying that diversification of brain morphologies within Neornithes proceeded in a more coordinated manner, perhaps due to spatial constraints and abbreviated growth period. Collectively, these patterns demonstrate a plurality in evolutionary processes that generate encephalized brains in archosaurs and across vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akinobu Watanabe
- Department of Anatomy, New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, United States.,Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, United States.,Department of Life Sciences Vertebrates Division, Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom
| | - Amy M Balanoff
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, United States.,Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, United States
| | - Paul M Gignac
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, United States.,Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences, Tulsa, United States
| | - M Eugenia L Gold
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, United States.,Biology Department, Suffolk University, Boston, United States
| | - Mark A Norell
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, United States
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33
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Kalusa M, Heinrich MD, Sauerland C, Morawski M, Fietz SA. Developmental Differences in Neocortex Neurogenesis and Maturation Between the Altricial Dwarf Rabbit and Precocial Guinea Pig. Front Neuroanat 2021; 15:678385. [PMID: 34135738 PMCID: PMC8200626 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2021.678385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammals are born on a precocial-altricial continuum. Altricial species produce helpless neonates with closed distant organs incapable of locomotion, whereas precocial species give birth to well-developed young that possess sophisticated sensory and locomotor capabilities. Previous studies suggest that distinct patterns of cortex development differ between precocial and altricial species. This study compares patterns of neocortex neurogenesis and maturation in the precocial guinea pig and altricial dwarf rabbit, both belonging to the taxon of Glires. We show that the principal order of neurodevelopmental events is preserved in the neocortex of both species. Moreover, we show that neurogenesis starts at a later postconceptional day and takes longer in absolute gestational days in the precocial than the altricial neocortex. Intriguingly, our data indicate that the dwarf rabbit neocortex contains a higher abundance of highly proliferative basal progenitors than the guinea pig, which might underlie its higher encephalization quotient, demonstrating that the amount of neuron production is determined by complex regulation of multiple factors. Furthermore, we show that the guinea pig neocortex exhibits a higher maturation status at birth, thus providing evidence for the notions that precocial species might have acquired the morphological machinery required to attain their high functional state at birth and that brain expansion in the precocial newborn is mainly due to prenatally initiating processes of gliogenesis and neuron differentiation instead of increased neurogenesis. Together, this study reveals important insights into the timing and cellular differences that regulate mammalian brain growth and maturation and provides a better understanding of the evolution of mammalian altriciality and presociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirjam Kalusa
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Maren D Heinrich
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christine Sauerland
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Markus Morawski
- Medical Faculty, Paul Flechsig Institute of Brain Research, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Simone A Fietz
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Veterinary Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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34
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Todorov OS, Blomberg SP, Goswami A, Sears K, Drhlík P, Peters J, Weisbecker V. Testing hypotheses of marsupial brain size variation using phylogenetic multiple imputations and a Bayesian comparative framework. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210394. [PMID: 33784860 PMCID: PMC8059968 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0394] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Considerable controversy exists about which hypotheses and variables best explain mammalian brain size variation. We use a new, high-coverage dataset of marsupial brain and body sizes, and the first phylogenetically imputed full datasets of 16 predictor variables, to model the prevalent hypotheses explaining brain size evolution using phylogenetically corrected Bayesian generalized linear mixed-effects modelling. Despite this comprehensive analysis, litter size emerges as the only significant predictor. Marsupials differ from the more frequently studied placentals in displaying a much lower diversity of reproductive traits, which are known to interact extensively with many behavioural and ecological predictors of brain size. Our results therefore suggest that studies of relative brain size evolution in placental mammals may require targeted co-analysis or adjustment of reproductive parameters like litter size, weaning age or gestation length. This supports suggestions that significant associations between behavioural or ecological variables with relative brain size may be due to a confounding influence of the extensive reproductive diversity of placental mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Orlin S Todorov
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Simone P Blomberg
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia
| | - Anjali Goswami
- Genetics, Evolution, and Environment Department, University College London, UK.,Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London, UK
| | - Karen Sears
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, College of Life Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Patrik Drhlík
- Faculty of Mechatronics, Informatics and Interdisciplinary Studies, Technical University of Liberec, Czechia
| | - James Peters
- Department of Animal Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, USA
| | - Vera Weisbecker
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia.,College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Australia
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35
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Vágási CI, Vincze O, Lemaître JF, Pap PL, Ronget V, Gaillard JM. Is degree of sociality associated with reproductive senescence? A comparative analysis across birds and mammals. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20190744. [PMID: 33678026 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0744] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Our understanding on how widespread reproductive senescence is in the wild and how the onset and rate of reproductive senescence vary among species in relation to life histories and lifestyles is currently limited. More specifically, whether the species-specific degree of sociality is linked to the occurrence, onset and rate of reproductive senescence remains unknown. Here, we investigate these questions using phylogenetic comparative analyses across 36 bird and 101 mammal species encompassing a wide array of life histories, lifestyles and social traits. We found that female reproductive senescence: (i) is widespread and occurs with similar frequency (about two-thirds) in birds and mammals; (ii) occurs later in life and is slower in birds than in similar-sized mammals; (iii) occurs later in life and is slower with an increasingly slower pace of life in both vertebrate classes; and (iv) is only weakly associated, if any, with the degree of sociality in both classes after accounting for the effect of body size and pace of life. However, when removing the effect of species differences in pace of life, a higher degree of sociality was associated with later and weaker reproductive senescence in females, which suggests that the degree of sociality is either indirectly related to reproductive senescence via the pace of life or simply a direct outcome of the pace of life. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ageing and sociality: why, when and how does sociality change ageing patterns?'
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Affiliation(s)
- Csongor I Vágási
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Orsolya Vincze
- Department of Tisza Research, MTA Centre for Ecological Research-DRI, Debrecen, Hungary.,CREEC, UMR IRD 224-CNRS 5290-Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France.,CREES Centre for Research on the Ecology and Evolution of Disease, Montpellier, France
| | - Jean-François Lemaître
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, CNRS, Université Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Péter L Pap
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology, Babeș-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania
| | - Victor Ronget
- Unité Eco-anthropologie (EA), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Université Paris Diderot, Paris, France
| | - Jean-Michel Gaillard
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Évolutive, CNRS, Université Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
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36
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Weisbecker V, Rowe T, Wroe S, Macrini TE, Garland KLS, Travouillon KJ, Black K, Archer M, Hand SJ, Berlin JC, Beck RMD, Ladevèze S, Sharp AC, Mardon K, Sherratt E. Global elongation and high shape flexibility as an evolutionary hypothesis of accommodating mammalian brains into skulls. Evolution 2021; 75:625-640. [PMID: 33483947 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Revised: 12/07/2020] [Accepted: 12/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Little is known about how the large brains of mammals are accommodated into the dazzling diversity of their skulls. It has been suggested that brain shape is influenced by relative brain size, that it evolves or develops according to extrinsic or intrinsic mechanical constraints, and that its shape can provide insights into its proportions and function. Here, we characterize the shape variation among 84 marsupial cranial endocasts of 57 species including fossils, using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics and virtual dissections. Statistical shape analysis revealed four main patterns: over half of endocast shape variation ranges from elongate and straight to globular and inclined; little allometric variation with respect to centroid size, and none for relative volume; no association between locomotion and endocast shape; limited association between endocast shape and previously published histological cortex volumes. Fossil species tend to have smaller cerebral hemispheres. We find divergent endocast shapes in closely related species and within species, and diverse morphologies superimposed over the main variation. An evolutionarily and individually malleable brain with a fundamental tendency to arrange into a spectrum of elongate-to-globular shapes-possibly mostly independent of brain function-may explain the accommodation of brains within the enormous diversity of mammalian skull form.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vera Weisbecker
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA, 5042, Australia.,School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Timothy Rowe
- Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 78712
| | - Stephen Wroe
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia
| | - Thomas E Macrini
- Department of Biological Sciences, St. Mary's University, San Antonio, Texas, 78228
| | | | - Kenny J Travouillon
- Collections and Research, Western Australian Museum, Welshpool, WA, 6986, Australia
| | - Karen Black
- Earth and Sustainability Science Research Center, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Michael Archer
- Earth and Sustainability Science Research Center, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Suzanne J Hand
- Earth and Sustainability Science Research Center, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Jeri C Berlin
- Department of Geological Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, 78712
| | - Robin M D Beck
- School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Salford, M5 4WT, United Kingdom
| | - Sandrine Ladevèze
- CR2P UMR 7207, CNRS/MNHN/Sorbonne Université, Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, F-75005, France
| | - Alana C Sharp
- Institute of Life Course and Medical Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L7 8TX, United Kingdom
| | - Karine Mardon
- Centre of Advanced Imaging, The University of Queensland, St. Lucia, QLD, 4072, Australia
| | - Emma Sherratt
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, 5005, Australia
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37
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González-Suárez M, Gonzalez-Voyer A, von Hardenberg A, Santini L. The role of brain size on mammalian population densities. J Anim Ecol 2020; 90:653-661. [PMID: 33354764 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The local abundance or population density of different organisms often varies widely. Understanding what determines this variation is an important, but not yet fully resolved question in ecology. Differences in population density are partly driven by variation in body size and diet among organisms. Here we propose that the size of an organism' brain could be an additional, overlooked, driver of mammalian population densities. We explore two possible contrasting mechanisms by which brain size, measured by its mass, could affect population density. First, because of the energetic demands of larger brains and their influence on life history, we predict mammals with larger relative brain masses would occur at lower population densities. Alternatively, larger brains are generally associated with a greater ability to exploit new resources, which would provide a competitive advantage leading to higher population densities among large-brained mammals. We tested these predictions using phylogenetic path analysis, modelling hypothesized direct and indirect relationships between diet, body mass, brain mass and population density for 656 non-volant terrestrial mammalian species. We analysed all data together and separately for marsupials and the four taxonomic orders with most species in the dataset (Carnivora, Cetartiodactyla, Primates, Rodentia). For all species combined, a single model was supported showing lower population density associated with larger brains, larger bodies and more specialized diets. The negative effect of brain mass was also supported for separate analyses in Primates and Carnivora. In other groups (Rodentia, Cetartiodactyla and marsupials) the relationship was less clear: supported models included a direct link from brain mass to population density but 95% confidence intervals of the path coefficients overlapped zero. Results support our hypothesis that brain mass can explain variation in species' average population density, with large-brained species having greater area requirements, although the relationship may vary across taxonomic groups. Future research is needed to clarify whether the role of brain mass on population density varies as a function of environmental (e.g. environmental stability) and biotic conditions (e.g. level of competition).
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Affiliation(s)
- Manuela González-Suárez
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Alejandro Gonzalez-Voyer
- Departamento de Ecología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México, México
| | - Achaz von Hardenberg
- Conservation Biology Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Chester, Chester, UK
| | - Luca Santini
- Department of Environmental Science, Institute for Wetland and Water Research, Faculty of Science, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.,National Research Council, Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems (CNR-IRET), Monterotondo (Rome), Italy
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38
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Castiglione S, Serio C, Piccolo M, Mondanaro A, Melchionna M, Di Febbraro M, Sansalone G, Wroe S, Raia P. The influence of domestication, insularity and sociality on the tempo and mode of brain size evolution in mammals. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The ability to develop complex social bonds and an increased capacity for behavioural flexibility in novel environments have both been forwarded as selective forces favouring the evolution of a large brain in mammals. However, large brains are energetically expensive, and in circumstances in which selective pressures are relaxed, e.g. on islands, smaller brains are selected for. Similar reasoning has been offered to explain the reduction of brain size in domestic species relative to their wild relatives. Herein, we assess the effect of domestication, insularity and sociality on brain size evolution at the macroevolutionary scale. Our results are based on analyses of a 426-taxon tree, including both wild species and domestic breeds. We further develop the phylogenetic ridge regression comparative method (RRphylo) to work with discrete variables and compare the rates (tempo) and direction (mode) of brain size evolution among categories within each of three factors (sociality, insularity and domestication). The common assertion that domestication increases the rate of brain size evolution holds true. The same does not apply to insularity. We also find support for the suggested but previously untested hypothesis that species living in medium-sized groups exhibit faster rates of brain size evolution than either solitary or herding taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Castiglione
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment and Resources, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| | - Carmela Serio
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Martina Piccolo
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment and Resources, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| | - Alessandro Mondanaro
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment and Resources, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Firenze, Italy
| | - Marina Melchionna
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment and Resources, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy
| | - Mirko Di Febbraro
- Department of Biosciences and Territory, University of Molise, C. da Fonte Lappone, 15, Pesche, IS, Italy
| | - Gabriele Sansalone
- Function, Evolution & Anatomy Research Lab, Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - Stephen Wroe
- Function, Evolution & Anatomy Research Lab, Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, Australia
| | - Pasquale Raia
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment and Resources, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy
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39
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Sayol F, Collado MÁ, Garcia-Porta J, Seid MA, Gibbs J, Agorreta A, San Mauro D, Raemakers I, Sol D, Bartomeus I. Feeding specialization and longer generation time are associated with relatively larger brains in bees. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200762. [PMID: 32933447 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite their miniature brains, insects exhibit substantial variation in brain size. Although the functional significance of this variation is increasingly recognized, research on whether differences in insect brain sizes are mainly the result of constraints or selective pressures has hardly been performed. Here, we address this gap by combining prospective and retrospective phylogenetic-based analyses of brain size for a major insect group, bees (superfamily Apoidea). Using a brain dataset of 93 species from North America and Europe, we found that body size was the single best predictor of brain size in bees. However, the analyses also revealed that substantial variation in brain size remained even when adjusting for body size. We consequently asked whether such variation in relative brain size might be explained by adaptive hypotheses. We found that ecologically specialized species with single generations have larger brains-relative to their body size-than generalist or multi-generation species, but we did not find an effect of sociality on relative brain size. Phylogenetic reconstruction further supported the existence of different adaptive optima for relative brain size in lineages differing in feeding specialization and reproductive strategy. Our findings shed new light on the evolution of the insect brain, highlighting the importance of ecological pressures over social factors and suggesting that these pressures are different from those previously found to influence brain evolution in other taxa.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferran Sayol
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Gothenburg Global Biodiversity Centre, Gothenburg, Sweden.,Centre for Biodiversity and Environment Research, Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London, London, UK
| | - Miguel Á Collado
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avda. Américo Vespucio 26, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Joan Garcia-Porta
- Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, USA
| | - Marc A Seid
- Biology Department, Neuroscience Program, The University of Scranton, Scranton, PA, USA
| | - Jason Gibbs
- Department of Entomology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Ainhoa Agorreta
- Department of Biodiversity, Ecology, and Evolution, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Diego San Mauro
- Department of Biodiversity, Ecology, and Evolution, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Daniel Sol
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain.,CSIC, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Catalonia, Spain
| | - Ignasi Bartomeus
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avda. Américo Vespucio 26, Isla de la Cartuja, 41092, Sevilla, Spain
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40
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Jiménez-Ortega D, Kolm N, Immler S, Maklakov AA, Gonzalez-Voyer A. Long life evolves in large-brained bird lineages. Evolution 2020; 74:2617-2628. [PMID: 32840865 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Revised: 08/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The brain is an energetically costly organ that consumes a disproportionate amount of resources. Species with larger brains relative to their body size have slower life histories, with reduced output per reproductive event and delayed development times that can be offset by increasing behavioral flexibility. The "cognitive buffer" hypothesis maintains that large brain size decreases extrinsic mortality due to greater behavioral flexibility, leading to a longer lifespan. Alternatively, slow life histories, and long lifespan can be a pre-adaptation for the evolution of larger brains. Here, we use phylogenetic path analysis to contrast different evolutionary scenarios and disentangle direct and indirect relationships between brain size, body size, life history, and longevity across 339 altricial and precocial bird species. Our results support both a direct causal link between brain size and lifespan, and an indirect effect via other life history traits. These results indicate that large brain size engenders longer life, as proposed by the "cognitive buffer" hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dante Jiménez-Ortega
- Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, 04510, México.,Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, 04510, México
| | - Niclas Kolm
- Zoology Department, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Simone Immler
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Alexei A Maklakov
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
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41
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Sansalone G, Allen K, Ledogar JA, Ledogar S, Mitchell DR, Profico A, Castiglione S, Melchionna M, Serio C, Mondanaro A, Raia P, Wroe S. Variation in the strength of allometry drives rates of evolution in primate brain shape. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200807. [PMID: 32635870 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Large brains are a defining feature of primates, as is a clear allometric trend between body mass and brain size. However, important questions on the macroevolution of brain shape in primates remain unanswered. Here we address two: (i), does the relationship between the brain size and its shape follow allometric trends and (ii), is this relationship consistent over evolutionary time? We employ three-dimensional geometric morphometrics and phylogenetic comparative methods to answer these questions, based on a large sample representing 151 species and most primate families. We found two distinct trends regarding the relationship between brain shape and brain size. Hominoidea and Cercopithecinae showed significant evolutionary allometry, whereas no allometric trends were discernible for Strepsirrhini, Colobinae or Platyrrhini. Furthermore, we found that in the taxa characterized by significant allometry, brain shape evolution accelerated, whereas for taxa in which such allometry was absent, the evolution of brain shape decelerated. We conclude that although primates in general are typically described as large-brained, strong allometric effects on brain shape are largely confined to the order's representatives that display more complex behavioural repertoires.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Sansalone
- Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Lab, Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, NSW 2351, Armidale, Australia
| | - K Allen
- Department of Neuroscience, Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, MO, USA.,Department of Anthropology, Washington University in St Louis, Washington, MO, USA
| | - J A Ledogar
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - S Ledogar
- Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Lab, Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, NSW 2351, Armidale, Australia.,Department of Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology, School of Humanities, University of New England, NSW 2351, Armidale, Australia
| | - D R Mitchell
- Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Lab, Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, NSW 2351, Armidale, Australia.,Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas, Old Main 330, Fayetteville, AR 72701, USA
| | - A Profico
- Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - S Castiglione
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment and Resources, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, L.go San Marcellino 10, 80138, Naples, Italy
| | - M Melchionna
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment and Resources, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, L.go San Marcellino 10, 80138, Naples, Italy
| | - C Serio
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment and Resources, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, L.go San Marcellino 10, 80138, Naples, Italy.,Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - A Mondanaro
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment and Resources, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, L.go San Marcellino 10, 80138, Naples, Italy.,Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Italy
| | - P Raia
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment and Resources, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, L.go San Marcellino 10, 80138, Naples, Italy
| | - S Wroe
- Function, Evolution and Anatomy Research Lab, Zoology Division, School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, NSW 2351, Armidale, Australia
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42
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Heldstab SA, Isler K, Schuppli C, van Schaik CP. When ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny: Fixed neurodevelopmental sequence of manipulative skills among primates. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eabb4685. [PMID: 32754638 PMCID: PMC7380958 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb4685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/11/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Neural development is highly conserved across distantly related species of different brain sizes. Here, we show that the development of manipulative complexity is equally cumulative across 36 primate species and also that its ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny. Furthermore, larger-brained species reach their adult skill levels later than smaller-brained ones, largely because they start later with the simplest techniques. These findings demonstrate that these motor behaviors are not modular and that their slow development may constrain their evolution. Complex foraging techniques therefore critically require a slow life history with low mortality, which explains the limited taxonomic distribution of flexible tool use and the unique elaboration of human technology.
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43
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Bründl AC, Tkaczynski PJ, Nohon Kohou G, Boesch C, Wittig RM, Crockford C. Systematic mapping of developmental milestones in wild chimpanzees. Dev Sci 2020; 24:e12988. [DOI: 10.1111/desc.12988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Revised: 04/17/2020] [Accepted: 05/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Aisha C. Bründl
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Leipzig Germany
- Department of Neuropsychology Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences Leipzig Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques Abidjan Côte d’Ivoire
| | - Patrick J. Tkaczynski
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Leipzig Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques Abidjan Côte d’Ivoire
| | - Grégoire Nohon Kohou
- Taï Chimpanzee Project Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques Abidjan Côte d’Ivoire
| | - Christophe Boesch
- Taï Chimpanzee Project Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques Abidjan Côte d’Ivoire
- Department of Primatology Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Leipzig Germany
| | - Roman M. Wittig
- Taï Chimpanzee Project Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques Abidjan Côte d’Ivoire
- Department of Primatology Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Leipzig Germany
| | - Catherine Crockford
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology Leipzig Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques Abidjan Côte d’Ivoire
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44
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Mull CG, Yopak KE, Dulvy NK. Maternal Investment, Ecological Lifestyle, and Brain Evolution in Sharks and Rays. Am Nat 2020; 195:1056-1069. [PMID: 32469656 DOI: 10.1086/708531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Across vertebrates increased maternal investment (via increased pre- and postnatal provisioning) is associated with larger relative brain size, yet it remains unclear how brain organization is shaped by life history and ecology. Here, we tested whether maternal investment and ecological lifestyle are related to variation in brain size and organization across 100 chondrichthyans. We hypothesized that brain size and organization would vary with the level of maternal investment and habitat depth and complexity. We found that chondrichthyan brain organization varies along four main axes according to (1) absolute brain size, (2) relative diencephalon and mesencephalon size, (3) relative telencephalon and medulla size, and (4) relative cerebellum size. Increased maternal investment is associated with larger relative brain size, while ecological lifestyle is informative for variation between relative telencephalon and medulla size and relative cerebellum size after accounting for the independent effects of reproductive mode. Deepwater chondrichthyans generally provide low levels of yolk-only (lecithotrophic) maternal investment and have relatively small brains, predominantly composed of medulla (a major portion of the hindbrain), whereas matrotrophic chondrichthyans-which provide maternal provisioning beyond the initial yolk sac-found in coastal, reef, or shallow oceanic habitats have relatively large brains, predominantly composed of telencephalon (a major portion of the forebrain). We have demonstrated, for the first time, that both ecological lifestyle and maternal investment are independently associated with brain organization in a lineage with diverse life-history strategies and reproductive modes.
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45
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Melchionna M, Mondanaro A, Serio C, Castiglione S, Di Febbraro M, Rook L, Diniz-Filho JAF, Manzi G, Profico A, Sansalone G, Raia P. Macroevolutionary trends of brain mass in Primates. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
A distinctive trait in primate evolution is the expansion in brain mass. The potential drivers of this trend and how and whether encephalization influenced diversification dynamics in this group are hotly debated. We assembled a phylogeny accounting for 317 primate species, including both extant and extinct taxa, to identify macroevolutionary trends in brain mass evolution. Our findings show that Primates as a whole follow a macroevolutionary trend for an increase in body mass, relative brain mass and speciation rate over time. Although the trend for increased encephalization (brain mass) applies to all Primates, hominins stand out for their distinctly higher rates. Within hominins, this unique trend applies linearly over time and starts with Australopithecus africanus. The increases in both speciation rate and encephalization begin in the Oligocene, suggesting the two variables are causally associated. The substitution of early, stem Primates belonging to plesiadapiforms with crown Primates seems to be responsible for these macroevolutionary trends. However, our findings also suggest that cognitive capacities favoured speciation in hominins.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Melchionna
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e delle Risorse, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy
| | - A Mondanaro
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e delle Risorse, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Italy
| | - C Serio
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e delle Risorse, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy
| | - S Castiglione
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e delle Risorse, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy
| | - M Di Febbraro
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze e Territorio, University of Molise, C. da Fonte Lappone, 15, 86090 Pesche, IS, Italy
| | - L Rook
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of Florence, Italy
| | - J A F Diniz-Filho
- Departamento de Ecologia, ICB, Universidade Federal de Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil
| | - G Manzi
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| | - A Profico
- Department of Environmental Biology, Sapienza University of Rome, Italy
| | - G Sansalone
- Department of Environmental and Rural Sciences, FEARlab, University of New England, Armidale, 2351, NSW, Australia
| | - P Raia
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra, dell’Ambiente e delle Risorse, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, Italy
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46
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Need for speed: Short lifespan selects for increased learning ability. Sci Rep 2019; 9:15197. [PMID: 31645590 PMCID: PMC6811680 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-51652-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Accepted: 10/04/2019] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
It is generally assumed that an investment into cognitive abilities and their associated cost is particularly beneficial for long-lived species, as a prolonged lifespan allows to recoup the initial investment. However, ephemeral organisms possess astonishing cognitive abilities too. Invertebrates, for example, are capable of simple associative learning, reversal learning, and planning. How can this discrepancy between theory and evidence be explained? Using a simulation, we show that short lives can actually select for an increase in learning abilities. The rationale behind this is that when learning is needed to exploit otherwise inaccessible resources, one needs to learn fast in order to utilize the resources when constrained by short lifespans. And thus, increased cognitive abilities may evolve, not despite short lifespan, but because of it.
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47
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Tsuboi M. Biological interpretations of the biphasic model of ontogenetic brain–body allometry: a reply to Packard. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blz149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Allometry is a description of organismal growth. Historically, a simple power law has been used most widely to describe the rate of growth in phenotypic traits relative to the rate of growth in overall size. However, the validity of this standard practice has repeatedly been criticized. In an accompanying opinion piece, Packard reanalysed data from a recent study on brain–body ontogenetic allometry and claimed that the biphasic growth model suggested in that study was an artefact of logarithmic transformation. Based on the model selection, Packard proposed alternative hypotheses for brain–body ontogenetic allometry. Here, I examine the validity of these models by comparing empirical data on body sizes at two critical neurodevelopmental events in mammals, i.e. at birth and at the time of the peak rate of brain growth, with statistically inferred body sizes that are supposed to characterize neurodevelopmental processes. These analyses support the existence of two distinct phases of brain growth and provide weak support for Packard's uniphasic model of brain growth. This study demonstrates the importance of considering alternative models in studies of allometry, but also highlights that such models need to respect the biological theoretical context of allometry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masahito Tsuboi
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
- Department of Biology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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48
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Powell LE, Barton RA, Street SE. Maternal investment, life histories and the evolution of brain structure in primates. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20191608. [PMID: 31530145 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1608] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Life history is a robust correlate of relative brain size: larger-brained mammals and birds have slower life histories and longer lifespans than smaller-brained species. The cognitive buffer hypothesis (CBH) proposes an adaptive explanation for this relationship: large brains may permit greater behavioural flexibility and thereby buffer the animal from unpredictable environmental challenges, allowing for reduced mortality and increased lifespan. By contrast, the developmental costs hypothesis (DCH) suggests that life-history correlates of brain size reflect the extension of maturational processes needed to accommodate the evolution of large brains, predicting correlations with pre-adult life-history phases. Here, we test novel predictions of the hypotheses in primates applied to the neocortex and cerebellum, two major brain structures with distinct developmental trajectories. While neocortical growth is allocated primarily to pre-natal development, the cerebellum exhibits relatively substantial post-natal growth. Consistent with the DCH, neocortical expansion is related primarily to extended gestation while cerebellar expansion to extended post-natal development, particularly the juvenile period. Contrary to the CBH, adult lifespan explains relatively little variance in the whole brain or neocortex volume once pre-adult life-history phases are accounted for. Only the cerebellum shows a relationship with lifespan after accounting for developmental periods. Our results substantiate and elaborate on the role of maternal investment and offspring development in brain evolution, suggest that brain components can evolve partly independently through modifications of distinct developmental phases, and imply that environmental input during post-natal maturation may be particularly crucial for the development of cerebellar function. They also suggest that relatively extended post-natal maturation times provide a developmental mechanism for the marked expansion of the cerebellum in the apes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E Powell
- Evolutionary Anthropology Research Group, Department of Anthropology, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Robert A Barton
- Evolutionary Anthropology Research Group, Department of Anthropology, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Sally E Street
- Evolutionary Anthropology Research Group, Department of Anthropology, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
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49
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Lukas D, Huchard E. The evolution of infanticide by females in mammals. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20180075. [PMID: 31303157 PMCID: PMC6664130 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2018.0075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
In most mammalian species, females regularly interact with kin, which is expected to reduce aggressive competitive behaviour among females. It may thus be difficult to understand why infanticide by females has been reported in numerous species and is sometimes perpetrated by groupmates. Here, we investigate the evolutionary determinants of infanticide by females by combining a quantitative analysis of the taxonomic distribution of infanticide with a qualitative synthesis of the circumstances of infanticidal attacks in published reports. Our results show that female infanticide is widespread across mammals and varies in relation to social organization and life history, being more frequent where females breed in groups and have intense bouts of high reproductive output. Specifically, female infanticide occurs where the proximity of conspecific offspring directly threatens the killer's reproductive success by limiting access to critical resources for her dependent progeny, including food, shelters, care or a social position. By contrast, infanticide is not immediately modulated by the degree of kinship among females, and females occasionally sacrifice closely related infants. Our findings suggest that the potential direct fitness rewards of gaining access to reproductive resources have a stronger influence on the expression of female aggression than the indirect fitness costs of competing against kin. This article is part of the theme issue 'The evolution of female-biased kinship in humans and other mammals'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dieter Lukas
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EJ Cambridge, UK
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and Culture, MPI for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Elise Huchard
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, CB2 3EJ Cambridge, UK
- ISEM, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
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50
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Herculano-Houzel S. Life history changes accompany increased numbers of cortical neurons: A new framework for understanding human brain evolution. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2019; 250:179-216. [PMID: 31703901 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2019.06.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Narratives of human evolution have focused on cortical expansion and increases in brain size relative to body size, but considered that changes in life history, such as in age at sexual maturity and thus the extent of childhood and maternal dependence, or maximal longevity, are evolved features that appeared as consequences of selection for increased brain size, or increased cognitive abilities that decrease mortality rates, or due to selection for grandmotherly contribution to feeding the young. Here I build on my recent finding that slower life histories universally accompany increased numbers of cortical neurons across warm-blooded species to propose a simpler framework for human evolution: that slower development to sexual maturity and increased post-maturity longevity are features that do not require selection, but rather inevitably and immediately accompany evolutionary increases in numbers of cortical neurons, thus fostering human social interactions and cultural and technological evolution as generational overlap increases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzana Herculano-Houzel
- Department of Psychology, Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, United States.
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