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Ghazanfar AA, Gomez-Marin A. The central role of the individual in the history of brains. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 163:105744. [PMID: 38825259 PMCID: PMC11246226 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105744] [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: 04/20/2024] [Revised: 05/26/2024] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 06/04/2024]
Abstract
Every species' brain, body and behavior is shaped by the contingencies of their evolutionary history; these exert pressures that change their developmental trajectories. There is, however, another set of contingencies that shape us and other animals: those that occur during a lifetime. In this perspective piece, we show how these two histories are intertwined by focusing on the individual. We suggest that organisms--their brains and behaviors--are not solely the developmental products of genes and neural circuitry but individual centers of action unfolding in time. To unpack this idea, we first emphasize the importance of variation and the central role of the individual in biology. We then go over "errors in time" that we often make when comparing development across species. Next, we reveal how an individual's development is a process rather than a product by presenting a set of case studies. These show developmental trajectories as emerging in the contexts of the "the actual now" and "the presence of the past". Our consideration reveals that individuals are slippery-they are never static; they are a set of on-going, creative activities. In light of this, it seems that taking individual development seriously is essential if we aspire to make meaningful comparisons of neural circuits and behavior within and across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asif A Ghazanfar
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, and Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
| | - Alex Gomez-Marin
- Behavior of Organisms Laboratory, Instituto de Neurociencias CSIC-UMH, Alicante 03550, Spain.
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2
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Morita M, Nishikawa Y, Tokumasu Y. Human musical capacity and products should have been induced by the hominin-specific combination of several biosocial features: A three-phase scheme on socio-ecological, cognitive, and cultural evolution. Evol Anthropol 2024; 33:e22031. [PMID: 38757853 DOI: 10.1002/evan.22031] [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: 01/06/2024] [Revised: 04/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Various selection pressures have shaped human uniqueness, for instance, music. When and why did musical universality and diversity emerge? Our hypothesis is that "music" initially originated from manipulative calls with limited musical elements. Thereafter, vocalizations became more complex and flexible along with a greater degree of social learning. Finally, constructed musical instruments and the language faculty resulted in diverse and context-specific music. Music precursors correspond to vocal communication among nonhuman primates, songbirds, and cetaceans. To place this scenario in hominin history, a three-phase scheme for music evolution is presented herein. We emphasize (1) the evolution of sociality and life history in australopithecines, (2) the evolution of cognitive and learning abilities in early/middle Homo, and (3) cultural evolution, primarily in Homo sapiens. Human musical capacity and products should be due to the hominin-specific combination of several biosocial features, including bipedalism, stable pair bonding, alloparenting, expanded brain size, and sexual selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Masahito Morita
- Evolutionary Anthropology Lab, Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Health Sciences of Mind and Body, University of Human Arts and Sciences, Saitama, Japan
| | - Yuri Nishikawa
- Evolutionary Anthropology Lab, Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Molecular Life Science, Tokai University School of Medicine, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Yudai Tokumasu
- Evolutionary Anthropology Lab, Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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3
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van Schaik CP, Jacobs I, Burkart JM, Sauciuc GA, Schuppli C, Persson T, Song Z. Short-term memory, attentional control and brain size in primates. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231541. [PMID: 39076802 PMCID: PMC11285803 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231541] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2023] [Revised: 02/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/07/2024] [Indexed: 07/31/2024]
Abstract
Brain size variability in primates has been attributed to various domain-specific socio-ecological factors. A recently published large-scale study of short-term memory abilities in 41 primate species (ManyPrimates 2022 Anim. Behav. Cogn. 9, 428-516. (doi:10.26451/abc.09.04.06.2022)) did not find any correlations with 11 different proxies of external cognitive demands. Here, we found that the interspecific variation in test performance shows correlated evolution with total brain size, with the relationship becoming tighter as species with small sample sizes were successively removed, whereas it was not predicted by the often-used encephalization quotient. In a subsample, we also found that the sizes of brain regions thought to be involved in short-term memory did not predict performance better than overall brain size. The dependence on brain size suggests that domain-general cognitive processes underlie short-term memory as tested by ManyPrimates. These results support the emerging notion that comparative studies of brain size do not generally identify domain-specific cognitive adaptations but rather reveal varying selections on domain-general cognitive abilities. Finally, because attentional processes beyond short-term memory also affect test performance, we suggest that the delayed response test can be refined.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carel P. van Schaik
- Comparative Socioecology Group, Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior, Konstanz78467, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich8057, Switzerland
- Center for the interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution (ISLE), University of Zurich, Zurich8057, Switzerland
| | - Ivo Jacobs
- Department of Philosophy/Cognitive Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Judith M. Burkart
- Center for the interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution (ISLE), University of Zurich, Zurich8057, Switzerland
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zurich8057, Switzerland
| | | | - Caroline Schuppli
- Development and Evolution of Cognition Group, Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior, Konstanz78467, Germany
| | - Tomas Persson
- Department of Philosophy/Cognitive Science, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Zitan Song
- Comparative Socioecology Group, Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior, Konstanz78467, Germany
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4
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Henrich J, Muthukrishna M. What Makes Us Smart? Top Cogn Sci 2024; 16:322-342. [PMID: 37086053 DOI: 10.1111/tops.12656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2022] [Revised: 04/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 04/23/2023]
Abstract
How did humans become clever enough to live in nearly every major ecosystem on earth, create vaccines against deadly plagues, explore the oceans depths, and routinely traverse the globe at 30,000 feet in aluminum tubes while nibbling on roasted almonds? Drawing on recent developments in our understanding of human evolution, we consider what makes us distinctively smarter than other animals. Contrary to conventional wisdom, human brilliance emerges not from our innate brainpower or raw computational capacities, but from the sharing of information in communities and networks over generations. We review how larger, more diverse, and more optimally interconnected networks of minds give rise to faster innovation and how the cognitive products of this cumulative cultural evolutionary process feedback to make us individually "smarter"-in the sense of being better at meeting the challenges and problems posed by our societies and socioecologies. Here, we consider not only how cultural evolution supplies us with "thinking tools" (like counting systems and fractions) but also how it has shaped our ontologies (e.g., do germs and witches exist?) and epistemologies, including our notions of what constitutes a "good reason" or "good evidence" (e.g., are dreams a source of evidence?). Building on this, we consider how cultural evolution has organized and distributed cultural knowledge and cognitive tasks among subpopulations, effectively shifting both thinking and production to the level of the community, population, or network, resulting in collective information processing and group decisions. Cultural evolution can turn mindless mobs into wise crowds by facilitating and constraining cognition through a wide variety of epistemic institutions-political, legal, and scientific. These institutions process information and aid better decision-making by suppressing or encouraging the use of different cultural epistemologies and ontologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Henrich
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University
| | - Michael Muthukrishna
- Department of Psychological and Behavioral Science, London School of Economics and Political Science
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5
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Richerson PJ, Boyd RT, Efferson C. Agentic processes in cultural evolution: relevance to Anthropocene sustainability. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20220252. [PMID: 37952614 PMCID: PMC10645076 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans have evolved culturally and perhaps genetically to be unsustainable. We exhibit a deep and consistent pattern of short-term resource exploitation behaviours and institutions. We distinguish agentic and naturally selective forces in cultural evolution. Agentic forces are quite important compared to the blind forces (random variation and natural selection) in cultural evolution and gene-culture coevolution. We need to use the agentic policy-making processes to evade the impact of blind natural selection. We argue that agentic forces became important during our Pleistocene history and into the Anthropocene present. Human creativity in the form of deliberate innovations and the deliberate selective diffusion of technical and social advances drove this process forward for a long time before planetary limits became a serious issue. We review models with multiple positive feedbacks that roughly fit this observed pattern. Policy changes in the case of large-scale existential threats like climate change are made by political and diplomatic agents grasping and moving levers of institutional power in order to avoid the operation of blind natural selection and agentic forces driven by narrow or short-term goals. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolution and sustainability: gathering the strands for an Anthropocene synthesis'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J. Richerson
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, 95616, CA, USA
| | - Robert T. Boyd
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, 85281, AZ, USA
| | - Charles Efferson
- Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Lausanne, 1015, Lausanne, Switzerland
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6
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Heinsohn R, Zdenek CN, Appleby D, Endler JA. Individual preferences for sound tool design in a parrot. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231271. [PMID: 37700644 PMCID: PMC10498050 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The rarity of tool manufacture in wild parrots is surprising because they share key life-history traits with advanced tool-using species, including large brains, complex sociality and prolonged parental care. When it does occur, tool manufacture in parrots tends to be innovative, spontaneous and individually variable, but most cases have been in captivity. In the wild, only palm cockatoos (Probosciger aterrimus) have been observed using tools regularly. However, they are unusual because they use tools to enhance their displays rather than for foraging or self-maintenance. Males in northern Australia make two types of tool from sticks and seed pods, which they tap rhythmically against a tree during display. We analysed 256 sound tools retrieved from 70 display trees. Drumsticks (89% of tools) were used more often than seed pod tools; most males manufactured only drumsticks, but some made both types. Individual males differed significantly in the design of their drumsticks including the length, width and mass but we found no evidence that neighbours copied each other. We discuss the highly individualized preferences for sound tool design in context of the behavioural predispositions behind the rarity of tool manufacture in wild parrots.
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Affiliation(s)
- R. Heinsohn
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - C. N. Zdenek
- School of Biological Science, University of Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland 4072, Australia
| | - D. Appleby
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Acton, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - J. A. Endler
- Zoology and Ecology, Tropical Environments Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland 4878, Australia
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7
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Webster MM. Social learning in non-grouping animals. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1329-1344. [PMID: 36992613 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Social learning is widespread in the animal kingdom and is involved in behaviours from navigation and predator avoidance to mate choice and foraging. While social learning has been extensively studied in group-living species, this article presents a literature review demonstrating that social learning is also seen in a range of non-grouping animals, including arthropods, fishes and tetrapod groups, and in a variety of behavioural contexts. We should not be surprised by this pattern, since non-grouping animals are not necessarily non-social, and stand to benefit from attending to and responding to social information in the same ways that group-living species do. The article goes on to ask what non-grouping species can tell us about the evolution and development of social learning. First, while social learning may be based on the same cognitive processes as other kinds of learning, albeit with social stimuli, sensory organs and brain regions associated with detection and motivation to respond to social information may be under selection. Non-grouping species may provide useful comparison taxa in phylogenetic analyses investigating if and how the social environment drives selection on these input channels. Second, non-grouping species may be ideal candidates for exploring how ontogenetic experience of social cues shapes the development of social learning, allowing researchers to avoid some of the negative welfare implications associated with raising group-living animals under restricted social conditions. Finally, while non-grouping species may be capable of learning socially under experimental conditions, there is a need to consider how non-grouping restricts access to learning opportunities under natural conditions and whether this places a functional constraint on what non-grouping animals actually learn socially in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mike M Webster
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9TH, UK
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8
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Grabowski M, Kopperud BT, Tsuboi M, Hansen TF. Both Diet and Sociality Affect Primate Brain-Size Evolution. Syst Biol 2023; 72:404-418. [PMID: 36454664 PMCID: PMC10275546 DOI: 10.1093/sysbio/syac075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Increased brain size in humans and other primates is hypothesized to confer cognitive benefits but brings costs associated with growing and maintaining energetically expensive neural tissue. Previous studies have argued that changes in either diet or levels of sociality led to shifts in brain size, but results were equivocal. Here we test these hypotheses using phylogenetic comparative methods designed to jointly account for and estimate the effects of adaptation and phylogeny. Using the largest current sample of primate brain and body sizes with observation error, complemented by newly compiled diet and sociality data, we show that both diet and sociality have influenced the evolution of brain size. Shifting from simple to more complex levels of sociality resulted in relatively larger brains, while shifting to a more folivorous diet led to relatively smaller brains. While our results support the role of sociality, they modify a range of ecological hypotheses centered on the importance of frugivory, and instead indicate that digestive costs associated with increased folivory may have resulted in relatively smaller brains. [adaptation; allometry; bayou; evolutionary trend; energetic constraints; phylogenetic comparative methods; primate brain size; Slouch; social-brain hypothesis.].
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Grabowski
- Research Centre in Evolutionary Anthropology and Palaeoecology, Liverpool John Moores University, 3 Byrom Street, Liverpool L3 3AF, UK
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindernveien 31, 0371 Oslo, Norway
| | - Bjørn T Kopperud
- GeoBio-Center LMU, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Richard-Wagner Straße 10, 80333 Munich, Germany
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Paleontology and Geobiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Richard-Wagner Straße 10, 80333 Munich, Germany
| | - Masahito Tsuboi
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindernveien 31, 0371 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Ekologihuset, Sölvegatan 37, 223 62 Lund, Sweden
| | - Thomas F Hansen
- Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindernveien 31, 0371 Oslo, Norway
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9
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Whiten A. Cultural evolution in the science of culture and cultural evolution. Phys Life Rev 2023; 45:31-51. [PMID: 37003251 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2023.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
My critical review [1] elicited a welcome diversity of perspectives across the 12 commentaries now published [2-13]. In total 28 co-authors were inspired to contribute. In addition to engaging with the critical perspectives of my review, several of the commentaries take the debates and discussions into insightful and potentially important supplementary domains that I highlight in what follows. I have extracted a number of major themes in which I detected overlaps in the foci of different commentaries, and I use these to organise my replies. I hope that our shared efforts will constitute some degree of 'cultural evolution' in our science, as suggested in the title of this reply to commentaries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Whiten
- Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9JP, UK.
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10
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Zinner D, Paciência FMD, Roos C. Host-Parasite Coevolution in Primates. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:life13030823. [PMID: 36983978 PMCID: PMC10058613 DOI: 10.3390/life13030823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2023] [Revised: 01/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Organisms adapt to their environment through evolutionary processes. Environments consist of abiotic factors, but also of other organisms. In many cases, two or more species interact over generations and adapt in a reciprocal way to evolutionary changes in the respective other species. Such coevolutionary processes are found in mutualistic and antagonistic systems, such as predator-prey and host-parasite (including pathogens) relationships. Coevolution often results in an "arms race" between pathogens and hosts and can significantly affect the virulence of pathogens and thus the severity of infectious diseases, a process that we are currently witnessing with SARS-CoV-2. Furthermore, it can lead to co-speciation, resulting in congruent phylogenies of, e.g., the host and parasite. Monkeys and other primates are no exception. They are hosts to a large number of pathogens that have shaped not only the primate immune system but also various ecological and behavioral adaptions. These pathogens can cause severe diseases and most likely also infect multiple primate species, including humans. Here, we briefly review general aspects of the coevolutionary process in its strict sense and highlight the value of cophylogenetic analyses as an indicator for coevolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dietmar Zinner
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Primate Cognition, Georg-August-University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Leibniz Science Campus Primate Cognition, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | | | - Christian Roos
- Gene Bank of Primates and Primate Genetics Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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11
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Thornton A, Mesoudi A. Untenable propositions and alternative avenues.: Comment to "Blind alleys and fruitful pathways in the comparative study of cultural cognition" by Andrew Whiten. Phys Life Rev 2023; 44:51-53. [PMID: 36493629 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2022.11.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alex Thornton
- Human Behaviour and Cultural Evolution Group, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, TR10 9FE, UK.
| | - Alex Mesoudi
- Human Behaviour and Cultural Evolution Group, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, TR10 9FE, UK
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12
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The evolution of the human mitochondrial bc1 complex- adaptation for reduced rate of superoxide production? J Bioenerg Biomembr 2023; 55:15-31. [PMID: 36737563 DOI: 10.1007/s10863-023-09957-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The mitochondrial bc1 complex is a major source of mitochondrial superoxide. While bc1-generated superoxide plays a beneficial signaling role, excess production of superoxide lead to aging and degenerative diseases. The catalytic core of bc1 comprises three peptides -cytochrome b, Fe-S protein, and cytochrome c1. All three core peptides exhibit accelerated evolution in anthropoid primates. It has been suggested that the evolution of cytochrome b in anthropoids was driven by a pressure to reduce the production of superoxide. In humans, the bc1 core peptides exhibit anthropoid-specific substitutions that are clustered near functionally critical sites that may affect the production of superoxide. Here we compare the high-resolution structures of bovine, mouse, sheep and human bc1 to identify structural changes that are associated with human-specific substitutions. Several cytochrome b substitutions in humans alter its interactions with other subunits. Most significantly, there is a cluster of seven substitutions, in cytochrome b, the Fe-S protein, and cytochrome c1 that affect the interactions between these proteins at the tether arm of the Fe-S protein and may alter the rate of ubiquinone oxidation and the rate of superoxide production. Another cluster of substitutions near heme bH and the ubiquinone reduction site, Qi, may affect the rate of ubiquinone reduction and thus alter the rate of superoxide production. These results are compatible with the hypothesis that cytochrome b in humans (and other anthropoid primates) evolve to reduce the rate of production of superoxide thus enabling the exceptional longevity and exceptional cognitive ability of humans.
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13
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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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14
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Lanooij SD, Eisel ULM, Drinkenburg WHIM, van der Zee EA, Kas MJH. Influencing cognitive performance via social interactions: a novel therapeutic approach for brain disorders based on neuroanatomical mapping? Mol Psychiatry 2023; 28:28-33. [PMID: 35858991 PMCID: PMC9812764 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-022-01698-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
Many psychiatric and neurological disorders present deficits in both the social and cognitive domain. In this perspectives article, we provide an overview and the potential of the existence of an extensive neurobiological substrate underlying the close relationship between these two domains. By mapping the rodent brain regions involved in the social and/or cognitive domain, we show that the vast majority of brain regions involved in the cognitive domain are also involved in the social domain. The identified neuroanatomical overlap has an evolutionary basis, as complex social behavior requires cognitive skills, and aligns with the reported functional interactions of processes underlying cognitive and social performance. Based on the neuroanatomical mapping, recent (pre-)clinical findings, and the evolutionary perspective, we emphasize that the social domain requires more focus as an important treatment target and/or biomarker, especially considering the presently limited treatment strategies for these disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne D. Lanooij
- grid.4830.f0000 0004 0407 1981Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), Neurobiology, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Ulrich L. M. Eisel
- grid.4830.f0000 0004 0407 1981Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), Neurobiology, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Wilhelmus H. I. M. Drinkenburg
- grid.4830.f0000 0004 0407 1981Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), Neurobiology, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands ,grid.419619.20000 0004 0623 0341Department of Neuroscience, Janssen Research & Development, a Division of Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Turnhoutseweg 30, B-2340 Beerse, Belgium
| | - Eddy A. van der Zee
- grid.4830.f0000 0004 0407 1981Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), Neurobiology, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Martien J. H. Kas
- grid.4830.f0000 0004 0407 1981Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), Neurobiology, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands
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15
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Morgan TJH, Suchow JW, Griffiths TL. The experimental evolution of human culture: flexibility, fidelity and environmental instability. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221614. [PMID: 36321489 PMCID: PMC9627710 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/07/2022] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
The past 2 Myr have seen both unprecedented environmental instability and the evolution of the human capacity for complex culture. This, along with the observation that cultural evolution occurs faster than genetic evolution, has led to the suggestion that culture is an adaptation to an unstable environment. We test this hypothesis by examining the ability of human social learning to respond to environmental changes. We do this by inserting human participants (n = 4800) into evolutionary simulations with a changing environment while varying the social information available to individuals across five conditions. We find that human social learning shows some signs of adaptation to environmental instability, including critical social learning, the adoption of up-and-coming traits and, unexpectedly, contrariness. However, these are insufficient to avoid significant fitness declines when the environment changes, and many individuals are highly conformist, which exacerbates the fitness effects of environmental change. We conclude that human social learning reflects a compromise between the competing needs for flexibility to accommodate environmental change and fidelity to accurately transmit valuable cultural information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas J. H. Morgan
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, 900 S. Cady Mall, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
- Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, 777 E University Drive, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Jordan W. Suchow
- School of Business, Stevens Institute of Technology, 1 Castle Point Terrace, Hoboken, NJ 07030, USA
| | - Thomas L. Griffiths
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, 320 Peretsman Scully Hall, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
- Department of Computer Science, Princeton University, 417 Computer Science, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
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16
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Rottenberg H. The accelerated evolution of human cytochrome c oxidase - Selection for reduced rate and proton pumping efficiency? BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOENERGETICS 2022; 1863:148595. [PMID: 35850262 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2022.148595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 07/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The cytochrome c oxidase complex, complex VI (CIV), catalyzes the terminal step of the mitochondrial electron transport chain where the reduction of oxygen to water by cytochrome c is coupled to the generation of a protonmotive force that drive the synthesis of ATP. CIV evolution was greatly accelerated in humans and other anthropoid primates and appears to be driven by adaptive selection. However, it is not known if there are significant functional differences between the anthropoid primates CIV, and other mammals. Comparison of the high-resolution structures of bovine CIV, mouse CIV and human CIV shows structural differences that are associated with anthropoid-specific substitutions. Here I examine the possible effects of these substitutions in four CIV peptides that are known to affect proton pumping: the mtDNA-coded subunits I, II and III, and the nuclear-encoded subunit VIa2. I conclude that many of the anthropoid-specific substitutions could be expected to modulate the rate and/or the efficiency of proton pumping. These results are compatible with the previously proposed hypothesis that the accelerated evolution of CIV in anthropoid primates is driven by selection pressure to lower the mitochondrial protonmotive force and thus decrease the rate of superoxide generation by mitochondria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hagai Rottenberg
- New Hope Biomedical R&D, 23 W. Bridge Street, New Hope, PA 18938, USA.
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17
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De Meester G, Van Linden L, Torfs J, Pafilis P, Šunje E, Steenssens D, Zulčić T, Sassalos A, Van Damme R. Learning with lacertids: Studying the link between ecology and cognition within a comparative framework. Evolution 2022; 76:2531-2552. [PMID: 36111365 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Cognition is an essential tool for animals to deal with environmental challenges. Nonetheless, the ecological forces driving the evolution of cognition throughout the animal kingdom remain enigmatic. Large-scale comparative studies on multiple species and cognitive traits have been advanced as the best way to facilitate our understanding of cognitive evolution, but such studies are rare. Here, we tested 13 species of lacertid lizards (Reptilia: Lacertidae) using a battery of cognitive tests measuring inhibitory control, problem-solving, and spatial and reversal learning. Next, we tested the relationship between species' performance and (a) resource availability (temperature and precipitation), habitat complexity (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), and habitat variability (seasonality) in their natural habitat and (b) their life history (size at hatching and maturity, clutch size, and frequency). Although species differed markedly in their cognitive abilities, such variation was mostly unrelated to their ecology and life history. Yet, species living in more variable environments exhibited lower behavioral flexibility, likely due to energetic constrains in such habitats. Our standardized protocols provide opportunities for collaborative research, allowing increased sample sizes and replication, essential for moving forward in the field of comparative cognition. Follow-up studies could include more detailed measures of habitat structure and look at other potential selective drivers such as predation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilles De Meester
- Functional Morphology Lab, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, 2610, Belgium.,Section of Zoology and Marine Biology, Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, 157 84, Greece
| | - Lisa Van Linden
- Functional Morphology Lab, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, 2610, Belgium
| | - Jonas Torfs
- Functional Morphology Lab, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, 2610, Belgium
| | - Panayiotis Pafilis
- Section of Zoology and Marine Biology, Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, 157 84, Greece
| | - Emina Šunje
- Functional Morphology Lab, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, 2610, Belgium.,Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Sarajevo, Sarajevo, 71000, Bosnia and Herzegovina.,Herpetological Association in Bosnia and Herzegovina: BHHU: ATRA, Sarajevo, 71000, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Dries Steenssens
- Functional Morphology Lab, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, 2610, Belgium
| | - Tea Zulčić
- Herpetological Association in Bosnia and Herzegovina: BHHU: ATRA, Sarajevo, 71000, Bosnia and Herzegovina
| | - Athanasios Sassalos
- Section of Zoology and Marine Biology, Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, 157 84, Greece
| | - Raoul Van Damme
- Functional Morphology Lab, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, 2610, Belgium
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18
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Shultz S, Dunbar RIM. Socioecological complexity in primate groups and its cognitive correlates. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210296. [PMID: 35934968 PMCID: PMC9358314 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Characterizing non-human primate social complexity and its cognitive bases has proved challenging. Using principal component analyses, we show that primate social, ecological and reproductive behaviours condense into two components: socioecological complexity (including most social and ecological variables) and reproductive cooperation (comprising mainly a suite of behaviours associated with pairbonded monogamy). We contextualize these results using a meta-analysis of 44 published analyses of primate brain evolution. These studies yield two main consistent results: cognition, sociality and cooperative behaviours are associated with absolute brain volume, neocortex size and neocortex ratio, whereas diet composition and life history are consistently associated with relative brain size. We use a path analysis to evaluate the causal relationships among these variables, demonstrating that social group size is predicted by the neocortex, whereas ecological traits are predicted by the volume of brain structures other than the neocortex. That a range of social and technical behaviours covary, and are correlated with social group size and brain size, suggests that primate cognition has evolved along a continuum resulting in an increasingly flexible, domain-general capacity to solve a range of socioecological challenges culminating in a capacity for, and reliance on, innovation and social information use in the great apes and humans. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cognition, communication and social bonds in primates'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Shultz
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Robin I M Dunbar
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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19
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Roose R, Oliver M, Haulsee D, Breece M, Carlisle A, Fox D. The sociality of Atlantic sturgeon and sand tiger sharks in estuarine environment. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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20
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Smeele SQ. Using relative brain size as predictor variable: Serious pitfalls and solutions. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9273. [PMID: 36188504 PMCID: PMC9489487 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Abstract
There is a long‐standing interest in the effect of relative brain size on other life history variables in a comparative context. Historically, residuals have been used to calculate these effects, but more recently it has been recognized that regression on residuals is not good practice. Instead, absolute brain size and body size are included in a multiple regression, with the idea that this controls for allometry. I use a simple simulation to illustrate how a case in which brain size is a response variable differs from a case in which relative brain size is a predictor variable. I use the simulated data to test which modeling approach can estimate the underlying causal effects for each case. The results show that a multiple regression model with both body size and another variable as predictor variable and brain size as response variable work well. However, if relative brain size is a predictor variable, a multiple regression fails to correctly estimate the effect of body size. I propose the use of structural equation models to simultaneously estimate relative brain size and its effect on the third variable and discuss other potential methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simeon Q. Smeele
- Cognitive & 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 Constance Germany
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21
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Hooper R, Brett B, Thornton A. Problems with using comparative analyses of avian brain size to test hypotheses of cognitive evolution. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0270771. [PMID: 35867640 PMCID: PMC9307164 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
There are multiple hypotheses for the evolution of cognition. The most prominent hypotheses are the Social Intelligence Hypothesis (SIH) and the Ecological Intelligence Hypothesis (EIH), which are often pitted against one another. These hypotheses tend to be tested using broad-scale comparative studies of brain size, where brain size is used as a proxy of cognitive ability, and various social and/or ecological variables are included as predictors. Here, we test how robust conclusions drawn from such analyses may be. First, we investigate variation in brain and body size measurements across >1000 bird species. We demonstrate that there is substantial variation in brain and body size estimates across datasets, indicating that conclusions drawn from comparative brain size models are likely to differ depending on the source of the data. Following this, we subset our data to the Corvides infraorder and interrogate how modelling decisions impact results. We show that model results change substantially depending on variable inclusion, source and classification. Indeed, we could have drawn multiple contradictory conclusions about the principal drivers of brain size evolution. These results reflect concerns from a growing number of researchers that conclusions drawn from comparative brain size studies may not be robust. We suggest that to interrogate hypotheses of cognitive evolution, a fruitful way forward is to focus on testing cognitive performance within and between closely related taxa, with an emphasis on understanding the relationship between informational uncertainty and cognitive evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Hooper
- University of Exeter, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Penryn Campus, Cornwall, United Kingdom
- University of Exeter, Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Streatham Campus, Exeter, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (RH); (AT)
| | - Becky Brett
- University of Exeter, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Penryn Campus, Cornwall, United Kingdom
| | - Alex Thornton
- University of Exeter, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Penryn Campus, Cornwall, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (RH); (AT)
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22
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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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23
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Goncerzewicz A, Górkiewicz T, Dzik JM, Jędrzejewska-Szmek J, Knapska E, Konarzewski M. Brain size, gut size and cognitive abilities: the energy trade-offs tested in artificial selection experiment. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20212747. [PMID: 35414242 PMCID: PMC9006030 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2747] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The enlarged brains of homeotherms bring behavioural advantages, but also incur high energy expenditures. The ‘expensive brain’ (EB) hypothesis posits that the energetic costs of the enlarged brain and the resulting increased cognitive abilities (CA) were met by either increased energy turnover or reduced allocation to other expensive organs, such as the gut. We tested the EB hypothesis by analysing correlated responses to selection in an experimental evolution model system, which comprises line types of laboratory mice selected for high or low basal metabolic rate (BMR), maximum (VO2max) metabolic rates and random-bred (unselected) lines. The traits are implicated in the evolution of homeothermy, having been pre-requisites for the encephalization and exceptional CA of mammals, including humans. High-BMR mice had bigger guts, but not brains, than mice of other line types. Yet, they were superior in the cognitive tasks carried out in both reward and avoidance learning contexts and had higher neuronal plasticity (indexed as the long-term potentiation) than their counterparts. Our data indicate that the evolutionary increase of CA in mammals was initially associated with increased BMR and brain plasticity. It was also fuelled by an enlarged gut, which was not traded off for brain size.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jakub M Dzik
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | | | - Ewelina Knapska
- Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, 02-093 Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marek Konarzewski
- Faculty of Biology, University of Białystok, Ciołkowskiego 1 J, 15-245 Białystok, Poland
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24
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Bottaccioli AG, Bologna M, Bottaccioli F. Psychic Life-Biological Molecule Bidirectional Relationship: Pathways, Mechanisms, and Consequences for Medical and Psychological Sciences—A Narrative Review. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073932. [PMID: 35409300 PMCID: PMC8999976 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073932] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 03/29/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Today, it is possible to investigate the biological paths and mechanisms that link mental life to biological life. Emotions, feelings, desires, and cognitions influence biological systems. In recent decades, psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology research has highlighted the routes linking the psyche–brain–immune systems. Recently, epigenetics research has shown the molecular mechanisms by which stress and mental states modulate the information contained in the genome. This research shapes a new paradigm considering the human being as a whole, integrating biology and psychology. This will allow us to progress towards personalized precision medicine, deeply changing medical and psychological sciences and clinical practice. In this paper, we recognize leading research on both bidirectional relations between the psyche–brain–immunity and molecular consequences of psychological and mental states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Giulia Bottaccioli
- Department of Psychology, University “Vita e Salute”, San Raffaele, 20132 Milan, Italy
- Italian Society of Psycho-Neuro-Endocrine-Immunology (SIPNEI), 00195 Rome, Italy; (M.B.); (F.B.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Mauro Bologna
- Italian Society of Psycho-Neuro-Endocrine-Immunology (SIPNEI), 00195 Rome, Italy; (M.B.); (F.B.)
- Department of Medicine, Public Health, Life and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Francesco Bottaccioli
- Italian Society of Psycho-Neuro-Endocrine-Immunology (SIPNEI), 00195 Rome, Italy; (M.B.); (F.B.)
- Department of Medicine, Public Health, Life and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, 67100 L’Aquila, Italy
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25
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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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26
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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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27
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MacIver MA, Finlay BL. The neuroecology of the water-to-land transition and the evolution of the vertebrate brain. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200523. [PMID: 34957852 PMCID: PMC8710882 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The water-to-land transition in vertebrate evolution offers an unusual opportunity to consider computational affordances of a new ecology for the brain. All sensory modalities are changed, particularly a greatly enlarged visual sensorium owing to air versus water as a medium, and expanded by mobile eyes and neck. The multiplication of limbs, as evolved to exploit aspects of life on land, is a comparable computational challenge. As the total mass of living organisms on land is a hundredfold larger than the mass underwater, computational improvements promise great rewards. In water, the midbrain tectum coordinates approach/avoid decisions, contextualized by water flow and by the animal's body state and learning. On land, the relative motions of sensory surfaces and effectors must be resolved, adding on computational architectures from the dorsal pallium, such as the parietal cortex. For the large-brained and long-living denizens of land, making the right decision when the wrong one means death may be the basis of planning, which allows animals to learn from hypothetical experience before enactment. Integration of value-weighted, memorized panoramas in basal ganglia/frontal cortex circuitry, with allocentric cognitive maps of the hippocampus and its associated cortices becomes a cognitive habit-to-plan transition as substantial as the change in ecology. This article is part of the theme issue 'Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malcolm A. MacIver
- Center for Robotics and Biosystems, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208, USA
| | - Barbara L. Finlay
- Department of Psychology, Behavioral and Evolutionary Neuroscience Group, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
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28
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Bryer MAH, Koopman SE, Cantlon JF, Piantadosi ST, MacLean EL, Baker JM, Beran MJ, Jones SM, Jordan KE, Mahamane S, Nieder A, Perdue BM, Range F, Stevens JR, Tomonaga M, Ujfalussy DJ, Vonk J. The evolution of quantitative sensitivity. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200529. [PMID: 34957840 PMCID: PMC8710878 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0529] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The ability to represent approximate quantities appears to be phylogenetically widespread, but the selective pressures and proximate mechanisms favouring this ability remain unknown. We analysed quantity discrimination data from 672 subjects across 33 bird and mammal species, using a novel Bayesian model that combined phylogenetic regression with a model of number psychophysics and random effect components. This allowed us to combine data from 49 studies and calculate the Weber fraction (a measure of quantity representation precision) for each species. We then examined which cognitive, socioecological and biological factors were related to variance in Weber fraction. We found contributions of phylogeny to quantity discrimination performance across taxa. Of the neural, socioecological and general cognitive factors we tested, cortical neuron density and domain-general cognition were the strongest predictors of Weber fraction, controlling for phylogeny. Our study is a new demonstration of evolutionary constraints on cognition, as well as of a relation between species-specific neuron density and a particular cognitive ability. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret A H Bryer
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Sarah E Koopman
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9AJ, UK
| | - Jessica F Cantlon
- Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA 15213, USA
| | - Steven T Piantadosi
- Department of Psychology, University of California-Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Evan L MacLean
- School of Anthropology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA.,College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA
| | - Joseph M Baker
- Center for Interdisciplinary Brain Sciences Research, Division of Brain Sciences, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
| | - Michael J Beran
- Department of Psychology and Language Research Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30302, USA
| | - Sarah M Jones
- Psychology Program, Berea College, Berea, KY 40403, USA
| | - Kerry E Jordan
- Department of Psychology, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322, USA
| | - Salif Mahamane
- Behavioral and Social Sciences Department, Western Colorado University, Gunnison, CO 81231, USA
| | - Andreas Nieder
- Animal Physiology Unit, Institute of Neurobiology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Bonnie M Perdue
- Department of Psychology, Agnes Scott College, Decatur, GA 30030, USA
| | - Friederike Range
- Domestication Lab, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstrasse 1a, Vienna 1160, Austria
| | - Jeffrey R Stevens
- Department of Psychology and Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
| | | | - Dorottya J Ujfalussy
- MTA-ELTE Comparative Ethology Research Group, Eötvös Loránd University of Sciences (ELTE), Budapest 1117, Hungary.,Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University of Sciences (ELTE), Budapest 1117, Hungary
| | - Jennifer Vonk
- Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI 48309, USA
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29
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Grove M, Timbrell L, Jolley B, Polack F, Borg JM. The Importance of Noise Colour in Simulations of Evolutionary Systems. ARTIFICIAL LIFE 2022; 27:1-19. [PMID: 35148391 DOI: 10.1162/artl_a_00354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Simulations of evolutionary dynamics often employ white noise as a model of stochastic environmental variation. Whilst white noise has the advantages of being simply generated and analytically tractable, empirical analyses demonstrate that most real environmental time series have power spectral densities consistent with pink or red noise, in which lower frequencies contribute proportionally greater amplitudes than higher frequencies. Simulated white noise environments may therefore fail to capture key components of real environmental time series, leading to erroneous results. To explore the effects of different noise colours on evolving populations, a simple evolutionary model of the interaction between life-history and the specialism-generalism axis was developed. Simulations were conducted using a range of noise colours as the environments to which agents adapted. Results demonstrate complex interactions between noise colour, reproductive rate, and the degree of evolved generalism; importantly, contradictory conclusions arise from simulations using white as opposed to red noise, suggesting that noise colour plays a fundamental role in generating adaptive responses. These results are discussed in the context of previous research on evolutionary responses to fluctuating environments, and it is suggested that Artificial Life as a field should embrace a wider spectrum of coloured noise models to ensure that results are truly representative of environmental and evolutionary dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matt Grove
- University of Liverpool, Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology.
| | - Lucy Timbrell
- University of Liverpool, Department of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology.
| | - Ben Jolley
- Keele University, UK, School of Computing and Mathematics.
| | - Fiona Polack
- Keele University, UK, School of Computing and Mathematics.
| | - James M Borg
- Keele University, UK, School of Computing and Mathematics
- Aston University, UK, School of Informatics and Digital Engineering.
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Park PS. The Evolution of Cognitive Biases in Human Learning. J Theor Biol 2022; 541:111031. [PMID: 35143847 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2022.111031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2021] [Revised: 01/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive biases like underinference, the hard-easy effect, and recurrently non-monotonic confidence are evolutionarily puzzling when viewed as persistent flaws in how people learn from environmental feedback. To explain these empirically robust cognitive biases from an evolutionary perspective, we propose a model of ancestral human learning based on the cultural-evolutionary-theoretic hypothesis that the primary selection pressure acting on ancestral human cognition pertained not to learning individually from environmental feedback, but to socially learning task-specific knowledge. In our model-which is inspired by classical Bayesian models-an ancestral human learner (the student) attempts to learn task-specific knowledge from a role model, with the option of switching between different tasks and role models. Suppose that the student's method of learning from their role model is a priori uncertain-in that it can either be successful imitation learning or de facto innovation learning-and the ecological fitness costs of meaningfully retaining environmental feedback are high. Then, the student's fitness-maximizing strategy does not retain their environmental feedback and-depending on the choice of model parameters-can be characterized by all of the aforementioned cognitive biases. Specifically, in order for the evolutionarily optimal estimate of confidence in this learning environment to be recurrently non-monotonic, it is necessary (as long as the environment's marginal payoff function satisfies a plausible quantitative condition) that a positive proportion of ancestral humans' attempted imitation learning was unknowingly implemented as de facto innovation learning. Moreover, an ecologically rational strategy of selective social learning can plausibly cause the evolutionarily optimal estimate of confidence to be recurrently non-monotonic in the empirically documented way: general increase with an intermediate period of decrease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter S Park
- Department of Mathematics, Harvard University, 1 Oxford St., Cambridge, MA 02138, USA.
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Lunn AJ, Shaw V, Winder IC. The Evolution of Scientific Visualisations: A Case Study Approach to Big Data for Varied Audiences. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2022; 1388:51-84. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-10889-1_3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Markov AV, Markov MA. Coevolution of Brain, Culture, and Lifespan: Insights from Computer Simulations. BIOCHEMISTRY. BIOKHIMIIA 2021; 86:1503-1525. [PMID: 34937531 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297921120014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Humans possess a number of traits that are rare or absent in other primates, including large brain size, culture, language, extended lifespan (LS), and long post-reproductive period. Here, we use a computer model, TribeSim, originally designed to explore the autocatalytic coevolution of the hominin brain and culture within the framework of the "cultural drive" theory, to find out how culture and brain could coevolve with LS (or aging rate). We show that in the absence of culture, the evolution of LS depends on the intensity of the between-group competition (BGC): strong BGC results in shorter LS. Culture, however, favors genetic evolution of longer LS even if the BGC is strong. Extended LS, in turn, enhances cultural development, thus creating positive feedback. Cultural evolution of LS (accumulation of survival-enhancing or survival-impairing knowledge) differs from the genetic evolution of the same trait, partially because "memes" (ideas, skills, and behaviors) that reduce the risk of death tend to spread in the meme pool even if it is not beneficial to genes. Consequently, cultural evolution of aging tends to result in longer LS than genetic evolution of the same trait. If LS evolves both genetically and culturally, the typical result is a society in which young individuals, due to their genetic predisposition, lead a riskier lifestyle in exchange for a chance to gain additional resources, but accumulate survival-enhancing knowledge with age. Simulations also showed that cultural evolution of adaptive behaviors can contribute to the genetic evolution of a long post-reproductive period, e.g., if the presence of knowledgeable long-livers increases the competitiveness of the group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander V Markov
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia. .,Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 117997, Russia
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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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Vultures as an overlooked model in cognitive ecology. Anim Cogn 2021; 25:495-507. [PMID: 34817739 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-021-01585-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Despite important recent advances in cognitive ecology, our current understanding of avian cognition still largely rests on research conducted on a few model taxa. Vultures are an ecologically distinctive group of species by being the only obligate carrion consumers across terrestrial vertebrates. Their unique scavenging lifestyle suggests they have been subject to particular selective pressures to locate scarce, unpredictable, ephemeral, and nutritionally challenging food. However, substantial variation exists among species in diet, foraging techniques and social structure of populations. Here, we provide an overview of the current knowledge on vulture cognition through a comprehensive literature review and a compilation of our own observations. We find evidence for a variety of innovative foraging behaviors, scrounging tactics, collective problem-solving abilities and tool-use, skills that are considered indicative of enhanced cognition and that bear clear connections with the eco-social lifestyles of species. However, we also find that the cognitive basis of these skills remain insufficiently studied, and identify new research areas that require further attention in the future. Despite these knowledge gaps and the challenges of working with such large animals, we conclude that vultures may provide fresh insight into our knowledge of the ecology and evolution of cognition.
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Jiang Y, Jin L, Fu YQ, Liao WB. Association of social group with both life-history traits and brain size in cooperatively breeding birds. ANIM BIOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1163/15707563-bja10054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Social group is associated with life-history traits and can predict brain size variation in cooperative primates and some other mammal groups, but such explicit relationships remain enigmatic in cooperatively breeding birds. Indeed, some compositions of social group in cooperative species (e.g., helper number and group size) would affect the fitness of breeders by providing alloparental care. Here, we conducted comparative tests of the relationship between the social group and both life-history traits and brain size across 197 species of cooperatively breeding birds using phylogenetically controlled comparative analyses. We did not find any correlations between helper numbers and both life-history traits and brain size. However, we found that maximum group size was positively associated with clutch size. Moreover, average group size has positive associations with body mass and relative brain size. Our findings suggest that helper numbers cannot promote variation in relative brain size, while larger groups may predict bigger brains in cooperatively breeding birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ying Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637009, Sichuan, China
- Key Laboratory of Artificial Propagation and Utilization in Anurans of Nanchong City, China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637009, Sichuan, China
- Institute of Eco-adaptation in Amphibians and Reptiles, China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637009, Sichuan, China
| | - Long Jin
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637009, Sichuan, China
- Key Laboratory of Artificial Propagation and Utilization in Anurans of Nanchong City, China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637009, Sichuan, China
- Institute of Eco-adaptation in Amphibians and Reptiles, China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637009, Sichuan, China
| | - Yi Qiang Fu
- College of Life Science, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, 610101, Sichuan, China
| | - Wen Bo Liao
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637009, Sichuan, China
- Key Laboratory of Artificial Propagation and Utilization in Anurans of Nanchong City, China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637009, Sichuan, China
- Institute of Eco-adaptation in Amphibians and Reptiles, China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637009, Sichuan, China
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Chusyd DE, Ackermans NL, Austad SN, Hof PR, Mielke MM, Sherwood CC, Allison DB. Aging: What We Can Learn From Elephants. FRONTIERS IN AGING 2021; 2:726714. [PMID: 35822016 PMCID: PMC9261397 DOI: 10.3389/fragi.2021.726714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Elephants are large-brained, social mammals with a long lifespan. Studies of elephants can provide insight into the aging process, which may be relevant to understanding diseases that affect elderly humans because of their shared characteristics that have arisen through independent evolution. Elephants become sexually mature at 12 to 14 years of age and are known to live into, and past, their 7th decade of life. Because of their relatively long lifespans, elephants may have evolved mechanisms to counter age-associated morbidities, such as cancer and cognitive decline. Elephants rely heavily on their memory, and engage in multiple levels of competitive and collaborative relationships because they live in a fission-fusion system. Female matrilineal relatives and dependent offspring form tight family units led by an older-aged matriarch, who serves as the primary repository for social and ecological knowledge in the herd. Similar to humans, elephants demonstrate a dependence on social bonds, memory, and cognition to navigate their environment, behaviors that might be associated with specializations of brain anatomy. Compared with other mammals, the elephant hippocampus is proportionally smaller, whereas the temporal lobe is disproportionately large and expands laterally. The elephant cerebellum is also relatively enlarged, and the cerebral cortex is highly convoluted with numerous gyral folds, more than in humans. Last, an interesting characteristic unique to elephants is the presence of at least 20 copies of the TP53 tumor suppressor gene. Humans have only a single copy. TP53 encodes for the p53 protein, which is known to orchestrate cellular response to DNA damage. The effects of these multiple copies of TP53 are still being investigated, but it may be to protect elephants against multiple age-related diseases. For these reasons, among others, studies of elephants would be highly informative for aging research. Elephants present an underappreciated opportunity to explore further common principles of aging in a large-brained mammal with extended longevity. Such research can contribute to contextualizing our knowledge of age-associated morbidities in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniella E. Chusyd
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Indiana University-Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, United States
- *Correspondence: Daniella E. Chusyd,
| | - Nicole L. Ackermans
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
- Center for Anatomy and Functional Morphology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Steven N. Austad
- Department of Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
- Nathan Shock Center, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, United States
| | - Patrick R. Hof
- Nash Family Department of Neuroscience and Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United States
| | - Michelle M. Mielke
- Division of Epidemiology, Department of Quantitative Health Sciences and Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, United States
| | - Chet C. Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, George Washington University, Washington, DC, United States
| | - David B. Allison
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Indiana University-Bloomington, Bloomington, IN, United States
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Viscardi LH, Imparato DO, Bortolini MC, Dalmolin RJS. Ionotropic Receptors as a Driving Force behind Human Synapse Establishment. Mol Biol Evol 2021; 38:735-744. [PMID: 32986821 PMCID: PMC7947827 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msaa252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The origin of nervous systems is a main theme in biology and its mechanisms are largely underlied by synaptic neurotransmission. One problem to explain synapse establishment is that synaptic orthologs are present in multiple aneural organisms. We questioned how the interactions among these elements evolved and to what extent it relates to our understanding of the nervous systems complexity. We identified the human neurotransmission gene network based on genes present in GABAergic, glutamatergic, serotonergic, dopaminergic, and cholinergic systems. The network comprises 321 human genes, 83 of which act exclusively in the nervous system. We reconstructed the evolutionary scenario of synapse emergence by looking for synaptic orthologs in 476 eukaryotes. The Human–Cnidaria common ancestor displayed a massive emergence of neuroexclusive genes, mainly ionotropic receptors, which might have been crucial to the evolution of synapses. Very few synaptic genes had their origin after the Human–Cnidaria common ancestor. We also identified a higher abundance of synaptic proteins in vertebrates, which suggests an increase in the synaptic network complexity of those organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Henriques Viscardi
- Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Danilo Oliveira Imparato
- Bioinformatics Multidisciplinary Environment-BioME, IMD, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
| | - Maria Cátira Bortolini
- Departamento de Genética, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil
| | - Rodrigo Juliani Siqueira Dalmolin
- Bioinformatics Multidisciplinary Environment-BioME, IMD, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil.,Department of Biochemistry, CB, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, RN, Brazil
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Abstract
Abstract
Brain size exhibits significant changes within and between species. Evolution of large brains can be explained by the need to improve cognitive ability for processing more information in changing environments. However, brains are among the most energetically expensive organs. Enlarged brains can impose energetic demands that limit brain size evolution. The expensive tissue hypothesis (ETH) states that a decrease in the size of another expensive tissue, such as the gut, should compensate for the cost of a large brain. We studied the interplay between energetic limitations and brain size evolution in small mammals using phylogenetically generalized least squares (PGLS) regression analysis. Brain mass was not correlated with the length of the digestive tract in 37 species of small mammals after correcting for phylogenetic relationships and body size effects. We further found that the evolution of a large brain was not accompanied by a decrease in male reproductive investments into testes mass and in female reproductive investment into offspring number. The evolution of brain size in small mammals is inconsistent with the prediction of the ETH.
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Collado MÁ, Montaner CM, Molina FP, Sol D, Bartomeus I. Brain size predicts learning abilities in bees. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2021; 8:201940. [PMID: 34017597 PMCID: PMC8131939 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.201940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
When it comes to the brain, bigger is generally considered better in terms of cognitive performance. While this notion is supported by studies of birds and primates showing that larger brains improve learning capacity, similar evidence is surprisingly lacking for invertebrates. Although the brain of invertebrates is smaller and simpler than that of vertebrates, recent work in insects has revealed enormous variation in size across species. Here, we ask whether bee species that have larger brains also have higher learning abilities. We conducted an experiment in which field-collected individuals had to associate an unconditioned stimulus (sucrose) with a conditioned stimulus (coloured strip). We found that most species can learn to associate a colour with a reward, yet some do so better than others. These differences in learning were related to brain size: species with larger brains-both absolute and relative to body size-exhibited enhanced performance to learn the reward-colour association. Our finding highlights the functional significance of brain size in insects, filling a major gap in our understanding of brain evolution and opening new opportunities for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Á. Collado
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avd. Americo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
- Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF-UAB), Campus de Bellaterra, Edifici C, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallés, Spain
| | - Cristina M. Montaner
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avd. Americo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | - Francisco P. Molina
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avd. Americo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
- Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF-UAB), Campus de Bellaterra, Edifici C, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallés, Spain
| | - Daniel Sol
- Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF-UAB), Campus de Bellaterra, Edifici C, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallés, Spain
| | - Ignasi Bartomeus
- Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Avd. Americo Vespucio 26, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
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Mccurry MR, Marx FG, Evans AR, Park T, Pyenson ND, Kohno N, Castiglione S, Fitzgerald EMG. Brain size evolution in whales and dolphins: new data from fossil mysticetes. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blab054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Cetaceans (whales and dolphins) have some of the largest and most complex brains in the animal kingdom. When and why this trait evolved remains controversial, with proposed drivers ranging from echolocation to foraging complexity and high-level sociality. This uncertainty partially reflects a lack of data on extinct baleen whales (mysticetes), which has obscured deep-time patterns of brain size evolution in non-echolocating cetaceans. Building on new measurements from mysticete fossils, we show that the evolution of large brains preceded that of echolocation, and subsequently followed a complex trajectory involving several independent increases (e.g. in rorquals and oceanic dolphins) and decreases (e.g. in right whales and ‘river dolphins’). Echolocating whales show a greater tendency towards large brain size, thus reaffirming cognitive demands associated with sound processing as a plausible driver of cetacean encephalization. Nevertheless, our results suggest that other factors such as sociality were also important.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew R Mccurry
- Australian Museum Research Institute, 1 William Street, Sydney, New South Wales 2010, Australia
- Earth and Sustainability Science Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Kensington, New South Wales 2052, Australia
- Paleobiology, NMNH, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Felix G Marx
- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand
- Department of Geology, University of Otago, Dunedin, 3054, New Zealand
| | - Alistair R Evans
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Geosciences, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Travis Park
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, UK
| | - Nicholas D Pyenson
- Paleobiology, NMNH, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
- Department of Paleontology and Geology, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Naoki Kohno
- Department of Geology and Palaeontology, National Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba, Japan
- Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Silvia Castiglione
- Department of Earth Sciences, Environment and Resources, University of Naples Federico II, 80138 Napoli,Italy
| | - Erich M G Fitzgerald
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Geosciences, Museums Victoria, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London, UK
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Lindenfors P, Wartel A, Lind J. 'Dunbar's number' deconstructed. Biol Lett 2021; 17:20210158. [PMID: 33947220 PMCID: PMC8103230 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 04/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
A widespread and popular belief posits that humans possess a cognitive capacity that is limited to keeping track of and maintaining stable relationships with approximately 150 people. This influential number, 'Dunbar's number', originates from an extrapolation of a regression line describing the relationship between relative neocortex size and group size in primates. Here, we test if there is statistical support for this idea. Our analyses on complementary datasets using different methods yield wildly different numbers. Bayesian and generalized least-squares phylogenetic methods generate approximations of average group sizes between 69-109 and 16-42, respectively. However, enormous 95% confidence intervals (4-520 and 2-336, respectively) imply that specifying any one number is futile. A cognitive limit on human group size cannot be derived in this manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrik Lindenfors
- Institute for Futures Studies, Box 591, 101 31 Stockholm, Sweden
- Centre for Cultural Evolution, Stockholm University, Sweden
| | - Andreas Wartel
- Centre for Cultural Evolution, Stockholm University, Sweden
| | - Johan Lind
- Centre for Cultural Evolution, Stockholm University, Sweden
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Abstract
Culture can be defined as all that is learned from others and is repeatedly transmitted in this way, forming traditions that may be inherited by successive generations. This cultural form of inheritance was once thought specific to humans, but research over the past 70 years has instead revealed it to be widespread in nature, permeating the lives of a diversity of animals, including all major classes of vertebrates. Recent studies suggest that culture's reach may extend also to invertebrates-notably, insects. In the present century, the reach of animal culture has been found to extend across many different behavioral domains and to rest on a suite of social learning processes facilitated by a variety of selective biases that enhance the efficiency and adaptiveness of learning. Far-reaching implications, for disciplines from evolutionary biology to anthropology and conservation policies, are increasingly being explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Whiten
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews KY16 9JP, UK.
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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] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Accepted: 03/01/2021] [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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45
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Baimel A, Juda M, Birch S, Henrich J. Machiavellian strategist or cultural learner? Mentalizing and learning over development in a resource-sharing game. EVOLUTIONARY HUMAN SCIENCES 2021; 3:e14. [PMID: 37588525 PMCID: PMC10427301 DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2021.11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Theorists have sought to identify the key selection pressures that drove the evolution of our species' cognitive abilities, life histories and cooperative inclinations. Focusing on two leading theories, each capable of accounting for many of the rapid changes in our lineage, we present a simple experiment designed to assess the explanatory power of both the Machiavellian Intelligence and the Cultural Brain/Intelligence Hypotheses. Children (aged 3-7 years) observed a novel social interaction that provided them with behavioural information that could either be used to outmanoeuvre a partner in subsequent interactions or for cultural learning. The results show that, even after four rounds of repeated interaction and sometimes lower pay-offs, children continued to rely on copying the observed behaviour instead of harnessing the available social information to strategically extract pay-offs (stickers) from their partners. Analyses further reveal that superior mentalizing abilities are associated with more targeted cultural learning - the selective copying of fewer irrelevant actions - while superior generalized cognitive abilities are associated with greater imitation of irrelevant actions. Neither mentalizing capacities nor more general measures of cognition explain children's ability to strategically use social information to maximize pay-offs. These results provide developmental evidence favouring the Cultural Brain/Intelligence Hypothesis over the Machiavellian Intelligence Hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Baimel
- Department of Psychology, Health and Professional Development, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
| | - Myriam Juda
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Susan Birch
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Joseph Henrich
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
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46
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Abstract
Explaining how animals respond to an increasingly urbanised world is a major challenge for evolutionary biologists. Urban environments often present animals with novel problems that differ from those encountered in their evolutionary past. To navigate these rapidly changing habitats successfully, animals may need to adjust their behaviour flexibly over relatively short timescales. These behavioural changes, in turn, may be facilitated by an ability to acquire, store and process information from the environment. The question of how cognitive abilities allow animals to avoid threats and exploit resources (or constrain their ability to do so) is attracting increasing research interest, with a growing number of studies investigating cognitive and behavioural differences between urban-dwelling animals and their non-urban counterparts. In this review we consider why such differences might arise, focusing on the informational challenges faced by animals living in urban environments, and how different cognitive abilities can assist in overcoming these challenges. We focus largely on birds, as avian taxa have been the subject of most research to date, but discuss work in other species where relevant. We also address the potential consequences of cognitive variation at the individual and species level. For instance, do urban environments select for, or influence the development of, particular cognitive abilities? Are individuals or species with particular cognitive phenotypes more likely to become established in urban habitats? How do other factors, such as social behaviour and individual personality, interact with cognition to influence behaviour in urban environments? The aim of this review is to synthesise current knowledge and identify key avenues for future research, in order to improve our understanding of the ecological and evolutionary consequences of urbanisation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria E Lee
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter Penryn Campus, Penryn, UK
| | - Alex Thornton
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter Penryn Campus, Penryn, UK
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47
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Orkin JD, Montague MJ, Tejada-Martinez D, de Manuel M, Del Campo J, Cheves Hernandez S, Di Fiore A, Fontsere C, Hodgson JA, Janiak MC, Kuderna LFK, Lizano E, Martin MP, Niimura Y, Perry GH, Valverde CS, Tang J, Warren WC, de Magalhães JP, Kawamura S, Marquès-Bonet T, Krawetz R, Melin AD. The genomics of ecological flexibility, large brains, and long lives in capuchin monkeys revealed with fecalFACS. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2010632118. [PMID: 33574059 PMCID: PMC7896301 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2010632118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecological flexibility, extended lifespans, and large brains have long intrigued evolutionary biologists, and comparative genomics offers an efficient and effective tool for generating new insights into the evolution of such traits. Studies of capuchin monkeys are particularly well situated to shed light on the selective pressures and genetic underpinnings of local adaptation to diverse habitats, longevity, and brain development. Distributed widely across Central and South America, they are inventive and extractive foragers, known for their sensorimotor intelligence. Capuchins have among the largest relative brain size of any monkey and a lifespan that exceeds 50 y, despite their small (3 to 5 kg) body size. We assemble and annotate a de novo reference genome for Cebus imitator Through high-depth sequencing of DNA derived from blood, various tissues, and feces via fluorescence-activated cell sorting (fecalFACS) to isolate monkey epithelial cells, we compared genomes of capuchin populations from tropical dry forests and lowland rainforests and identified population divergence in genes involved in water balance, kidney function, and metabolism. Through a comparative genomics approach spanning a wide diversity of mammals, we identified genes under positive selection associated with longevity and brain development. Additionally, we provide a technological advancement in the use of noninvasive genomics for studies of free-ranging mammals. Our intra- and interspecific comparative study of capuchin genomics provides insights into processes underlying local adaptation to diverse and physiologically challenging environments, as well as the molecular basis of brain evolution and longevity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph D Orkin
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada;
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T38 6A8, Canada
| | - Michael J Montague
- Department of Neuroscience, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19146
| | - Daniela Tejada-Martinez
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA 19107
- Doctorado en Ciencias mención Ecología y Evolución, Instituto de Ciencias Ambientales y Evolutivas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Valdivia 5090000, Chile
- Integrative Genomics of Ageing Group, Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L7 8TX, United Kingdom
| | - Marc de Manuel
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Javier Del Campo
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Anthony Di Fiore
- Department of Anthropology and Primate Molecular Ecology and Evolution Laboratory, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712
- College of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, 170901 Cumbayá, Ecuador
| | - Claudia Fontsere
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jason A Hodgson
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom
| | - Mareike C Janiak
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T38 6A8, Canada
- School of Science, Engineering and Environment, University of Salford, Salford M5 4WT, United Kingdom
| | - Lukas F K Kuderna
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Esther Lizano
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Maria Pia Martin
- Kids Saving the Rainforest Wildlife Rescue Center, 60601 Quepos, Costa Rica
| | - Yoshihito Niimura
- Department of Applied Biological Chemistry, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8657, Japan
| | - George H Perry
- Department of Anthropology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802
| | | | - Jia Tang
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Wesley C Warren
- Division of Animal Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211
| | - João Pedro de Magalhães
- Integrative Genomics of Ageing Group, Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L7 8TX, United Kingdom
| | - Shoji Kawamura
- Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, 277-8562 Chiba, Japan
| | - Tomàs Marquès-Bonet
- Institut de Biologia Evolutiva, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, 08003 Barcelona, Spain
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- Catalan Institution of Research and Advanced Studies, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
- Centro Nacional de Análisis Genómico-Centre for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Roman Krawetz
- Department of Cell Biology and Anatomy, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T38 6A8, Canada
| | - Amanda D Melin
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada;
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T38 6A8, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T38 6A8, Canada
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48
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Riede F, Walsh MJ, Nowell A, Langley MC, Johannsen NN. Children and innovation: play, play objects and object play in cultural evolution. EVOLUTIONARY HUMAN SCIENCES 2021; 3:e11. [PMID: 37588535 PMCID: PMC10427281 DOI: 10.1017/ehs.2021.7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Cultural evolutionary theory conceptualises culture as an information-transmission system whose dynamics take on evolutionary properties. Within this framework, however, innovation has been likened to random mutations, reducing its occurrence to chance or fortuitous transmission error. In introducing the special collection on children and innovation, we here place object play and play objects - especially functional miniatures - from carefully chosen archaeological contexts in a niche construction perspective. Given that play, including object play, is ubiquitous in human societies, we suggest that plaything construction, provisioning and use have, over evolutionary timescales, paid substantial selective dividends via ontogenetic niche modification. Combining findings from cognitive science, ethology and ethnography with insights into hominin early developmental life-history, we show how play objects and object play probably had decisive roles in the emergence of innovative capabilities. Importantly, we argue that closer attention to play objects can go some way towards addressing changes in innovation rates that occurred throughout human biocultural evolution and why innovations are observable within certain technological domains but not others.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Riede
- Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Aarhus University, Moesgård Allé 20, 8270 Højbjerg, Denmark
- Interacting Minds Centre, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Matthew J. Walsh
- Department of Ethnography, Numismatics, Classical Archaeology and University History, Museum of Cultural History, University of Oslo, 0164Oslo, Norway
| | - April Nowell
- Department of Anthropology, University of Victoria, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Michelle C. Langley
- Australian Research Centre for Human Evolution, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
- Forensics and Archaeology, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Niels N. Johannsen
- Department of Archaeology and Heritage Studies, Aarhus University, Moesgård Allé 20, 8270 Højbjerg, Denmark
- Interacting Minds Centre, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
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49
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Abstract
Humanity has regarded itself as intellectually superior to other species for millennia, yet human cognitive uniqueness remains poorly understood. Here, we evaluate candidate traits plausibly underlying our distinctive cognition (including mental time travel, tool use, problem solving, social cognition, and communication) as well as domain generality, and we consider how human cognitive uniqueness may have evolved. We conclude that there are no traits present in humans and absent in other animals that in isolation explain our species' superior cognitive performance; rather, there are many cognitive domains in which humans possess unusually potent capabilities compared to those found in other species. Humans are flexible cognitive all-rounders, whose proficiency arises through interactions and reinforcement between cognitive domains at multiple scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin Laland
- School of Biology, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews KY16 9ST, United Kingdom;
| | - Amanda Seed
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews KY16 9JP, United Kingdom
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50
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Pika S, Sima MJ, Blum CR, Herrmann E, Mundry R. Ravens parallel great apes in physical and social cognitive skills. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20617. [PMID: 33303790 PMCID: PMC7728792 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-77060-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2019] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Human children show unique cognitive skills for dealing with the social world but their cognitive performance is paralleled by great apes in many tasks dealing with the physical world. Recent studies suggested that members of a songbird family-corvids-also evolved complex cognitive skills but a detailed understanding of the full scope of their cognition was, until now, not existent. Furthermore, relatively little is known about their cognitive development. Here, we conducted the first systematic, quantitative large-scale assessment of physical and social cognitive performance of common ravens with a special focus on development. To do so, we fine-tuned one of the most comprehensive experimental test-batteries, the Primate Cognition Test Battery (PCTB), to raven features enabling also a direct, quantitative comparison with the cognitive performance of two great ape species. Full-blown cognitive skills were already present at the age of four months with subadult ravens' cognitive performance appearing very similar to that of adult apes in tasks of physical (quantities, and causality) and social cognition (social learning, communication, and theory of mind). These unprecedented findings strengthen recent assessments of ravens' general intelligence, and aid to the growing evidence that the lack of a specific cortical architecture does not hinder advanced cognitive skills. Difficulties in certain cognitive scales further emphasize the quest to develop comparative test batteries that tap into true species rather than human specific cognitive skills, and suggest that socialization of test individuals may play a crucial role. We conclude to pay more attention to the impact of personality on cognitive output, and a currently neglected topic in Animal Cognition-the linkage between ontogeny and cognitive performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simone Pika
- Comparative BioCognition, Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Artilleriestrasse 34, 49076, Osnabrück, Germany.
- Research Group "Evolution of Communication", Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany.
| | - Miriam Jennifer Sima
- Research Group "Evolution of Communication", Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Christian R Blum
- Research Group "Evolution of Communication", Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Esther Herrmann
- Research Group "Human Origins of Self-Regulation", Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Roger Mundry
- Interim Group Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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