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Cauchard L, Bize P, Doligez B. How to solve novel problems: the role of associative learning in problem-solving performance in wild great tits Parus major. Anim Cogn 2024; 27:32. [PMID: 38607427 PMCID: PMC11014811 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-024-01872-8] [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: 09/12/2023] [Revised: 03/25/2024] [Accepted: 03/28/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Although problem-solving tasks are frequently used to assess innovative ability, the extent to which problem-solving performance reflects variation in cognitive skills has been rarely formally investigated. Using wild breeding great tits facing a new non-food motivated problem-solving task, we investigated the role of associative learning in finding the solution, compared to multiple other non-cognitive factors. We first examined the role of accuracy (the proportion of contacts made with the opening part of a string-pulling task), neophobia, exploration, activity, age, sex, body condition and participation time on the ability to solve the task. To highlight the effect of associative learning, we then compared accuracy between solvers and non-solvers, before and after the first cue to the solution (i.e., the first time they pulled the string opening the door). We finally compared accuracy over consecutive entrances for solvers. Using 884 observations from 788 great tits tested from 2010 to 2015, we showed that, prior to initial successful entrance, solvers were more accurate and more explorative than non-solvers, and that females were more likely to solve the task than males. The accuracy of solvers, but not of non-solvers, increased significantly after they had the opportunity to associate string pulling with the movement of the door, giving them a first cue to the task solution. The accuracy of solvers also increased over successive entrances. Our results demonstrate that variations in problem-solving performance primarily reflect inherent individual differences in associative learning, and are also to a lesser extent shaped by sex and exploratory behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laure Cauchard
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, U.K..
- Anthropogenic Effects Research Group, Swiss Ornithological Institute, CH-62024, Sempach, Switzerland.
| | - Pierre Bize
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, U.K
- Anthropogenic Effects Research Group, Swiss Ornithological Institute, CH-62024, Sempach, Switzerland
| | - Blandine Doligez
- Department of Biometry and Evolutionary Biology, CNRS, Univ Lyon, UMR 5558, University of Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, France
- Animal Ecology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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2
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Audet JN, Couture M, Lefebvre L, Jarvis ED. Problem-solving skills are predicted by technical innovations in the wild and brain size in passerines. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:806-816. [PMID: 38388692 PMCID: PMC11009111 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02342-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
Behavioural innovations can provide key advantages for animals in the wild, especially when ecological conditions change rapidly and unexpectedly. Innovation rates can be compared across taxa by compiling field reports of novel behaviours. Large-scale analyses have shown that innovativeness reduces extinction risk, increases colonization success and is associated with increased brain size and pallial neuron numbers. However, appropriate laboratory measurements of innovativeness, necessary to conduct targeted experimental studies, have not been clearly established, despite decades of speculation on the most suitable assay. Here we implemented a battery of cognitive tasks on 203 birds of 15 passerine species and tested for relationships at the interspecific and intraspecific levels with ecological metrics of innovation and brain size. We found that species better at solving extractive foraging problems had higher technical innovation rates in the wild and larger brains. By contrast, performance on other cognitive tasks often subsumed under the term behavioural flexibility, namely, associative and reversal learning, as well as self-control, were not related to problem-solving, innovation in the wild or brain size. Our study yields robust support for problem-solving as an accurate experimental proxy of innovation and suggests that novel motor solutions are more important than self-control or learning of modified cues in generating technical innovations in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Nicolas Audet
- The Rockefeller University Field Research Center, Millbrook, NY, USA.
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA.
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics of Language, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Mélanie Couture
- The Rockefeller University Field Research Center, Millbrook, NY, USA
- The Vertebrate Genome Laboratory, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Louis Lefebvre
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- CREAF, Autonomous University of Barcelona, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Erich D Jarvis
- The Rockefeller University Field Research Center, Millbrook, NY, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics of Language, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
- The Vertebrate Genome Laboratory, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
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3
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Audet JN, Couture M, Jarvis ED. Songbird species that display more-complex vocal learning are better problem-solvers and have larger brains. Science 2023; 381:1170-1175. [PMID: 37708288 DOI: 10.1126/science.adh3428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Complex vocal learning, a critical component of human spoken language, has been assumed to be associated with more-advanced cognitive abilities. Tests of this hypothesis between individuals within a species have been inconclusive and have not been done across species. In this work, we measured an array of cognitive skills-namely, problem-solving, associative and reversal learning, and self-control-across 214 individuals of 23 bird species, including 19 wild-caught songbird species, two domesticated songbird species, and two wild-caught vocal nonlearning species. We found that the greater the vocal learning abilities of a species, the better their problem-solving skills and the relatively larger their brains. These conclusions held when controlling for noncognitive variables and phylogeny. Our results support a hypothesis of shared genetic and cognitive mechanisms between vocal learning, problem-solving, and bigger brains in songbirds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean-Nicolas Audet
- The Rockefeller University Field Research Center, Millbrook, NY, USA
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics of Language, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Mélanie Couture
- The Rockefeller University Field Research Center, Millbrook, NY, USA
- The Vertebrate Genome Laboratory, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Erich D Jarvis
- The Rockefeller University Field Research Center, Millbrook, NY, USA
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics of Language, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
- The Vertebrate Genome Laboratory, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA
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4
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Boeckx C. What made us "hunter-gatherers of words". Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1080861. [PMID: 36845441 PMCID: PMC9947416 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1080861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/11/2023] Open
Abstract
This paper makes three interconnected claims: (i) the "human condition" cannot be captured by evolutionary narratives that reduce it to a recent 'cognitive modernity', nor by narratives that eliminates all cognitive differences between us and out closest extinct relatives, (ii) signals from paleogenomics, especially coming from deserts of introgression but also from signatures of positive selection, point to the importance of mutations that impact neurodevelopment, plausibly leading to temperamental differences, which may impact cultural evolutionary trajectories in specific ways, and (iii) these trajectories are expected to affect the language phenotypes, modifying what is being learned and how it is put to use. In particular, I hypothesize that these different trajectories influence the development of symbolic systems, the flexible ways in which symbols combine, and the size and configurations of the communities in which these systems are put to use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cedric Boeckx
- Section of General Linguistics, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Institute of Complex Systems, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Catalan Institute for Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
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5
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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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6
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Cognitive ecology in the wild — advances and challenges in avian cognition research. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101138] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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7
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Lattin CR, Kelly TR, Kelly MW, Johnson KM. Constitutive gene expression differs in three brain regions important for cognition in neophobic and non-neophobic house sparrows (Passer domesticus). PLoS One 2022; 17:e0267180. [PMID: 35536842 PMCID: PMC9089922 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0267180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Neophobia (aversion to new objects, food, and environments) is a personality trait that affects the ability of wildlife to adapt to new challenges and opportunities. Despite the ubiquity and importance of this trait, the molecular mechanisms underlying repeatable individual differences in neophobia in wild animals are poorly understood. We evaluated wild-caught house sparrows (Passer domesticus) for neophobia in the lab using novel object tests. We then selected a subset of neophobic and non-neophobic individuals (n = 3 of each, all females) and extracted RNA from four brain regions involved in learning, memory, threat perception, and executive function: striatum, caudal dorsomedial hippocampus, medial ventral arcopallium, and caudolateral nidopallium (NCL). Our analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) used 11,889 gene regions annotated in the house sparrow reference genome for which we had an average of 25.7 million mapped reads/sample. PERMANOVA identified significant effects of brain region, phenotype (neophobic vs. non-neophobic), and a brain region by phenotype interaction. Comparing neophobic and non-neophobic birds revealed constitutive differences in DEGs in three of the four brain regions examined: hippocampus (12% of the transcriptome significantly differentially expressed), striatum (4%) and NCL (3%). DEGs included important known neuroendocrine mediators of learning, memory, executive function, and anxiety behavior, including serotonin receptor 5A, dopamine receptors 1, 2 and 5 (downregulated in neophobic birds), and estrogen receptor beta (upregulated in neophobic birds). These results suggest that some of the behavioral differences between phenotypes may be due to underlying gene expression differences in the brain. The large number of DEGs in neophobic and non-neophobic birds also implies that there are major differences in neural function between the two phenotypes that could affect a wide variety of behavioral traits beyond neophobia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine R. Lattin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Tosha R. Kelly
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
| | - Morgan W. Kelly
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
| | - Kevin M. Johnson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America
- Center for Coastal Marine Sciences, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA, United States of America
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8
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Interaction of memory systems is controlled by context in both food-storing and non-storing birds. Learn Behav 2022; 50:140-152. [PMID: 34918201 PMCID: PMC8983471 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-021-00496-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Animals and humans have multiple memory systems. While both black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) and dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis) are under selective pressure to remember reliable long-term spatial locations (habit memory), chickadees must additionally quickly form and rapidly update spatial memory for unique cache sites (one-trial memory). We conducted a series of three experiments in which we assessed the degree to which habit and one-trial memory were expressed in both species as a function of training context. In Experiment 1, birds failed to demonstrate habits on probe trials after being trained in the context of a biased Match-to-Sample task in which the same high-frequency target was always correct. In Experiment 2, habit strongly controlled performance when habits were learned as Discriminations, defining a specific training context. In Experiment 3, context no longer defined when to express habits and habit and one-trial memory competed for control of behavior. Across all experiments, birds preferentially used the memory system at test that was consistent with the context in which it was acquired. Although the memory adaptations that allow chickadees to successfully recover cached food might predispose them to favor one-trial memory, we found no species differences in the weighting of habit and one-trial memory. In the experiments here, context was a powerful factor controlling the interaction of memory systems.
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9
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Kimball MG, Gautreaux EB, Couvillion KE, Kelly TR, Stansberry KR, Lattin CR. Novel objects alter immediate early gene expression globally for ZENK and regionally for c-Fos in neophobic and non-neophobic house sparrows. Behav Brain Res 2022; 428:113863. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.113863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 03/25/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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10
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Ströckens F, Neves K, Kirchem S, Schwab C, Herculano-Houzel S, Güntürkün O. High associative neuron numbers could drive cognitive performance in corvid species. J Comp Neurol 2022; 530:1588-1605. [PMID: 34997767 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Corvids possess cognitive skills, matching those of non-human primates. However, how these species with their small brains achieve such feats remains elusive. Recent studies suggest that cognitive capabilities could be based on the total numbers of telencephalic neurons. Here we extend this hypothesis further and posit that especially high neuron counts in associative pallial areas drive flexible, complex cognition. If true, avian species like corvids should specifically accumulate neurons in the avian associative areas meso- and nidopallium. To test the hypothesis, we analyzed the neuronal composition of telencephalic areas in corvids and non-corvids (chicken, pigeons, and ostriches - the species with the largest bird brain). The overall number of pallial neurons in corvids was much higher than in chicken and pigeons and comparable to those of ostriches. However, neuron numbers in the associative mesopallium and nidopallium were twice as high in corvids and, in correlation with these associative areas, the corvid subpallium also contained high neuron numbers. These findings support our hypothesis that large absolute numbers of associative pallial neurons contribute to cognitive flexibility and complexity and are key to explain why crows are smart. Since meso/nidopallial and subpallial areas scale jointly, it is conceivable that associative pallio-striatal loops play a similar role in executive decision-making as described in primates. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Ströckens
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, 44780, Germany.,C. & O. Vogt Institute for Brain Research, University Hospital Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, 40225, Germany
| | - Kleber Neves
- Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, CEP 21941-902, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
| | - Sina Kirchem
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, 44780, Germany
| | - Christine Schwab
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, 1090, Austria
| | - Suzana Herculano-Houzel
- Department of Psychology, Department of Biological Sciences, Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, 37240, USA
| | - Onur Güntürkün
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Biopsychology, Ruhr-University Bochum, Bochum, 44780, Germany
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11
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Grunst AS, Grunst ML, Staes N, Thys B, Pinxten R, Eens M. Serotonin transporter (SERT) polymorphisms, personality and problem-solving in urban great tits. Sci Rep 2021; 11:24270. [PMID: 34930949 PMCID: PMC8688470 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-03466-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding underlying genetic variation can elucidate how diversity in behavioral phenotypes evolves and is maintained. Genes in the serotonergic signaling pathway, including the serotonin transporter gene (SERT), are candidates for affecting animal personality, cognition and fitness. In a model species, the great tit (Parus major), we reevaluated previous findings suggesting relationships between SERT polymorphisms, neophobia, exploratory behavior and fitness parameters, and performed a first test of the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in SERT and problem-solving in birds. We found some evidence for associations between SERT SNPs and neophobia, exploratory behavior and laying date. Furthermore, several SNPs were associated with behavioral patterns and success rates during obstacle removal problem-solving tests performed at nest boxes. In females, minor allele homozygotes (AA) for nonsynonymous SNP226 in exon 1 made fewer incorrect attempts and were more likely to problem-solve. In both sexes, there was some evidence that minor allele homozygotes (CC) for SNP84 in exon 9 were more likely to problem-solve. Only one SNP-behavior relationship was statistically significant after correcting for multiple comparisons, but several were associated with substantial effect sizes. Our study provides a foundation for future research on the genetic basis of behavioral and cognitive variation in wild animal populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea S Grunst
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.
- Littoral Environnement Et Sociétés, La Rochelle Université, La Rochelle, France.
| | - Melissa L Grunst
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Littoral Environnement Et Sociétés, La Rochelle Université, La Rochelle, France
| | - Nicky Staes
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Bert Thys
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Rianne Pinxten
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
- Faculty of Social Sciences, Antwerp School of Education, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marcel Eens
- Department of Biology, Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
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12
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Can we build a neuroecology of innovativeness similar to that pioneered by David Sherry for spatial memory? Learn Behav 2021; 50:37-44. [PMID: 34761365 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-021-00493-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
David Sherry's pioneering work on the neuroecology of spatial memory has three characteristics that could inspire studies on other cognitive processes: it was grounded in a robust prior literature in psychology and neuroscience; it identified several natural history contexts in which repeated independent evolution of spatial memory differences had occurred in different clades; it involved a precise cognitive ability with a precise neural substrate. We discuss the application of these three principles to a more domain-general trait-innovation. We argue that targeting the caudolateral nidopallium and its connected areas, favoring problem-solving over reversal learning as an experimental assay, and focusing on situations that involve environmental change, such as urbanization and invasion, can help the study of innovation progress, like the field of spatial memory has since 1989.
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13
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Branch CL, Semenov GA, Wagner DN, Sonnenberg BR, Pitera AM, Bridge ES, Taylor SA, Pravosudov VV. The genetic basis of spatial cognitive variation in a food-caching bird. Curr Biol 2021; 32:210-219.e4. [PMID: 34735793 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.10.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2021] [Revised: 09/15/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Spatial cognition is used by most organisms to navigate their environment. Some species rely particularly heavily on specialized spatial cognition to survive, suggesting that a heritable component of cognition may be under natural selection. This idea remains largely untested outside of humans, perhaps because cognition in general is known to be strongly affected by learning and experience.1-4 We investigated the genetic basis of individual variation in spatial cognition used by non-migratory food-caching birds to recover food stores and survive harsh montane winters. Comparing the genomes of wild, free-living birds ranging from best to worst in their performance on a spatial cognitive task revealed significant associations with genes involved in neuron growth and development and hippocampal function. These results identify candidate genes associated with differences in spatial cognition and provide a critical link connecting individual variation in spatial cognition with natural selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carrie L Branch
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA.
| | - Georgy A Semenov
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Dominique N Wagner
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Benjamin R Sonnenberg
- Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology Graduate Program, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Angela M Pitera
- Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology Graduate Program, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Eli S Bridge
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019, USA
| | - Scott A Taylor
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA
| | - Vladimir V Pravosudov
- Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology Graduate Program, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA.
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14
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Kabelik D, Julien AR, Ramirez D, O'Connell LA. Social boldness correlates with brain gene expression in male green anoles. Horm Behav 2021; 133:105007. [PMID: 34102460 PMCID: PMC8277760 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.105007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2021] [Revised: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Within populations, some individuals tend to exhibit a bold or shy social behavior phenotype relative to the mean. The neural underpinnings of these differing phenotypes - also described as syndromes, personalities, and coping styles - is an area of ongoing investigation. Although a social decision-making network has been described across vertebrate taxa, most studies examining activity within this network do so in relation to exhibited differences in behavioral expression. Our study instead focuses on constitutive gene expression in bold and shy individuals by isolating baseline gene expression profiles that influence social boldness predisposition, rather than those reflecting the results of social interaction and behavioral execution. We performed this study on male green anole lizards (Anolis carolinensis), an established model organism for behavioral research, which provides a crucial comparison group to investigations of birds and mammals. After identifying subjects as bold or shy through repeated reproductive and agonistic behavior testing, we used RNA sequencing to compare gene expression profiles between these groups within various forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain regions. The ventromedial hypothalamus had the largest group differences in gene expression, with bold males having increased expression of neuroendocrine and neurotransmitter receptor and calcium channel genes compared to shy males. Conversely, shy males express more integrin alpha-10 in the majority of examined regions. There were no significant group differences in physiology or hormone levels. Our results highlight the ventromedial hypothalamus as an important center of behavioral differences across individuals and provide novel candidates for investigations into the regulation of individual variation in social behavior phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Kabelik
- Department of Biology & Program in Neuroscience, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN 38112, USA.
| | - Allison R Julien
- Department of Biology & Program in Neuroscience, Rhodes College, Memphis, TN 38112, USA
| | - Dave Ramirez
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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Martini D, Dussex N, Robertson BC, Gemmell NJ, Knapp M. Evolution of the "world's only alpine parrot": Genomic adaptation or phenotypic plasticity, behaviour and ecology? Mol Ecol 2021; 30:6370-6386. [PMID: 33973288 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15978] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Revised: 04/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Climate warming, in particular in island environments, where opportunities for species to disperse are limited, may become a serious threat to cold adapted alpine species. In order to understand how alpine species may respond to a warming world, we need to understand the drivers that have shaped their habitat specialisation and the evolutionary adaptations that allow them to utilize alpine habitats. The endemic, endangered New Zealand kea (Nestor notabilis) is considered the only alpine parrot in the world. As a species commonly found in the alpine zone it may be highly susceptible to climate warming. But is it a true alpine specialist? Is its evolution driven by adaptation to the alpine zone, or is the kea an open habitat generalist that simply uses the alpine zone to, for example, avoid lower lying anthropogenic landscapes? We use whole genome data of the kea and its close, forest adapted sister species, the kākā (Nestor meridionalis) to reconstruct the evolutionary history of both species and identify the functional genomic differences that underlie their habitat specialisations. Our analyses do not identify major functional genomic differences between kea and kākā in pathways associated with high-altitude. Rather, we found evidence that selective pressures on adaptations commonly found in alpine species are present in both Nestor species, suggesting that selection for alpine adaptations has not driven their divergence. Strongly divergent demographic responses to past climate warming between the species nevertheless highlight potential future threats to kea survival in a warming world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise Martini
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Nicolas Dussex
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Neil J Gemmell
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Michael Knapp
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
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Problem Solving in Animals: Proposal for an Ontogenetic Perspective. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11030866. [PMID: 33803609 PMCID: PMC8002912 DOI: 10.3390/ani11030866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Animals must be able to solve problems to access food and avoid predators. Problem solving is not a complicated process, often relying only on animals exploring their surroundings, and being able to learn and remember information. However, not all species, populations, or even individuals, can solve problems, or can solve problems in the same way. Differences in problem-solving ability could be due to differences in how animals develop and grow, including differences in their genetics, hormones, age, and/or environmental conditions. Here, we consider how an animal’s problem-solving ability could be impacted by its development, and what future work needs to be done to understand the development of problem solving. We argue that, considering how many different factors are involved, focusing on individual animals, and individual variation, is the best way to study the development of problem solving. Abstract Problem solving, the act of overcoming an obstacle to obtain an incentive, has been studied in a wide variety of taxa, and is often based on simple strategies such as trial-and-error learning, instead of higher-order cognitive processes, such as insight. There are large variations in problem solving abilities between species, populations and individuals, and this variation could arise due to differences in development, and other intrinsic (genetic, neuroendocrine and aging) and extrinsic (environmental) factors. However, experimental studies investigating the ontogeny of problem solving are lacking. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of problem solving from an ontogenetic perspective. The focus is to highlight aspects of problem solving that have been overlooked in the current literature, and highlight why developmental influences of problem-solving ability are particularly important avenues for future investigation. We argue that the ultimate outcome of solving a problem is underpinned by interacting cognitive, physiological and behavioural components, all of which are affected by ontogenetic factors. We emphasise that, due to the large number of confounding ontogenetic influences, an individual-centric approach is important for a full understanding of the development of problem solving.
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Audet JN. Neurobiological and Ecological Correlates of Avian Innovation. Integr Comp Biol 2020; 60:955-966. [PMID: 32681794 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaa107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In the wild, particularly in rapidly changing conditions, being capable of solving new problems can increase an animal's chances of survival and reproduction. In the current context of widespread habitat destruction and increasing urbanization, innovativeness might be a crucial trait. In the past few decades, birds have proven to be a model taxon for the study of innovation, thanks to the abundant literature on avian innovation reports. Innovation databases in birds have been successfully employed to assess associations between innovativeness and other traits such as invasion success, life history, generalism, and brain encephalization. In order to more directly assess the causes of variation in innovation, a complementary approach consists in measuring innovativeness in wild-caught animals using problem-solving tasks that mimic innovations in the field. This method can allow for finer scale evaluation of ecological and neural correlates of innovation. Here, I review some of the most important findings on the correlates of innovation, with a particular focus on neural ones. I conclude by discussing avenues for future research, which I suggest should focus on neurobiology.
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Szabo B, Damas-Moreira I, Whiting MJ. Can Cognitive Ability Give Invasive Species the Means to Succeed? A Review of the Evidence. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Ducatez S, Lefebvre L, Sayol F, Audet JN, Sol D. Host Cognition and Parasitism in Birds: A Review of the Main Mechanisms. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.00102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
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Verhagen I, Gienapp P, Laine VN, Grevenhof EM, Mateman AC, Oers K, Visser ME. Genetic and phenotypic responses to genomic selection for timing of breeding in a wild songbird. Funct Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Irene Verhagen
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Phillip Gienapp
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Veronika N. Laine
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Elizabeth M. Grevenhof
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Andrea C. Mateman
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Kees Oers
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
| | - Marcel E. Visser
- Department of Animal Ecology Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW) Wageningen The Netherlands
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