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Venditti C, Baker J, Barton RA. Co-evolutionary dynamics of mammalian brain and body size. Nat Ecol Evol 2024:10.1038/s41559-024-02451-3. [PMID: 38977833 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02451-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/29/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024]
Abstract
Despite decades of comparative studies, puzzling aspects of the relationship between mammalian brain and body mass continue to defy satisfactory explanation. Here we show that several such aspects arise from routinely fitting log-linear models to the data: the correlated evolution of brain and body mass is in fact log-curvilinear. This simultaneously accounts for several phenomena for which diverse biological explanations have been proposed, notably variability in scaling coefficients across clades, low encephalization in larger species and the so-called taxon-level problem. Our model implies a need to revisit previous findings about relative brain mass. Accounting for the true scaling relationship, we document dramatically varying rates of relative brain mass evolution across the mammalian phylogeny, and we resolve the question of whether there is an overall trend for brain mass to increase through time. We find a trend in only three mammalian orders, which is by far the strongest in primates, setting the stage for the uniquely rapid directional increase ultimately producing the computational powers of the human brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Venditti
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK.
| | - Joanna Baker
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
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2
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Enquist BJ, Erwin D, Savage V, Marquet PA. Scaling approaches and macroecology provide a foundation for assessing ecological resilience in the Anthropocene. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230010. [PMID: 38583479 PMCID: PMC10999275 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2023] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024] Open
Abstract
In the Anthropocene, intensifying ecological disturbances pose significant challenges to our predictive capabilities for ecosystem responses. Macroecology-which focuses on emergent statistical patterns in ecological systems-unveils consistent regularities in the organization of biodiversity and ecosystems. These regularities appear in terms of abundance, body size, geographical range, species interaction networks, or the flux of matter and energy. This paper argues for moving beyond qualitative resilience metaphors, such as the 'ball and cup', towards a more quantitative macroecological framework. We suggest a conceptual and theoretical basis for ecological resilience that integrates macroecology with a stochastic diffusion approximation constrained by principles of biological symmetry. This approach provides an alternative novel framework for studying ecological resilience in the Anthropocene. We demonstrate how our framework can effectively quantify the impacts of major disturbances and their extensive ecological ramifications. We further show how biological scaling insights can help quantify the consequences of major disturbances, emphasizing their cascading ecological impacts. The nature of these impacts prompts a re-evaluation of our understanding of resilience. Emphasis on regularities of ecological assemblages can help illuminate resilience dynamics and offer a novel basis to predict and manage the impacts of disturbance in the Anthropocene more efficiently. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ecological novelty and planetary stewardship: biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian J. Enquist
- The Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, Arizona, AZ 85721, USA
| | - Doug Erwin
- The Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
- Department of Paleobiology, MRC-121, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA
| | - Van Savage
- The Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Department of Computational Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Pablo A. Marquet
- The Santa Fe Institute, 1399 Hyde Park Road, Santa Fe, NM 87501, USA
- Instituto de Sistemas Complejos de Valparaíso (ISCV), CP 2340000 Valparaíso, Chile
- Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciemcias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, CP 8331150, Santiago, Chile
- Centro de Modelamiento Matemático (CMM), Universidad de Chile, International Research Laboratory, 2807, CNRS, CP 8370456 Santiago, Chile
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3
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Kort AE, Jones KE. Function of revolute zygapophyses in the lumbar vertebrae of early placental mammals. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2024; 307:1918-1929. [PMID: 37712919 DOI: 10.1002/ar.25323] [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: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 08/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
The unique morphology of mammalian lumbar vertebrae allows the spine to flex and extend in the sagittal plane during locomotion. This movement increases stride length and allows mammals to efficiently breathe while running with an asymmetric gait. In extant mammals, the amount of flexion that occurs varies across different locomotor styles, with dorsostable runners relying more on movement of long limbs to run and dorsomobile runners incorporating more flexion of the back. Although long limbs and a stabilized lumbar region are commonly associated with each other in extant mammals, many "archaic" placental mammals with short limbs had lumbar vertebrae with revolute zygapophyses. These articulations with an interlocking S-shape are found only in artiodactyls among extant mammals and have been hypothesized to stabilize against flexion of the back. This would suggest that archaic placental mammals may not have incorporated dorsoventral flexion into locomotion to the same extent as extant mammals with similar proportions. We tested the relative mobility of fossil lumbar vertebrae from two early placental mammals, the creodonts Patriofelis and Limnocyon, to see how these vertebrae may have functioned. We compared range of motion (ROM) between the original vertebrae, with revolute morphology and digitally altered vertebrae with a flat morphology. We found that the revolute morphology had relatively little effect on dorsoventral flexion and instead that it likely prevented disarticulation due to shear forces on the spine. These results show that flexion of the spine has been an important part of mammalian locomotion for at least 50 million years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anne E Kort
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
| | - Katrina E Jones
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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4
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Luppi AI, Rosas FE, Noonan MP, Mediano PAM, Kringelbach ML, Carhart-Harris RL, Stamatakis EA, Vernon AC, Turkheimer FE. Oxygen and the Spark of Human Brain Evolution: Complex Interactions of Metabolism and Cortical Expansion across Development and Evolution. Neuroscientist 2024; 30:173-198. [PMID: 36476177 DOI: 10.1177/10738584221138032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Scientific theories on the functioning and dysfunction of the human brain require an understanding of its development-before and after birth and through maturation to adulthood-and its evolution. Here we bring together several accounts of human brain evolution by focusing on the central role of oxygen and brain metabolism. We argue that evolutionary expansion of human transmodal association cortices exceeded the capacity of oxygen delivery by the vascular system, which led these brain tissues to rely on nonoxidative glycolysis for additional energy supply. We draw a link between the resulting lower oxygen tension and its effect on cytoarchitecture, which we posit as a key driver of genetic developmental programs for the human brain-favoring lower intracortical myelination and the presence of biosynthetic materials for synapse turnover. Across biological and temporal scales, this protracted capacity for neural plasticity sets the conditions for cognitive flexibility and ongoing learning, supporting complex group dynamics and intergenerational learning that in turn enabled improved nutrition to fuel the metabolic costs of further cortical expansion. Our proposed model delineates explicit mechanistic links among metabolism, molecular and cellular brain heterogeneity, and behavior, which may lead toward a clearer understanding of brain development and its disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea I Luppi
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Division of Anaesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Leverhulme Centre for the Future of Intelligence, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- The Alan Turing Institute, London, UK
| | - Fernando E Rosas
- Department of Informatics, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
- Centre for Psychedelic Research, Department of Brain Science, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Centre for Complexity Science, Imperial College London, London, UK
- Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - MaryAnn P Noonan
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Pedro A M Mediano
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Psychology, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
- Department of Computing, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Morten L Kringelbach
- Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Center for Music in the Brain, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Robin L Carhart-Harris
- Psychedelics Division-Neuroscape, Department of Neurology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Emmanuel A Stamatakis
- Department of Clinical Neurosciences and Division of Anaesthesia, School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Anthony C Vernon
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Basic and Clinical Neuroscience, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Federico E Turkheimer
- Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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5
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Taylor PJ, Nengovhela A, Denys C, Scott GR, Ivy CM. Adaptation in brain structure and respiratory and olfactory structures across environmental gradients in African and North American muroid rodents. Integr Zool 2024; 19:165-181. [PMID: 38044327 DOI: 10.1111/1749-4877.12788] [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] [Indexed: 12/05/2023]
Abstract
Morphometric studies of 3D micro CT-scanned images can provide insights into the evolution of the brain and sensory structures but such data are still scarce for the most diverse mammalian order of rodents. From reviewed and new data, we tested for convergence to extreme aridity and high elevation in the sensory and brain morphology of rodents, from morphometric data from micro-CT X-ray scans of 174 crania of 16 species of three distantly related African murid (soft-furred mice, Praomyini, laminate-toothed rats, Otomyini, and gerbils, Gerbillinae) clades and one North American cricetid (deer mice and white-footed mice, Peromyscus) clade. Recent studies demonstrated convergent evolution acting on the oval window area of the cochlea (enlarged in extremely arid-adapted species of Otomyini and Gerbillinae) and on endocranial volume (reduced in high elevation taxa of Otomyini and Peromyscus). However, contrary to our predictions, we did not find evidence of convergence in brain structure to aridity, or in the olfactory/respiratory system (turbinate bones) to high elevation. Brain structure differed, particularly in the petrosal lobules of the cerebellum and the olfactory bulbs, between Otomyini and Gerbillinae, with extreme arid-adapted species in each clade being highly divergent (not convergent) from other species in the same clade. We observed greater "packing" of the maxillary turbinate bones, which have important respiratory functions, in Peromyscus mice from high and low elevations compared to the high-elevation African Praomyini, but more complex patterns within Peromyscus, probably related to trade-offs in respiratory physiology and heat exchange in the nasal epithelium associated with high-elevation adaptation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter J Taylor
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, South Africa
- Afromontane Unit, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of the Free State, Phuthaditjhaba, South Africa
| | | | - Christiane Denys
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, Université Des Antilles, Paris, France
| | - Graham R Scott
- Department of Biology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Catherine M Ivy
- Guglielmo and Shoemaker Labs, Advanced Facility for Avian Research, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
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6
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Bertrand OC, Jiménez Lao M, Shelley SL, Wible JR, Williamson TE, Meng J, Brusatte SL. The virtual brain endocast of Trogosus (Mammalia, Tillodontia) and its relevance in understanding the extinction of archaic placental mammals. J Anat 2024; 244:1-21. [PMID: 37720992 PMCID: PMC10734658 DOI: 10.1111/joa.13951] [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: 06/10/2023] [Revised: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/29/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023] Open
Abstract
After successfully diversifying during the Paleocene, the descendants of the first wave of mammals that survived the end-Cretaceous mass extinction waned throughout the Eocene. Competition with modern crown clades and intense climate fluctuations may have been part of the factors leading to the extinction of these archaic groups. Why these taxa went extinct has rarely been studied from the perspective of the nervous system. Here, we describe the first virtual endocasts for the archaic order Tillodontia. Three species from the middle Eocene of North America were analyzed: Trogosus hillsii, Trogosus grangeri, and Trogosus castoridens. We made morphological comparisons with the plaster endocast of another tillodont, Tillodon fodiens, as well as groups potentially related to Tillodontia: Pantodonta, Arctocyonidae, and Cimolesta. Trogosus shows very little inter-specific variation with the only potential difference being related to the fusion of the optic canal and sphenorbital fissure. Many ancestral features are displayed by Trogosus, including an exposed midbrain, small neocortex, orbitotemporal canal ventral to rhinal fissure, and a broad circular fissure. Potential characteristics that could unite Tillodontia with Pantodonta, and Arctocyonidae are the posterior position of cranial nerve V3 exit in relation to the cerebrum and the low degree of development of the subarcuate fossa. The presence of large olfactory bulbs and a relatively small neocortex are consistent with a terrestrial lifestyle. A relatively small neocortex may have put Trogosus at risk when competing with artiodactyls for potentially similar resources and avoiding predation from archaic carnivorans, both of which are known to have had larger relative brain and neocortex sizes in the Eocene. These factors may have possibly exacerbated the extinction of Tillodontia, which showed highly specialized morphologies despite the increase in climate fluctuations throughout the Eocene, before disappearing during the middle Eocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ornella C Bertrand
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona, Spain
- School of GeoSciences, Grant Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
| | - Marina Jiménez Lao
- School of GeoSciences, Grant Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
| | - Sarah L Shelley
- School of GeoSciences, Grant Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
- Section of Mammals, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - John R Wible
- Section of Mammals, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Thomas E Williamson
- New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Jin Meng
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, New York, USA
| | - Stephen L Brusatte
- School of GeoSciences, Grant Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
- New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
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7
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Lyras GA, Werdelin L, van der Geer BGM, van der Geer AAE. Fossil brains provide evidence of underwater feeding in early seals. Commun Biol 2023; 6:747. [PMID: 37591929 PMCID: PMC10435510 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05135-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Pinnipeds (seals and related species) use their whiskers to explore their environment and locate their prey. Today they live mostly in marine habitats and are adapted for a highly specialised amphibious lifestyle with their flippers for locomotion and a hydrodynamically streamlined body. The earliest pinnipeds, however, lived on land and in freshwater habitats, much like mustelids today. Here we reconstruct the underwater foraging behaviour of one of these earliest pinnipeds (Potamotherium), focusing in particular on how it used its whiskers (vibrissae). For this purpose, we analyse the coronal gyrus of the brain of 7 fossil and 31 extant carnivorans. This region receives somatosensory input from the head. Our results show that the reliance on whiskers in modern pinnipeds is an ancestral feature that favoured survival of stem pinnipeds in marine habitats. This study provides insights into an impressive ecological transition in carnivoran evolution: from terrestrial to amphibious marine species. Adaptations for underwater foraging were crucial for this transition.
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Affiliation(s)
- George A Lyras
- Faculty of Geology and Geoenvironment, Department of Historical Geology-Palaeontology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 15784, Zografos, Greece
| | - Lars Werdelin
- Department of Palaeobiology, Swedish Museum of Natural History, SE-10405, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Alexandra A E van der Geer
- Vertebrate Evolution, Development and Ecology, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, 2333 RA, Leiden, the Netherlands.
- Institute of Biology, Leiden University, 2311 EZ, Leiden, the Netherlands.
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8
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Tseng ZJ, Garcia-Lara S, Flynn JJ, Holmes E, Rowe TB, Dickson BV. A switch in jaw form-function coupling during the evolution of mammals. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220091. [PMID: 37183899 PMCID: PMC10184249 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The evolutionary shift from a single-element ear, multi-element jaw to a multi-element ear, single-element jaw during the transition to crown mammals marks one of the most dramatic structural transformations in vertebrates. Research on this transformation has focused on mammalian middle-ear evolution, but a mandible comprising only the dentary is equally emblematic of this evolutionary radiation. Here, we show that the remarkably diverse jaw shapes of crown mammals are coupled with surprisingly stereotyped jaw stiffness. This strength-based morphofunctional regime has a genetic basis and allowed mammalian jaws to effectively resist deformation as they radiated into highly disparate forms with markedly distinct diets. The main functional consequences for the mandible of decoupling hearing and mastication were a trade-off between higher jaw stiffness versus decreased mechanical efficiency and speed compared with non-mammals. This fundamental and consequential shift in jaw form-function underpins the ecological and taxonomic diversification of crown mammals. This article is part of the theme issue 'The mammalian skull: development, structure and function'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Jack Tseng
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Sergio Garcia-Lara
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Museum of Paleontology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - John J Flynn
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
- Richard Gilder Graduate School, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Emily Holmes
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Timothy B Rowe
- Jackson School of Geological Sciences, University of Texas, Austin, TX 78712, USA
| | - Blake V Dickson
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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9
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Goswami A, Noirault E, Coombs EJ, Clavel J, Fabre AC, Halliday TJD, Churchill M, Curtis A, Watanabe A, Simmons NB, Beatty BL, Geisler JH, Fox DL, Felice RN. Developmental origin underlies evolutionary rate variation across the placental skull. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220083. [PMID: 37183904 PMCID: PMC10184245 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0083] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The placental skull has evolved into myriad forms, from longirostrine whales to globular primates, and with a diverse array of appendages from antlers to tusks. This disparity has recently been studied from the perspective of the whole skull, but the skull is composed of numerous elements that have distinct developmental origins and varied functions. Here, we assess the evolution of the skull's major skeletal elements, decomposed into 17 individual regions. Using a high-dimensional morphometric approach for a dataset of 322 living and extinct eutherians (placental mammals and their stem relatives), we quantify patterns of variation and estimate phylogenetic, allometric and ecological signal across the skull. We further compare rates of evolution across ecological categories and ordinal-level clades and reconstruct rates of evolution along lineages and through time to assess whether developmental origin or function discriminate the evolutionary trajectories of individual cranial elements. Our results demonstrate distinct macroevolutionary patterns across cranial elements that reflect the ecological adaptations of major clades. Elements derived from neural crest show the fastest rates of evolution, but ecological signal is equally pronounced in bones derived from neural crest and paraxial mesoderm, suggesting that developmental origin may influence evolutionary tempo, but not capacity for specialisation. This article is part of the theme issue 'The mammalian skull: development, structure and function'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjali Goswami
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Eve Noirault
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Ellen J Coombs
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA
| | - Julien Clavel
- Université Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR 5023 LEHNA, 69622 Villeurbanne, France
| | - Anne-Claire Fabre
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Naturhistorisches Museum Bern, 3005 Bern, Switzerland
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Thomas J D Halliday
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Morgan Churchill
- Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI 54901, USA
| | - Abigail Curtis
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Akinobu Watanabe
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
- Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Nancy B Simmons
- Department of Mammalogy, Division of Vertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History, New York, NY 10024, USA
| | - Brian L Beatty
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
| | - Jonathan H Geisler
- Department of Paleobiology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
| | - David L Fox
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Ryan N Felice
- Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
- Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Centre for Integrative Anatomy, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
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10
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Fan XP, Liu JW, Yang Z. Phylogeny, Taxonomy and Evolutionary Trade-Offs in Reproductive Traits of Gomphoid Fungi (Gomphaceae, Gomphales). J Fungi (Basel) 2023; 9:626. [PMID: 37367562 DOI: 10.3390/jof9060626] [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: 03/10/2023] [Revised: 05/24/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Although functional ecology is a well-established field, our understanding of the evolutionary and ecological significance of the reproductive traits in macrofungi is still limited. Here, we reconstructed a phylogeny tree of gomphoid fungi in the narrower sense, including the species of the genera Gomphus and Turbinellus and used it to uncover the evolution of reproductive traits. Our analyses indicated that fungal fruit bodies and spores did not enlarge at a steady rate over time. Early gomphoid fungi essentially maintained their fruit body size, spore size and spore shape through the Mesozoic. In the Cenozoic, gomphoid fungi acquired significantly larger and more spherical spores by simultaneously expanding in length and width, with the fruit body size first decreasing and then enlarging. We argue that these trade-offs were driven by the effect of biological extinction and the dramatic climate changes of the Cenozoic. Gomphoid fungi initially increased in spore size and fruit body number as extinction survivors filled vacant niches. Both fruit bodies and spores eventually became larger as ecosystems saturated and competition intensified. One new species of Gomphus and nine new species of Turbinellus are described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue-Ping Fan
- CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Fungal Diversity and Green Development, Kunming 650201, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Jian-Wei Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Fungal Diversity and Green Development, Kunming 650201, China
| | - Zhuliang Yang
- CAS Key Laboratory for Plant Diversity and Biogeography of East Asia, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, China
- Yunnan Key Laboratory for Fungal Diversity and Green Development, Kunming 650201, China
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11
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Pestana C, de Sousa AA, Todorov OS, Beaudet A, Benoit J. Evolutionary history of hominin brain size and phylogenetic comparative methods. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2023; 275:217-232. [PMID: 36841569 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2022.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023]
Abstract
An absolutely and relatively large brain has traditionally been viewed as a distinctive characteristic of the Homo genus, with anatomically modern humans presented at the apex of a long line of progressive increases in encephalization. Many studies continue to focus attention on increasing brain size in the Homo genus, while excluding measures of absolute and relative brain size of more geologically recent, smaller brained, hominins such as Homo floresiensis, and Homo naledi and smaller brained Homo erectus specimens. This review discusses the benefits of using phylogenetic comparative methods to trace the diverse changes in hominin brain evolution and the drawbacks of not doing so.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Pestana
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, School of Geosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | | | - Orlin S Todorov
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Amélie Beaudet
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom; School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Julien Benoit
- Evolutionary Studies Institute, School of Geosciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
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12
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White CL, Bloch JI, Morse PE, Silcox MT. Virtual endocast of late Paleocene Niptomomys (Microsyopidae, Euarchonta) and early primate brain evolution. J Hum Evol 2023; 175:103303. [PMID: 36608392 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2022.103303] [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: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 11/15/2022] [Accepted: 11/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Paleogene microsyopid plesiadapiforms are among the oldest euarchontans known from relatively complete crania. While cranial endocasts are known for larger-bodied Eocene microsyopine microsyopids, this study documents the first virtual endocast for the more diminutive uintasoricine microsyopids, derived from a specimen of Niptomomys cf. Niptomomys doreenae (USNM 530198) from the late Paleocene of Wyoming. Size estimates of smaller-bodied uintasoricines are similar to those inferred for the common ancestor of Primates, so the virtual endocast of Niptomomys may provide a useful model to study early primate brain evolution. Due to the broken and telescoped nature of the neurocranium of USNM 530198, a μCT scan of the specimen was used to create a 3D model of multiple bone fragments that were then independently isolated, repositioned, and merged to form a cranial reconstruction from which a virtual endocast was extracted. The virtual endocast of Niptomomys has visible caudal colliculi, suggesting less caudal expansion of the cerebrum compared to that of euprimates, but similar to that of several other plesiadapiforms. The part of the endocast representing the olfactory bulbs is larger relative to overall endocast volume in Niptomomys (8.61%) than that of other known plesiadapiforms (∼5%) or euprimates (<3.5%). The petrosal lobules (associated with visual stabilization) are relatively large for a Paleocene placental mammal (1.66%). The encephalization quotient of Niptomomys is relatively high (range = 0.35-0.85) compared to that of Microsyops (range = 0.32-0.52), with the upper estimates in the range of values calculated for early euprimates. However, this contrast likely relates in part to the small size of the taxon, and is not associated with evidence of neocortical expansion. These findings are consistent with a model of shifting emphasis in primate evolution toward functions of the cerebrum and away from olfaction with the origin of euprimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chelsea L White
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Scarborough, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - Jonathan I Bloch
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, P.O. Box 117800, Gainesville, FL, 32611-7800, USA
| | - Paul E Morse
- Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, P.O. Box 117800, Gainesville, FL, 32611-7800, USA; Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO, 80045, USA
| | - Mary T Silcox
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Scarborough, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada.
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13
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Herculano-Houzel S. Theropod dinosaurs had primate-like numbers of telencephalic neurons. J Comp Neurol 2023; 531:962-974. [PMID: 36603059 DOI: 10.1002/cne.25453] [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: 07/18/2022] [Revised: 12/05/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the neuronal composition of the brains of dinosaurs and other fossil amniotes would offer fundamental insight into their behavioral and cognitive capabilities, but brain tissue is only rarely fossilized. However, when the bony brain case is preserved, the volume and therefore mass of the brain can be estimated with computer tomography; and if the scaling relationship between brain mass and numbers of neurons for the clade is known, that relationship can be applied to estimate the neuronal composition of the brain. Using a recently published database of numbers of neurons in the telencephalon of extant sauropsids (birds, squamates, and testudines), here I show that the neuronal scaling rules that apply to these animals can be used to infer the numbers of neurons that composed the telencephalon of dinosaur, pterosaur, and other fossil sauropsid species. The key to inferring numbers of telencephalic neurons in these species is first using the relationship between their estimated brain and body mass to determine whether bird-like (endothermic) or squamate-like (ectothermic) rules apply to each fossil sauropsid species. This procedure shows that the notion of "mesothermy" in dinosaurs is an artifact due to the mixing of animals with bird-like and squamate-like scaling, and indicates that theropods such as Tyrannosaurus and Allosaurus were endotherms with baboon- and monkey-like numbers of telencephalic neurons, respectively, which would make these animals not only giant but also long-lived and endowed with flexible cognition, and thus even more magnificent predators than previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzana Herculano-Houzel
- Department of Psychology, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
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14
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Down a Rabbit Hole: Burrowing Behaviour and Larger Home Ranges are Related to Larger Brains in Leporids. J MAMM EVOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s10914-022-09624-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
AbstractStudies on the evolution of brain size variation usually focus on large clades encompassing broad phylogenetic groups. This risks introducing ‘noise’ in the results, often obscuring effects that might be detected in less inclusive clades. Here, we focus on a sample of endocranial volumes (endocasts) of 18 species of rabbits and hares (Lagomorpha: Leporidae), which are a discrete radiation of mammals with a suitably large range of body sizes. Using 60 individuals, we test five popular hypotheses on brain size and olfactory bulb evolution in mammals. We also address the pervasive issue of missing data, using multiple phylogenetic imputations as to conserve the full sample size for all analyses. Our analyses show that home range and burrowing behaviour are the only predictors of leporid brain size variation. Litter size, which is one of the most widely reported constraints on brain size, was unexpectedly not associated with brain size. However, a constraining effect may be masked by a strong association of litter size with temperature seasonality, warranting further study. Lastly, we show that unreasonable estimations of phylogenetic signal (Pagel’s lamba) warrant additional caution when using small sample sizes, such as ours, in comparative studies.
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15
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Funston GF, dePolo PE, Sliwinski JT, Dumont M, Shelley SL, Pichevin LE, Cayzer NJ, Wible JR, Williamson TE, Rae JWB, Brusatte SL. The origin of placental mammal life histories. Nature 2022; 610:107-111. [PMID: 36045293 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05150-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
After the end-Cretaceous extinction, placental mammals quickly diversified1, occupied key ecological niches2,3 and increased in size4,5, but this last was not true of other therians6. The uniquely extended gestation of placental young7 may have factored into their success and size increase8, but reproduction style in early placentals remains unknown. Here we present the earliest record of a placental life history using palaeohistology and geochemistry, in a 62 million-year-old pantodont, the clade including the first mammals to achieve truly large body sizes. We extend the application of dental trace element mapping9,10 by 60 million years, identifying chemical markers of birth and weaning, and calibrate these to a daily record of growth in the dentition. A long gestation (approximately 7 months), rapid dental development and short suckling interval (approximately 30-75 days) show that Pantolambda bathmodon was highly precocial, unlike non-placental mammals and known Mesozoic precursors. These results demonstrate that P. bathmodon reproduced like a placental and lived at a fast pace for its body size. Assuming that P. bathmodon reflects close placental relatives, our findings suggest that the ability to produce well-developed, precocial young was established early in placental evolution, and that larger neonate sizes were a possible mechanism for rapid size increase in early placentals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory F Funston
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK. .,Department of Natural History, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Paige E dePolo
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Jakub T Sliwinski
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Matthew Dumont
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | - Sarah L Shelley
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Nicola J Cayzer
- School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - John R Wible
- Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | | | - James W B Rae
- School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
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Heldstab SA, Isler K, Graber SM, Schuppli C, van Schaik CP. The economics of brain size evolution in vertebrates. Curr Biol 2022; 32:R697-R708. [PMID: 35728555 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.04.096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Across the animal kingdom, we see remarkable variation in brain size. This variation has even increased over evolutionary time. Traditionally, studies aiming to explain brain size evolution have looked at the fitness benefits of increased brain size in relation to its increased cognitive performance in the social and/or ecological domain. However, brains are among the most energetically expensive tissues in the body and also require an uninterrupted energy supply. If not compensated, these energetic demands inevitably lead to a reduction in energy allocation to other vital functions. In this review, we summarize how an increasing number of studies show that to fully comprehend brain size evolution and the large variation in brain size across lineages, it is important to look at the economics of brains, including the different pathways through which the high energetic costs of brains can be offset. We further show how numerous studies converge on the conclusion that cognitive abilities can only drive brain size evolution in vertebrate lineages where they result in an improved energy balance through favourable ecological preconditions. Cognitive benefits that do not directly improve the organism's energy balance can only be selectively favoured when they produce such large improvements in reproduction or survival that they outweigh the negative energetic effects of the large brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra A Heldstab
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; Development and Evolution of Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Bücklestrasse 5a, 78467 Konstanz, Germany.
| | - Karin Isler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Sereina M Graber
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Caroline Schuppli
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; Development and Evolution of Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Bücklestrasse 5a, 78467 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Carel P van Schaik
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; Comparative Socioecology Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Bücklestrasse 5a, 78467 Konstanz, Germany; Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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17
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Lang MM, Bertrand OC, San Martin Flores G, Law CJ, Abdul‐Sater J, Spakowski S, Silcox MT. Scaling Patterns of Cerebellar Petrosal Lobules in Euarchontoglires: Impacts of Ecology and Phylogeny. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2022; 305:3472-3503. [DOI: 10.1002/ar.24929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Madlen M. Lang
- Department of Anthropology University of Toronto Scarborough Toronto ON Canada
| | - Ornella C. Bertrand
- School of GeoSciences University of Edinburgh, Grant Institute Edinburgh Scotland UK
| | | | - Chris J. Law
- Richard Gilder Graduate School, Department of Mammalogy, and Division of Paleontology American Museum of Natural History, 200 Central Park West New York NY
- Department of Biology University of Washington Seattle WA
- The University of Texas at Austin Austin TX
| | - Jade Abdul‐Sater
- Department of Anthropology University of Toronto Scarborough Toronto ON Canada
| | - Shayda Spakowski
- Department of Anthropology University of Toronto Scarborough Toronto ON Canada
| | - Mary T. Silcox
- Department of Anthropology University of Toronto Scarborough Toronto ON Canada
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18
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Smith FA. The road to a larger brain. Science 2022; 376:27-28. [PMID: 35357943 DOI: 10.1126/science.abo1985] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Ecological opportunities in the early Cenozoic favored larger, not smarter, mammals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felisa A Smith
- Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001, USA
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