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Dickinson E, Young MW, Tanis D, Granatosky MC. Patterns and Factors Influencing Parrot (Order: Psittaciformes) Success in Establishing Thriving Naturalized Populations within the Contiguous United States. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:2101. [PMID: 37443899 DOI: 10.3390/ani13132101] [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: 05/26/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Parrots (Order: Psittaciformes) represent one of the most striking and ecomorphologically diverse avian clades, spanning more than two orders of magnitude in body size with populations occupying six continents. The worldwide diaspora of parrots is largely due to the pet trade, driven by human desire for bright, colorful, and intelligent animals as companions. Some introduced species have aptly inserted themselves into the local ecosystem and established successful breeding colonies all around the globe. Notably, the United States is home to several thriving populations of introduced species including red-masked parakeets (Psittacara erythrogenys), monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus), nanday conures (Aratinga nenday), and red-crowned amazons (Amazona viridigenalis). Their incredible success globally begs the question as to how these birds adapt so readily to novel environments. In this commentary, we trace parrots through evolutionary history, contextualize existent naturalized parrot populations within the contiguous United States, and provide a phylogenetic regression analysis of body mass and brain size based on success in establishing breeding populations. The propensity for a parrot species to become established appears to be phylogenetically driven. Notably, parrots in the family Cacatuidae and Neotropical Pyrrhua appear to be poor at establishing themselves in the United States once released. Although brain size among Psittaciformes did not show a significant impact on successful breeding in the continental United States, we propose that the success of parrots can be attributed to their charismatic nature, significant intelligence relative to other avian lineages, and behavioral flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin Dickinson
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
| | - Melody W Young
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
| | - Daniel Tanis
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
| | - Michael C Granatosky
- Department of Anatomy, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
- Center for Biomedical Innovation, College of Osteopathic Medicine, New York Institute of Technology, Old Westbury, NY 11568, USA
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2
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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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3
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The impact of environmental factors on the evolution of brain size in carnivorans. Commun Biol 2022; 5:998. [PMID: 36130990 PMCID: PMC9492690 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-022-03748-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The reasons why some animals have developed larger brains has long been a subject of debate. Yet, it remains unclear which selective pressures may favour the encephalization and how it may act during evolution at different taxonomic scales. Here we studied the patterns and tempo of brain evolution within the order Carnivora and present large-scale comparative analysis of the effect of ecological, environmental, social, and physiological variables on relative brain size in a sample of 174 extant carnivoran species. We found a complex pattern of brain size change between carnivoran families with differences in both the rate and diversity of encephalization. Our findings suggest that during carnivorans’ evolution, a trade-off have occurred between the cognitive advantages of acquiring a relatively large brain allowing to adapt to specific environments, and the metabolic costs of the brain which may constitute a disadvantage when facing the need to colonize new environments. The brain size of carnivores has evolved to balance a trade-off between increased cognitive function and increased metabolic cost.
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4
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Abstract
The reasons why some animals have developed larger brains has long been a subject of debate. Yet, it remains unclear which selective pressures may favour the encephalization and how it may act during evolution at different taxonomic scales. Here we studied the patterns and tempo of brain evolution within the order Carnivora and present large-scale comparative analysis of the effect of ecological, environmental, social, and physiological variables on relative brain size in a sample of 174 extant carnivoran species. We found a complex pattern of brain size change between carnivoran families with differences in both the rate and diversity of encephalization. Our findings suggest that during carnivorans' evolution, a trade-off have occurred between the cognitive advantages of acquiring a relatively large brain allowing to adapt to specific environments, and the metabolic costs of the brain which may constitute a disadvantage when facing the need to colonize new environments.
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5
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Axelrod CJ, Robinson BW, Laberge F. Evolutionary divergence in phenotypic plasticity shapes brain size variation between coexisting sunfish ecotypes. J Evol Biol 2022; 35:1363-1377. [PMID: 36073994 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14085] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2022] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Mechanisms that generate brain size variation and the consequences of such variation on ecological performance are poorly understood in most natural animal populations. We use a reciprocal-transplant common garden experiment and foraging performance trials to test for brain size plasticity and the functional consequences of brain size variation in Pumpkinseed sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus) ecotypes that have diverged between nearshore littoral and offshore pelagic lake habitats. Different age-classes of wild-caught juveniles from both habitats were exposed for 6 months to treatments that mimicked littoral and pelagic foraging. Plastic responses in oral jaw size suggested that treatments mimicked natural habitat-specific foraging conditions. Plastic brain size responses to foraging manipulations differed between ecotypes, as only pelagic sourced fish showed brain size plasticity. Only pelagic juveniles under 1 year-old expressed this plastic response, suggesting that plastic brain size responses decline with age and so may be irreversible. Finally, larger brain size was associated with enhanced foraging performance on live benthic but not pelagic prey, providing the first experimental evidence of a relationship between brain size and prey-specific foraging performance in fishes. The recent post-glacial origin of these ecotypes suggests that brain size plasticity can rapidly evolve and diverge in fish under contrasting ecological conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caleb J Axelrod
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Beren W Robinson
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Frédéric Laberge
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
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6
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Hooper R, Brett B, Thornton A. Problems with using comparative analyses of avian brain size to test hypotheses of cognitive evolution. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0270771. [PMID: 35867640 PMCID: PMC9307164 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0270771] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
There are multiple hypotheses for the evolution of cognition. The most prominent hypotheses are the Social Intelligence Hypothesis (SIH) and the Ecological Intelligence Hypothesis (EIH), which are often pitted against one another. These hypotheses tend to be tested using broad-scale comparative studies of brain size, where brain size is used as a proxy of cognitive ability, and various social and/or ecological variables are included as predictors. Here, we test how robust conclusions drawn from such analyses may be. First, we investigate variation in brain and body size measurements across >1000 bird species. We demonstrate that there is substantial variation in brain and body size estimates across datasets, indicating that conclusions drawn from comparative brain size models are likely to differ depending on the source of the data. Following this, we subset our data to the Corvides infraorder and interrogate how modelling decisions impact results. We show that model results change substantially depending on variable inclusion, source and classification. Indeed, we could have drawn multiple contradictory conclusions about the principal drivers of brain size evolution. These results reflect concerns from a growing number of researchers that conclusions drawn from comparative brain size studies may not be robust. We suggest that to interrogate hypotheses of cognitive evolution, a fruitful way forward is to focus on testing cognitive performance within and between closely related taxa, with an emphasis on understanding the relationship between informational uncertainty and cognitive evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Hooper
- University of Exeter, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Penryn Campus, Cornwall, United Kingdom
- University of Exeter, Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Streatham Campus, Exeter, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (RH); (AT)
| | - Becky Brett
- University of Exeter, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Penryn Campus, Cornwall, United Kingdom
| | - Alex Thornton
- University of Exeter, Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Penryn Campus, Cornwall, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (RH); (AT)
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7
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Fischer S, Jungwirth A. The costs and benefits of larger brains in fishes. J Evol Biol 2022; 35:973-985. [PMID: 35612352 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The astonishing diversity of brain sizes observed across the animal kingdom is typically explained in the context of trade-offs: the benefits of a larger brain, such as enhanced cognitive ability, are balanced against potential costs, such as increased energetic demands. Several hypotheses have been formulated in this framework, placing different emphasis on ecological, behavioural, or physiological aspects of trade-offs in brain size evolution. Within this body of work, there exists considerable taxonomic bias towards studies of birds and mammals, leaving some uncertainty about the generality of the respective arguments. Here, we test three of the most prominent such hypotheses, the 'expensive tissue', 'social brain' and 'cognitive buffer' hypotheses, in a large dataset of fishes, derived from a publicly available resource (FishBase). In accordance with predictions from the 'expensive tissue' and the 'social brain' hypothesis, larger brains co-occur with reduced fecundity and increased sociality in at least some Classes of fish. Contrary to expectations, however, lifespan is reduced in large-brained fishes, and there is a tendency for species that perform parental care to have smaller brains. As such, it appears that some potential costs (reduced fecundity) and benefits (increased sociality) of large brains are near universal to vertebrates, whereas others have more lineage-specific effects. We discuss our findings in the context of fundamental differences between the classically studied birds and mammals and the fishes we analyse here, namely divergent patterns of growth, parenting and neurogenesis. As such, our work highlights the need for a taxonomically diverse approach to any fundamental question in evolutionary biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Fischer
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Arne Jungwirth
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
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8
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Baukhagen HSS, Engell MD. Avian cognition and the implications for captive parrot welfare. Anim Welf 2022. [DOI: 10.7120/09627286.31.2.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Previously assumed to be unintelligent animals, many species of birds display high levels of cognition and may even possess conscious awareness. In particular, both corvids and parrots have been the focus of cognitive research including studies on problem-solving, social intelligence,
and sentience. Despite their similar neural architecture and cognitive abilities, the laws regarding these two families of birds differ greatly. In the United States, it is illegal to keep corvids as pets. Parrots, however, are one of the most commonly kept pets in America, although their
care in captivity remains largely unregulated. Captive parrots suffer from a number of medical and psychological issues and experience high rates of neglect and abandonment. At the same time, wild parrot populations are dwindling due both to habitat loss and capture for the pet trade. This
review examines the novel findings on avian cognition and applies them to the potential ethical implications of keeping parrots in captivity. In addition, suggestions for future directions are presented, including the development of legislation to protect captive and wild parrots.
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Affiliation(s)
- HS Starenchak Baukhagen
- North Carolina State University, Department of Biological Sciences, David Clark Labs 150, Box 7617, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - MD Engell
- North Carolina State University, Department of Biological Sciences, David Clark Labs 150, Box 7617, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
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9
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Smeele SQ, Conde DA, Baudisch A, Bruslund S, Iwaniuk A, Staerk J, Wright TF, Young AM, McElreath MB, Aplin L. Coevolution of relative brain size and life expectancy in parrots. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20212397. [PMID: 35317667 PMCID: PMC8941425 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have demonstrated a correlation between longevity and brain size in a variety of taxa. Little research has been devoted to understanding this link in parrots; yet parrots are well-known for both their exceptionally long lives and cognitive complexity. We employed a large-scale comparative analysis that investigated the influence of brain size and life-history variables on longevity in parrots. Specifically, we addressed two hypotheses for evolutionary drivers of longevity: the cognitivebuffer hypothesis, which proposes that increased cognitive abilities enable longer lifespans, and the expensive brain hypothesis, which holds that increases in lifespan are caused by prolonged developmental time of, and increased parental investment in, large-brained offspring. We estimated life expectancy from detailed zoo records for 133 818 individuals across 244 parrot species. Using a principled Bayesian approach that addresses data uncertainty and imputation of missing values, we found a consistent correlation between relative brain size and life expectancy in parrots. This correlation was best explained by a direct effect of relative brain size. Notably, we found no effects of developmental time, clutch size or age at first reproduction. Our results suggest that selection for enhanced cognitive abilities in parrots has in turn promoted longer lifespans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simeon Q Smeele
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.,Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Dalia A Conde
- Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Species360 Conservation Science Alliance, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Annette Baudisch
- Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark
| | - Simon Bruslund
- Vogelpark Marlow gGmbH, Marlow, Germany.,Parrot Taxon Advisory Group, European Association of Zoos and Aquaria, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Andrew Iwaniuk
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Canada
| | - Johanna Staerk
- Interdisciplinary Centre on Population Dynamics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Department of Biology, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.,Species360 Conservation Science Alliance, Bloomington, IN, USA
| | - Timothy F Wright
- Biology Department, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM, USA
| | - Anna M Young
- The Living Desert Zoo and GardensPalm Desert, Palm Desert, CA, USA
| | - Mary Brooke McElreath
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Lucy Aplin
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany.,Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany.,Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
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10
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The Effect of Housing System and Gender on Relative Brain Weight, Body Temperature, Hematological Traits, and Bone Quality in Muscovy Ducks. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12030370. [PMID: 35158693 PMCID: PMC8833475 DOI: 10.3390/ani12030370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2022] [Accepted: 02/01/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
The study was conducted during the summer season (June–August 2020). Two hundred sixty-four 5-week-old sexed Muscovy ducklings were randomly divided into four equal experimental groups by housing system and by gender. Each group had three replicates (22 birds/replicate) in a randomized design experiment. Regarding the hematological traits, the volume of leukocytes was higher in the D group (by 0.34 × 109/L; p < 0.05) than in the S group. Furthermore, body temperature was found to be higher in ducks (by 0.84 °C; p < 0.05) and in the D group (by 0.5 °C; p < 0.05) in comparison with drakes and birds from the S group. Considering relative brain weight, drakes had higher values than ducks (by 0.56 g; p < 0.05), and birds from the S group also manifested higher values (by 0.78 g; p < 0.05). In terms of bone quality, there were no differences in studied parameters of tibia and femur bones regarding housing systems. The results provide valuable evidence of differences in the fattening of intensively bred Muscovy ducks within the housing system but also regarding gender.
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11
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In mixed company: two macaws are self-regarding in a symbolic prosocial choice task. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03123-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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12
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Mellor EL, McDonald Kinkaid HK, Mendl MT, Cuthill IC, van Zeeland YRA, Mason GJ. Nature calls: intelligence and natural foraging style predict poor welfare in captive parrots. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211952. [PMID: 34610768 PMCID: PMC8493207 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding why some species thrive in captivity, while others struggle to adjust, can suggest new ways to improve animal care. Approximately half of all Psittaciformes, a highly threatened order, live in zoos, breeding centres and private homes. Here, some species are prone to behavioural and reproductive problems that raise conservation and ethical concerns. To identify risk factors, we analysed data on hatching rates in breeding centres (115 species, 10 255 pairs) and stereotypic behaviour (SB) in private homes (50 species, 1378 individuals), using phylogenetic comparative methods (PCMs). Small captive population sizes predicted low hatch rates, potentially due to genetic bottlenecks, inbreeding and low availability of compatible mates. Species naturally reliant on diets requiring substantial handling were most prone to feather-damaging behaviours (e.g. self-plucking), indicating inadequacies in the composition or presentation of feed (often highly processed). Parrot species with relatively large brains were most prone to oral and whole-body SB: the first empirical evidence that intelligence can confer poor captive welfare. Together, results suggest that more naturalistic diets would improve welfare, and that intelligent psittacines need increased cognitive stimulation. These findings should help improve captive parrot care and inspire further PCM research to understand species differences in responses to captivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma L. Mellor
- Bristol Veterinary School, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | | | | | - Innes C. Cuthill
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
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13
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Tracking Changes of Hidden Food: Spatial Pattern Learning in Two Macaw Species. BIRDS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/birds2030021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Food availability may vary spatially and temporally within an environment. Efficiency in locating alternative food sources using spatial information (e.g., distribution patterns) may vary according to a species’ diet and habitat specialisation. Hypothetically, more generalist species would learn faster than more specialist species due to being more explorative when changes occur. We tested this hypothesis in two closely related macaw species, differing in their degree of diet and habitat specialisation; the more generalist Great Green Macaw and the more specialist Blue-throated Macaw. We examined their spatial pattern learning performance under predictable temporal and spatial change, using a ‘poke box’ that contained hidden food placed within wells. Each week, the rewarded wells formed two patterns (A and B), which were changed on a mid-week schedule. We found that the two patterns varied in their difficulty. We also found that the more generalist Great Green Macaws took fewer trials to learn the easier pattern and made more mean correct responses in the difficult pattern than the more specialist Blue-throated Macaws, thus supporting our hypothesis. The better learning performance of the Great Green Macaws may be explained by more exploration and trading-off accuracy for speed. These results suggest how variation in diet and habitat specialisation may relate to a species’ ability to adapt to spatial variation in food availability.
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14
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Street-level green spaces support a key urban population of the threatened Hispaniolan parakeet Psittacara chloropterus. Urban Ecosyst 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s11252-021-01119-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
AbstractWhile urbanisation remains a major threat to biodiversity, urban areas can sometimes play an important role in protecting threatened species, especially exploited taxa such as parrots. The Hispaniolan Parakeet Psittacara chloropterus has been extirpated across much of Hispaniola, including from most protected areas, yet Santo Domingo (capital city of the Dominican Republic) has recently been found to support the island’s densest remaining population. In 2019, we used repeated transects and point-counts across 60 1 km2 squares of Santo Domingo to examine the distribution of parakeets, identify factors that might drive local presence and abundance, and investigate breeding ecology. Occupancy models indicate that parakeet presence was positively related to tree species richness across the city. N-Mixture models show parakeet encounter rates were correlated positively with species richness of trees and number of discrete ‘green’ patches (> 100 m2) within the survey squares. Hispaniolan Woodpecker Melanerpes striatus, the main tree-cavity-producing species on Hispaniola, occurs throughout the city, but few parakeet nests are known to involve the secondary use of its or other cavities in trees/palms. Most parakeet breeding (perhaps 50–100 pairs) appears to occur at two colonies in old buildings, and possibly only a small proportion of the city’s 1500+ parakeets that occupy a single roost in street trees breed in any year. Our models emphasise the importance of parks and gardens in providing feeding resources for this IUCN Vulnerable species. Hispaniola’s urban centres may be strongholds for populations of parakeets and may even represent sources for birds to recolonise formerly occupied areas on the island.
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15
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De Meester G, Sfendouraki-Basakarou A, Pafilis P, Van Damme R. Dealing with the unexpected: the effect of environmental variability on behavioural flexibility in a Mediterranean lizard. BEHAVIOUR 2021. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/06/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Harsh and variable environments have been hypothesized to both drive and constrain the evolution towards higher cognitive abilities and behavioural flexibility. In this study, we compared the cognitive abilities of island and mainland Aegean wall lizards (Podarcis erhardii), which were expected to live in respectively a more variable and a more stable habitat. We used four proxies of behavioural flexibility: a neophobia assay, a problem-solving test and a spatial + reversal learning task. Surprisingly, the two populations did not differ in neophobia or problem-solving. Insular lizards, however, outperformed mainland conspecifics in an initial spatial learning task, but were less successful during the subsequent reversal learning. Our results thus seem to indicate that the effect of environmental variability on cognition is complex, as it may favour some, but not all aspects of behavioural flexibility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gilles De Meester
- Department of Biology, Functional Morphology Group, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
- Department of Biology, Section of Zoology and Marine Biology, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Alkyoni Sfendouraki-Basakarou
- Department of Biology, Section of Zoology and Marine Biology, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Panayiotis Pafilis
- Department of Biology, Section of Zoology and Marine Biology, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Raoul Van Damme
- Department of Biology, Functional Morphology Group, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
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16
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Kaplan G. Play behaviour, not tool using, relates to brain mass in a sample of birds. Sci Rep 2020; 10:20437. [PMID: 33235248 PMCID: PMC7687885 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-76572-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Play behaviour and tool using in birds, two well-delineated and amply researched behaviours, have generally been associated with cognitive abilities. In this study, these behaviours were related to relative brain mass in a sample of Australian native birds. Despite suggestive research results so far between cognition and tool using, this study found no significant difference in relative brain mass or in lifespan between tool-using birds and non-tool users. By contrast, in play behaviour, subdivided into social players and non-social players, the results showed statistically very clear differences in relative brain mass between social, non-social and non-players. Social play was associated with both the largest brain mass to body mass ratios and with the longest lifespans. The results show that play behaviour is a crucial variable associated with brain enlargement, not tool using. Since many of the tool using species tested so far also play, this study suggests that false conclusions can be drawn about the connection between tool using and cognitive ability when the silent variable (play behaviour) is not taken into account.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gisela Kaplan
- School of Science and Technology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW, 2351, Australia.
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17
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Barbosa JM, Hiraldo F, Romero MÁ, Tella JL. When does agriculture enter into conflict with wildlife? A global assessment of parrot–agriculture conflicts and their conservation effects. DIVERS DISTRIB 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jomar M. Barbosa
- Department of Conservation Biology Estación Biológica de DoñanaC.S.I.C. Seville Spain
| | - Fernando Hiraldo
- Department of Conservation Biology Estación Biológica de DoñanaC.S.I.C. Seville Spain
| | - Miguel Á. Romero
- Department of Conservation Biology Estación Biológica de DoñanaC.S.I.C. Seville Spain
| | - José L. Tella
- Department of Conservation Biology Estación Biológica de DoñanaC.S.I.C. Seville Spain
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18
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Environmental variability supports chimpanzee behavioural diversity. Nat Commun 2020; 11:4451. [PMID: 32934202 PMCID: PMC7493986 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18176-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2019] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Large brains and behavioural innovation are positively correlated, species-specific traits, associated with the behavioural flexibility animals need for adapting to seasonal and unpredictable habitats. Similar ecological challenges would have been important drivers throughout human evolution. However, studies examining the influence of environmental variability on within-species behavioural diversity are lacking despite the critical assumption that population diversification precedes genetic divergence and speciation. Here, using a dataset of 144 wild chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) communities, we show that chimpanzees exhibit greater behavioural diversity in environments with more variability — in both recent and historical timescales. Notably, distance from Pleistocene forest refugia is associated with the presence of a larger number of behavioural traits, including both tool and non-tool use behaviours. Since more than half of the behaviours investigated are also likely to be cultural, we suggest that environmental variability was a critical evolutionary force promoting the behavioural, as well as cultural diversification of great apes. Environmental variability is one potential driver of behavioural and cultural diversity in humans and other animals. Here, the authors show that chimpanzee behavioural diversity is higher in habitats that are more seasonal and historically unstable, and in savannah woodland relative to forested sites.
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Jiménez-Ortega D, Kolm N, Immler S, Maklakov AA, Gonzalez-Voyer A. Long life evolves in large-brained bird lineages. Evolution 2020; 74:2617-2628. [PMID: 32840865 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Revised: 08/15/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
The brain is an energetically costly organ that consumes a disproportionate amount of resources. Species with larger brains relative to their body size have slower life histories, with reduced output per reproductive event and delayed development times that can be offset by increasing behavioral flexibility. The "cognitive buffer" hypothesis maintains that large brain size decreases extrinsic mortality due to greater behavioral flexibility, leading to a longer lifespan. Alternatively, slow life histories, and long lifespan can be a pre-adaptation for the evolution of larger brains. Here, we use phylogenetic path analysis to contrast different evolutionary scenarios and disentangle direct and indirect relationships between brain size, body size, life history, and longevity across 339 altricial and precocial bird species. Our results support both a direct causal link between brain size and lifespan, and an indirect effect via other life history traits. These results indicate that large brain size engenders longer life, as proposed by the "cognitive buffer" hypothesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dante Jiménez-Ortega
- Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, 04510, México.,Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, 04510, México
| | - Niclas Kolm
- Zoology Department, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Simone Immler
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
| | - Alexei A Maklakov
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom
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20
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Abstract
This paper aimed to explore and clarify the concept of behavioral flexibility. A selective literature review explored how the concept of behavioral flexibility has been used in ways that range from acknowledging the fact that animals’ behavior is not always bounded by instinctual constraints, to describing the variation between species in their capacity for innovative foraging, a capacity that has repeatedly been linked to having a brain larger than would be predicted from body size. This wide range of usages of a single term has led to some conceptual confusion. We sought to find a more precise meaning for behavioral flexibility by representing it within a simple formal model of problem solving. The key to our model is to distinguish between an animal’s state of knowledge about the world and its observable behavior, using a construct of response strength to represent that underlying knowledge. We modelled behavioral flexibility as a parameter in the function that transforms response strengths into observable response probabilities. We tested this model in simulations based on some recent experimental work on animal problem solving. Initial results showed that parametric manipulation can mimic some of the behavioral effects that have been attributed to flexibility.
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21
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Wagnon GS, Brown CR. Smaller brained cliff swallows are more likely to die during harsh weather. Biol Lett 2020; 16:20200264. [PMID: 32673545 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2020.0264] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The cognitive-buffer hypothesis proposes that more harsh and unpredictable environments favour animals with larger brains and resulting greater cognitive skills. Comparisons across taxa have supported the hypothesis, but it has rarely been tested within a species. We measured brain size, as inferred from head dimensions, for 1141 cliff swallow specimens collected in western Nebraska, 1982-2018. Cliff swallows starving to death during unusual late-spring cold snaps had significantly smaller brains than those dying from other causes, suggesting that brain size in this species can affect foraging success and that greater cognitive ability may confer advantages when conditions exceed normal environmental extremes. Brain size declined significantly with the size of the breeding colony from which a specimen came. Larger brains may be favoured in smaller colonies that represent more unpredictable and more challenging social environments where there is less public information on food sources and less collective vigilance against predators, even in relatively normal conditions. Our results provide intraspecific support for the cognitive-buffer hypothesis and emphasize the potential evolutionary impact of rare climatic events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gigi S Wagnon
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tulsa, 800 S. Tucker Dr., Tulsa 74104, OK, USA
| | - Charles R Brown
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Tulsa, 800 S. Tucker Dr., Tulsa 74104, OK, USA
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22
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Ksepka DT, Balanoff AM, Smith NA, Bever GS, Bhullar BAS, Bourdon E, Braun EL, Burleigh JG, Clarke JA, Colbert MW, Corfield JR, Degrange FJ, De Pietri VL, Early CM, Field DJ, Gignac PM, Gold MEL, Kimball RT, Kawabe S, Lefebvre L, Marugán-Lobón J, Mongle CS, Morhardt A, Norell MA, Ridgely RC, Rothman RS, Scofield RP, Tambussi CP, Torres CR, van Tuinen M, Walsh SA, Watanabe A, Witmer LM, Wright AK, Zanno LE, Jarvis ED, Smaers JB. Tempo and Pattern of Avian Brain Size Evolution. Curr Biol 2020; 30:2026-2036.e3. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.03.060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2019] [Revised: 02/05/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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23
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Culumber ZW, Engel N, Travis J, Hughes KA. Larger female brains do not reduce male sexual coercion. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.11.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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24
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Abelson ES. Big brains reduce extinction risk in Carnivora. Oecologia 2019; 191:721-729. [PMID: 31650235 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-019-04527-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Accepted: 10/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Why are some mammals more vulnerable to extinction than others? Past studies have explored many life history traits as correlates of extinction, but have not been successful at developing a unified understanding of why some species become extinct while other species persist despite living at the same time, under similar conditions, and facing equivalent challenges. I propose that the lens of wildlife behavior may bring into focus a more comprehensive view of why some species have gone extinct while others persist. The fossil record has recorded extinction events over carnivoran history; unfortunately, behavior is not well recorded in the fossil record. As a proxy for behavior, I examine relative encephalization (RE), brain size after controlling for body mass and phylogeny, as it has been found to be biologically relevant in understanding a wide variety of animal behavioral traits. I focus on the data-rich order Carnivora for which there are comprehensive data on brain size and extinction between 40 and 0.012 million years ago. I use Cox proportional-hazards models to assess the role that RE and body size have played on extinction risk for 224 species in the order Carnivora that existed between 40 and 0.012 million years ago. I show generally that carnivoran species with reduced RE had higher relative risks of extinction. Additionally, I find an interaction between RE and body size such that RE had the largest effects on relative extinction risk in the smallest-bodied species. These results suggest that RE is important for understanding extinction risk in Carnivora over geologic time frames.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric S Abelson
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, USA. .,USDA Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Albany, USA.
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25
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De Meester G, Huyghe K, Van Damme R. Brain size, ecology and sociality: a reptilian perspective. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/bly206] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Gilles De Meester
- Functional Morphology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Katleen Huyghe
- Functional Morphology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Raoul Van Damme
- Functional Morphology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, Belgium
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26
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27
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Cardilini APA, Micallef S, Bishop VR, Sherman CDH, Meddle SL, Buchanan KL. Environmental Influences on Neuromorphology in the Non-Native Starling Sturnus vulgaris. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2018; 92:63-70. [PMID: 30212810 DOI: 10.1159/000491672] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2018] [Accepted: 06/28/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive traits are predicted to be under intense selection in animals moving into new environments and may determine the success, or otherwise, of dispersal and invasions. In particular, spatial information related to resource distribution is an important determinant of neural development. Spatial information is predicted to vary for invasive species encountering novel environments. However, few studies have tested how cognition or neural development varies intraspecifically within an invasive species. In Australia, the non-native common starling Sturnus vulgaris inhabits a range of habitats that vary in seasonal resource availability and distribution. We aimed to identify variations in the brain mass and hippocampus volume of starlings in Australia related to environmental variation across two substantially different habitat types. Specifically, we predicted variation in brain mass and hippocampal volume in relation to environmental conditions, latitude, and climatic variables. To test this, brain mass and volumes of the hippocampus and two control brain regions (telencephalon and tractus septomesencephalicus) were quantified from starling brains gathered from across the species' range in south eastern Australia. When comparing across an environmental gradient, there was a significant interaction between sex and environment for overall brain mass, with greater sexual dimorphism in brain mass in inland populations compared to those at the coast. There was no significant difference in hippocampal volume in relation to environmental measures (hippocampus volume, n = 17) for either sex. While these data provide no evidence for intraspecific environmental drivers for changes in hippocampus volume in European starlings in Australia, they do suggest that environmental factors contribute to sex differences in brain mass. This study identifies associations between the brain volume of a non-native species and the environment; further work in this area is required to elucidate the mechanisms driving this relationship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam P A Cardilini
- Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, .,School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology (Waurn Ponds Campus), Waurn Ponds, Victoria,
| | - Sarah Micallef
- Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.,School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology (Waurn Ponds Campus), Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia
| | - Valerie R Bishop
- The Roslin Institute, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian, United Kingdom
| | - Craig D H Sherman
- Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.,School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology (Waurn Ponds Campus), Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia
| | - Simone L Meddle
- The Roslin Institute, The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush Campus, Midlothian, United Kingdom
| | - Katherine L Buchanan
- Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.,School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Centre for Integrative Ecology (Waurn Ponds Campus), Waurn Ponds, Victoria, Australia
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28
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van Horik JO, Emery NJ. Serial reversal learning and cognitive flexibility in two species of Neotropical parrots (Diopsittaca nobilis and Pionites melanocephala). Behav Processes 2018; 157:664-672. [PMID: 29656091 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2018.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2017] [Revised: 03/08/2018] [Accepted: 04/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Serial reversal learning of colour discriminations was assessed as an index of cognitive flexibility in two captive species of Neotropical parrots. Both species showed similar performances across serial reversals and no between species differences were observed. In a second task subjects' performances were assessed after they experienced either a low or high pre-reversal learning criterion. If reversal performances improve through processes of associative learning, a high pre-reversal criterion is expected to strengthen previously learned associations and hence impede post-reversal performances. Conversely, highly reinforced associations may facilitate the use of conditional rules that can be generalised across reversals and improve post-reversal performances. We found that high criterion subjects made fewer post-reversal errors and required fewer trials to reach criterion, than low criterion subjects. Red-shouldered macaws and black-headed caiques may therefore demonstrate capacities for solving serial reversal problems by applying conditional rules, rather than learning solely by associative processes. Such performances coincide with findings in great apes, but contrast with findings in monkeys and prosimians, which generally show impaired reversal performances when trained to a highly rigorous pre-reversal criterion. Overall, these findings suggest an evolutionary convergence of cognitive flexibility between parrots and non-human great apes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jayden O van Horik
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK; Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK.
| | - Nathan J Emery
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
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29
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Kang F, Goulet CT, Chapple DG. The impact of urbanization on learning ability in an invasive lizard. Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blx131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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30
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Luo Y, Zhong MJ, Huang Y, Li F, Liao WB, Kotrschal A. Seasonality and brain size are negatively associated in frogs: evidence for the expensive brain framework. Sci Rep 2017; 7:16629. [PMID: 29192284 PMCID: PMC5709389 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-16921-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2017] [Accepted: 11/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The challenges of seasonal environments are thought to contribute to brain evolution, but in which way is debated. According to the Cognitive Buffer Hypothesis (CBH) brain size should increase with seasonality, as the cognitive benefits of a larger brain should help overcoming periods of food scarcity via, for instance, increased behavioral flexibility. However, in line with the Expensive Brain Framework (EBF) brain size should decrease with seasonality because a smaller brain confers energetic benefits in periods of food scarcity. Empirical evidence is inconclusive and mostly limited to homoeothermic animals. Here we used phylogenetic comparative analyses to test the impact of seasonality on brain evolution across 30 species of anurans (frogs) experiencing a wide range of temperature and precipitation. Our results support the EBF because relative brain size and the size of the optic tectum were negatively correlated with variability in temperature. In contrast, we found no association between the variability in precipitation and the length of the dry season with either brain size or the sizes of other major brain regions. We suggest that seasonality-induced food scarcity resulting from higher variability in temperature constrains brain size evolution in anurans. Less seasonal environments may therefore facilitate the evolution of larger brains in poikilothermic animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Luo
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637009, Sichuan, China
- Institute of Eco-adaptation in Amphibians and Reptiles, China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637009, Sichuan, China
| | - Mao Jun Zhong
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637009, Sichuan, China
- Institute of Eco-adaptation in Amphibians and Reptiles, China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637009, Sichuan, China
| | - Yan Huang
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637009, Sichuan, China
- Institute of Eco-adaptation in Amphibians and Reptiles, China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637009, Sichuan, China
| | - Feng Li
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637009, Sichuan, China
- Institute of Eco-adaptation in Amphibians and Reptiles, China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637009, Sichuan, China
| | - Wen Bo Liao
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education), China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637009, Sichuan, China.
- Institute of Eco-adaptation in Amphibians and Reptiles, China West Normal University, Nanchong, 637009, Sichuan, China.
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31
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Heldstab SA, van Schaik CP, Isler K. Being fat and smart: A comparative analysis of the fat-brain trade-off in mammals. J Hum Evol 2017; 100:25-34. [PMID: 27765147 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2016.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2015] [Revised: 09/01/2016] [Accepted: 09/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Humans stand out among non-aquatic mammals by having both an extremely large brain and a relatively large amount of body fat. To understand the evolution of this human peculiarity we report a phylogenetic comparative study of 120 mammalian species, including 30 primates, using seasonal variation in adult body mass as a proxy of the tendency to store fat. Species that rely on storing fat to survive lean periods are expected to be less active because of higher costs of locomotion and have increased predation risk due to reduced agility. Because a fat-storage strategy reduces the net cognitive benefit of a large brain without reducing its cost, such species should be less likely to evolve a larger brain than non-fat-storing species. We therefore predict that the two strategies to buffer food shortages (storing body fat and cognitive flexibility) are compensatory, and therefore predict negative co-evolution between relative brain size and seasonal variation in body mass. This trade-off is expected to be stronger in predominantly arboreal species than in more terrestrial ones, as the cost of transporting additional adipose depots is higher for climbing than for horizontal locomotion. We did, indeed, find a significant negative correlation between brain size and coefficient of variation (CV) in body mass in both sexes for the subsample of arboreal species, both in all mammals and within primates. In predominantly terrestrial species, in contrast, this correlation was not significant. We therefore suggest that the adoption of habitually terrestrial locomotor habits, accompanied by a reduced reliance on climbing, has allowed for a primate of our body size the unique human combination of unusually large brains and unusually large adipose depots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandra A Heldstab
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Carel P van Schaik
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Karin Isler
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland.
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32
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Minias P, Podlaszczuk P. Longevity is associated with relative brain size in birds. Ecol Evol 2017; 7:3558-3566. [PMID: 28515891 PMCID: PMC5433984 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.2961] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2017] [Revised: 02/28/2017] [Accepted: 03/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Brain size of vertebrates has long been recognized to evolve in close association with basic life-history traits, including lifespan. According to the cognitive buffer hypothesis, large brains facilitate the construction of behavioral responses against novel socioecological challenges through general cognitive processes, which should reduce mortality and increase lifespan. While the occurrence of brain size-lifespan correlation has been well documented in mammals, much less evidence exists for a robust link between brain size and longevity in birds. The aim of this study was to use phylogenetically controlled comparative approach to test for the relationship between brain size and longevity among 384 avian species from 23 orders. We used maximum lifespan and maximum reproductive lifespan as the measures of longevity and accounted for a set of possible confounding effects, such as allometry, sampling effort, geographic patterns, and life-history components (clutch size, incubation length, and mode of development). We found that both measures of longevity positively correlated with relative (residual) brain size. We also showed that major diversification of brain size preceded diversification of longevity in avian evolution. In contrast to previous findings, the effect of brain size on longevity was consistent across lineages with different development patterns, although the relatively low strength of this correlation could likely be attributed to the ubiquity of allomaternal care associated with the altricial mode of development. Our study indicates that the positive relationship between brain size and longevity in birds may be more general than previously thought.
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Affiliation(s)
- Piotr Minias
- Department of Biodiversity Studies and BioeducationFaculty of Biology and Environmental ProtectionUniversity of ŁódźŁódźPoland
| | - Patrycja Podlaszczuk
- Department of Biodiversity Studies and BioeducationFaculty of Biology and Environmental ProtectionUniversity of ŁódźŁódźPoland
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33
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Sayol F, Maspons J, Lapiedra O, Iwaniuk AN, Székely T, Sol D. Environmental variation and the evolution of large brains in birds. Nat Commun 2016; 7:13971. [PMID: 28004733 PMCID: PMC5192215 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Accepted: 11/17/2016] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental variability has long been postulated as a major selective force in the evolution of large brains. However, assembling evidence for this hypothesis has proved difficult. Here, by combining brain size information for over 1,200 bird species with remote-sensing analyses to estimate temporal variation in ecosystem productivity, we show that larger brains (relative to body size) are more likely to occur in species exposed to larger environmental variation throughout their geographic range. Our reconstructions of evolutionary trajectories are consistent with the hypothesis that larger brains (relative to body size) evolved when the species invaded more seasonal regions. However, the alternative—that the species already possessed larger brains when they invaded more seasonal regions—cannot be completely ruled out. Regardless of the exact mechanism, our findings provide strong empirical support for the association between large brains and environmental variability. Environmental variation has been hypothesized to favour the evolution of large brains capable of adjusting behaviour to changing circumstances. Here, Sayol et al. find that across more than 1200 bird species, species with relatively large brains are indeed associated with more variable habitats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ferran Sayol
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Catalonia, Spain
| | - Joan Maspons
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Catalonia, Spain
| | - Oriol Lapiedra
- Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 01238, USA
| | - Andrew N Iwaniuk
- Department of Neuroscience, Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Tamás Székely
- Milner Centre of Evolution, Department of Biology &Biochemistry, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | - Daniel Sol
- CREAF, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Catalonia, Spain.,CSIC, Cerdanyola del Vallès, 08193 Catalonia, Spain
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34
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Mai CL, Liao J, Zhao L, Liu SM, Liao WB. Brain size evolution in the frog Fejervarya limnocharis
supports neither the cognitive buffer nor the expensive brain hypothesis. J Zool (1987) 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- C. L. Mai
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education); China West Normal University; Nanchong China
| | - J. Liao
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education); China West Normal University; Nanchong China
| | - L. Zhao
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education); China West Normal University; Nanchong China
| | - S. M. Liu
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education); China West Normal University; Nanchong China
| | - W. B. Liao
- Key Laboratory of Southwest China Wildlife Resources Conservation (Ministry of Education); China West Normal University; Nanchong China
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Chantall-Rocha S, Japyassú HF. Diffuse resistance courtship in the scorpion Rhopalurus rochai (Scorpiones: Buthidae). Behav Processes 2016; 135:45-55. [PMID: 27908665 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2016.11.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2016] [Revised: 11/14/2016] [Accepted: 11/27/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Male-female courtship signals are frequently subject to arms races, with patterns of behaviour evolving reciprocally to manipulate the reproductive output. Female resistance should be particularly effective when asymmetrical offspring care occurs under low and unpredictable resource distribution, because this would increase maternal costs. Our hypothesis is that under these conditions females will evolve diffuse mating strategies to avoid predictable exploitation by male optimal counter tactics. Mating in scorpions is a complex process, and female resistance occurs through specific behaviours. Here we focus on the scorpion Rhopalurus rochai that inhabits strongly unpredictable arid habitats. We find that courtship success does not rely on typical resistance and stimulatory patterns of behaviours. The screening for prospective partners occurs in the pre-dance phase. Network statistics reveal that unsuccessful courtships are characterised by reduced complexity of interactions, a result typical of non-additive interactions that introduce unpredictability in the network. Unpredictable female resistance reduces male control over female reproduction more effectively than resistance through specific behavioural tactics; it could be selected in cases of extreme parental investment asymmetry, particularly in the context of resource fluctuation, as in the scorpion R. rochai, that inhabits environments with characteristic climatic unpredictability. Female resistance through a diffuse process would function as an extremely efficient screening device. The establishment of diffuse female resistance courtship would preclude the evolution of simple/single male optimal behavioural patterns, and thus the male-female arms races would reach a more complex state, whereby varied and contextually dependent male strategies would be required to settle the reproductive game.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shayanne Chantall-Rocha
- Núcleo de Etologia e Evolução, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA), Rua Barão de Jeremoabo s/n - Ondina, 41170-290 Salvador, BA, Brazil
| | - Hilton F Japyassú
- Núcleo de Etologia e Evolução, Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal da Bahia (UFBA), Rua Barão de Jeremoabo s/n - Ondina, 41170-290 Salvador, BA, Brazil.
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Vincze O. Light enough to travel or wise enough to stay? Brain size evolution and migratory behavior in birds. Evolution 2016; 70:2123-33. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2016] [Revised: 07/11/2016] [Accepted: 07/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Orsolya Vincze
- MTA-DE “Lendület” Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human Biology; University of Debrecen; Debrecen H-4032 Hungary
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Hungarian Department of Biology and Ecology; Babeş-Bolyai University; Cluj-Napoca 400006 Romania
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Kroshko J, Clubb R, Harper L, Mellor E, Moehrenschlager A, Mason G. Stereotypic route tracing in captive Carnivora is predicted by species-typical home range sizes and hunting styles. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.05.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Sayol F, Lefebvre L, Sol D. Relative Brain Size and Its Relation with the Associative Pallium in Birds. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2016; 87:69-77. [DOI: 10.1159/000444670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2015] [Accepted: 02/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Despite growing interest in the evolution of enlarged brains, the biological significance of brain size variation remains controversial. Much of the controversy is over the extent to which brain structures have evolved independently of each other (mosaic evolution) or in a coordinated way (concerted evolution). If larger brains have evolved by the increase of different brain regions in different species, it follows that comparisons of the whole brain might be biologically meaningless. Such an argument has been used to criticize comparative attempts to explain the existing variation in whole-brain size among species. Here, we show that pallium areas associated with domain-general cognition represent a large fraction of the entire brain, are disproportionally larger in large-brained birds and accurately predict variation in the whole brain when allometric effects are appropriately accounted for. While this does not question the importance of mosaic evolution, it suggests that examining specialized, small areas of the brain is not very helpful for understanding why some birds have evolved such large brains. Instead, the size of the whole brain reflects consistent variation in associative pallium areas and hence is functionally meaningful for comparative analyses.
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MacDonald K, Smaers JB, Steele J. Hominin geographical range dynamics and relative brain size: Do non-human primates provide a good analogy? J Hum Evol 2015; 87:66-77. [PMID: 26077889 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2013] [Revised: 05/12/2015] [Accepted: 05/17/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
We use climatic and satellite remote sensing data to characterize environmental seasonality in the geographical ranges of extant non-human primates in order to assess the effect of relative brain size on tolerance of more seasonal habitats. Demonstration of such an effect in living non-human primates could provide a comparative framework for modeling hominin dispersals and geographical range dynamics in the Pliocene and Pleistocene. Our analyses found no such effect: there are neither positive nor negative correlations between relative brain size and either geographical range size or the average and range of values for environmental seasonality, whether analysed at the level of all primates, or within parvorders (strepsirrhine, catarrhine, platyrrhine). Independent analyses by other researchers comparing feeding behaviour and ecology at individual primate study sites demonstrate that in seasonal environments, the year-round metabolic costs of maintaining a relatively large brain are met by adaptive behavioural/dietary strategies. However, consistent with our own results, those comparative studies found that there was no overall association, whether positive or negative, between 'raw' environmental seasonality and primate relative brain size. We must therefore look elsewhere for a comparative model of hominin geographical range dynamics in the Pleistocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharine MacDonald
- Faculty of Archaeology, University of Leiden, Postbus 9515, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | | | - James Steele
- Institute of Archaeology, University College London, UK; SGAES, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa
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40
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41
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Plasticity-mediated persistence in new and changing environments. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY 2014; 2014:416497. [PMID: 25386380 PMCID: PMC4216699 DOI: 10.1155/2014/416497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2014] [Revised: 09/29/2014] [Accepted: 09/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Baldwin's synthesis of the Organicist position, first published in 1896 and elaborated in 1902, sought to rescue environmentally induced phenotypes from disrepute by showing their Darwinian significance. Of particular interest to Baldwin was plasticity's mediating role during environmental change or colonization—plastic individuals were more likely to successfully survive and reproduce in new environments than were nonplastic individuals. Once a population of plastic individuals had become established, plasticity could further mediate the future course of evolution. The evidence for plasticity-mediated persistence (PMP) is reviewed here with a particular focus on evolutionary rescue experiments, studies on invasive success, and the role of learning in survival. Many PMP studies are methodologically limited, showing that preexistent plasticity has utility in new environments (soft PMP) rather than directly demonstrating that plasticity is responsible for persistence (hard PMP). An ideal PMP study would be able to demonstrate that (1) plasticity preexisted environmental change, (2) plasticity was fortuitously beneficial in the new environment, (3) plasticity was responsible for individual persistence in the new environment, and (4) plasticity was responsible for population persistence in succeeding generations. Although PMP is not ubiquitous, Baldwin's hypotheses have been largely vindicated in theoretical and empirical studies, but much work remains.
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van Woerden JT, van Schaik CP, Isler K. Brief Communication: Seasonality of diet composition is related to brain size in New World Monkeys. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2014; 154:628-32. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2014] [Accepted: 05/20/2014] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Carel P. van Schaik
- Anthropological Institute and Museum; University of Zurich; CH-8057 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Karin Isler
- Anthropological Institute and Museum; University of Zurich; CH-8057 Zurich Switzerland
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Amrein I, Becker AS, Engler S, Huang SH, Müller J, Slomianka L, Oosthuizen MK. Adult neurogenesis and its anatomical context in the hippocampus of three mole-rat species. Front Neuroanat 2014; 8:39. [PMID: 24904308 PMCID: PMC4033039 DOI: 10.3389/fnana.2014.00039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2014] [Accepted: 04/30/2014] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
African mole-rats (family Bathyergidae) are small to medium sized, long-lived, and strictly subterranean rodents that became valuable animal models as a result of their longevity and diversity in social organization. The formation and integration of new hippocampal neurons in adult mammals (adult hippocampal neurogenesis, AHN) correlates negatively with age and positively with habitat complexity. Here we present quantitative data on AHN in wild-derived mole-rats of 1 year and older, and briefly describe its anatomical context including markers of neuronal function (calbindin and parvalbumin). Solitary Cape mole-rats (Georychus capensis), social highveld mole-rats (Cryptomys hottentotus pretoriae), and eusocial naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber) were assessed. Compared to other rodents, the hippocampal formation in mole-rats is small, but shows a distinct cytoarchitecture in the dentate gyrus and CA1. Distributions of the calcium-binding proteins differ from those seen in rodents; e.g., calbindin in CA3 of naked mole-rats distributes similar to the pattern seen in early primate development, and calbindin staining extends into the stratum lacunosum-moleculare of Cape mole-rats. Proliferating cells and young neurons are found in low numbers in the hippocampus of all three mole-rat species. Resident granule cell numbers are low as well. Proliferating cells expressed as a percentage of resident granule cells are in the range of other rodents, while the percentage of young neurons is lower than that observed in surface dwelling rodents. Between mole-rat species, we observed no difference in the percentage of proliferating cells. The percentages of young neurons are high in social highveld and naked mole-rats, and low in solitary Cape mole-rats. The findings support that proliferation is regulated independently of average life expectancy and habitat. Instead, neuronal differentiation reflects species-specific demands, which appear lower in subterranean rodents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irmgard Amrein
- Division of Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, University of ZürichZürich, Switzerland
| | - Anton S. Becker
- Division of Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, University of ZürichZürich, Switzerland
| | - Stefanie Engler
- Division of Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, University of ZürichZürich, Switzerland
| | - Shih-hui Huang
- Division of Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, University of ZürichZürich, Switzerland
| | - Julian Müller
- Division of Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, University of ZürichZürich, Switzerland
| | - Lutz Slomianka
- Division of Functional Neuroanatomy, Institute of Anatomy, University of ZürichZürich, Switzerland
| | - Maria K. Oosthuizen
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of PretoriaPretoria, South Africa
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Mettke-Hofmann C. Cognitive ecology: ecological factors, life-styles, and cognition. WILEY INTERDISCIPLINARY REVIEWS. COGNITIVE SCIENCE 2014; 5:345-60. [PMID: 26308568 DOI: 10.1002/wcs.1289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 55] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2013] [Revised: 01/30/2014] [Accepted: 02/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED Cognitive ecology integrates cognition, ecology, and neurobiology in one topic and has recently broadened into an exciting diversity of themes covering the entire range of cognition and ecological conditions. The review identifies three major environmental factors interacting with cognition: environmental variation (predictable and unpredictable), environmental complexity and predation. Generally, variable environments favor cognitive abilities such as exploration, learning, innovation, memory and also result in larger brains as compared to stable environments. Likewise, cognition is enhanced in complex versus simple environments, whereas the relationship between predation and cognitive abilities can be positive or negative. However, organisms have often evolved entire life-styles (e.g., residency versus migration, food-caching versus noncaching, generalism versus specialism) to deal with these environmental factors. Considering cognition within this framework provides a much more diverse picture of how cognitive abilities evolved in conjunction with other adaptations to environmental challenges. This integrated approach identifies gaps of knowledge and allows the formulation of hypotheses for future testing. Several recently emerged approaches study cognitive abilities at a new and in part highly integrated level. For example, the effect that environment has on the development of cognitive abilities during ontogeny will improve our understanding about cause and effect and gene-environment interactions. Together with two recently emerged highly integrative approaches that link personality and pace-of-life syndromes with cognitive ecology these new directions will improve insight how cognition is interlinked with other major organizational processes. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. CONFLICT OF INTEREST The author has declared no conflicts of interest for this article.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Mettke-Hofmann
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
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45
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Performance on the Hamilton search task, and the influence of lateralization, in captive orange-winged Amazon parrots (Amazona amazonica). Anim Cogn 2013; 17:901-9. [DOI: 10.1007/s10071-013-0723-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2013] [Revised: 12/03/2013] [Accepted: 12/09/2013] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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46
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Jacobs IF, Osvath M, Osvath H, Mioduszewska B, von Bayern AMP, Kacelnik A. Object caching in corvids: incidence and significance. Behav Processes 2013; 102:25-32. [PMID: 24333834 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2013.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2013] [Revised: 11/19/2013] [Accepted: 12/02/2013] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Food caching is a paramount model for studying relations between cognition, brain organisation and ecology in corvids. In contrast, behaviour towards inedible objects is poorly examined and understood. We review the literature on object caching in corvids and other birds, and describe an exploratory study on object caching in ravens, New Caledonian crows and jackdaws. The captive adult birds were presented with an identical set of novel objects adjacent to food. All three species cached objects, which shows the behaviour not to be restricted to juveniles, food cachers, tool-users or individuals deprived of cacheable food. The pattern of object interaction and caching did not mirror the incidence of food caching: the intensely food caching ravens indeed showed highest object caching incidence, but the rarely food caching jackdaws cached objects to similar extent as the moderate food caching New Caledonian crows. Ravens and jackdaws preferred objects with greater sphericity, but New Caledonian crows preferred stick-like objects (similar to tools). We suggest that the observed object caching might have been expressions of exploration or play, and deserves being studied in its own right because of its potential significance for tool-related behaviour and learning, rather than as an over-spill from food-caching research. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: CO3 2013.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivo F Jacobs
- Department of Cognitive Science, Lund University, Kungshuset, Lundagård, 222 22 Lund, Sweden.
| | - Mathias Osvath
- Department of Cognitive Science, Lund University, Kungshuset, Lundagård, 222 22 Lund, Sweden
| | - Helena Osvath
- Department of Cognitive Science, Lund University, Kungshuset, Lundagård, 222 22 Lund, Sweden
| | - Berenika Mioduszewska
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Auguste M P von Bayern
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany; Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Park Road, OX1 3PS Oxford, UK
| | - Alex Kacelnik
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Park Road, OX1 3PS Oxford, UK
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Botero CA, Rubenstein DR. Fluctuating environments, sexual selection and the evolution of flexible mate choice in birds. PLoS One 2012; 7:e32311. [PMID: 22359681 PMCID: PMC3281128 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0032311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2011] [Accepted: 01/26/2012] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmentally-induced fluctuation in the form and strength of natural selection can drive the evolution of morphology, physiology, and behavior. Here we test the idea that fluctuating climatic conditions may also influence the process of sexual selection by inducing unexpected reversals in the relative quality or sexual attractiveness of potential breeding partners. Although this phenomenon, known as 'ecological cross-over', has been documented in a variety of species, it remains unclear the extent to which it has driven the evolution of major interspecific differences in reproductive behavior. We show that after controlling for potentially influential life history and demographic variables, there are significant positive associations between the variability and predictability of annual climatic cycles and the prevalence of infidelity and divorce within populations of a taxonomically diverse array of socially monogamous birds. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that environmental factors have shaped the evolution of reproductive flexibility and suggest that in the absence of severe time constraints, secondary mate choice behaviors can help prevent, correct, or minimize the negative consequences of ecological cross-overs. Our findings also illustrate how a basic evolutionary process like sexual selection is susceptible to the increasing variability and unpredictability of climatic conditions that is resulting from climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos A Botero
- National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, Durham, North Carolina, United States of America.
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48
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van Woerden JT, Willems EP, van Schaik CP, Isler K. LARGE BRAINS BUFFER ENERGETIC EFFECTS OF SEASONAL HABITATS IN CATARRHINE PRIMATES. Evolution 2011; 66:191-9. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2011.01434.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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49
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Speciation, diversity, and Mode 1 technologies: The impact of variability selection. J Hum Evol 2011; 61:306-19. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2011.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2010] [Revised: 04/03/2011] [Accepted: 04/10/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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50
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Overington SE, Griffin AS, Sol D, Lefebvre L. Are innovative species ecological generalists? A test in North American birds. Behav Ecol 2011. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arr130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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