scholarly journals Evolutionary pressures on primate intertemporal choice

2014 ◽  
Vol 281 (1786) ◽  
pp. 20140499 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey R. Stevens
Keyword(s):  
Group Size ◽  
Social Group ◽  
Intertemporal Choice ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Waiting Times ◽  
Home Range Size ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Relative Brain Size ◽  
Phylogenetic Regression ◽  
Intertemporal Choices

From finding food to choosing mates, animals must make intertemporal choices that involve fitness benefits available at different times. Species vary dramatically in their willingness to wait for delayed rewards. Why does this variation across species exist? An adaptive approach to intertemporal choice suggests that time preferences should reflect the temporal problems faced in a species's environment. Here, I use phylogenetic regression to test whether allometric factors relating to body size, relative brain size and social group size predict how long 13 primate species will wait in laboratory intertemporal choice tasks. Controlling for phylogeny, a composite allometric factor that includes body mass, absolute brain size, lifespan and home range size predicted waiting times, but relative brain size and social group size did not. These findings support the notion that selective pressures have sculpted intertemporal choices to solve adaptive problems faced by animals. Collecting these types of data across a large number of species can provide key insights into the evolution of decision making and cognition.

scholarly journals Coevolution of cultural intelligence, extended life history, sociality, and brain size in primates

2017 ◽  
Vol 114 (30) ◽  
pp. 7908-7914 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally E. Street ◽  
Ana F. Navarrete ◽  
Simon M. Reader ◽  
Kevin N. Laland
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Social Learning ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Social Group ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Human Cognition ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Brain Expansion

Explanations for primate brain expansion and the evolution of human cognition and culture remain contentious despite extensive research. While multiple comparative analyses have investigated variation in brain size across primate species, very few have addressed why primates vary in how much they use social learning. Here, we evaluate the hypothesis that the enhanced reliance on socially transmitted behavior observed in some primates has coevolved with enlarged brains, complex sociality, and extended lifespans. Using recently developed phylogenetic comparative methods we show that, across primate species, a measure of social learning proclivity increases with absolute and relative brain volume, longevity (specifically reproductive lifespan), and social group size, correcting for research effort. We also confirm relationships of absolute and relative brain volume with longevity (both juvenile period and reproductive lifespan) and social group size, although longevity is generally the stronger predictor. Relationships between social learning, brain volume, and longevity remain when controlling for maternal investment and are therefore not simply explained as a by-product of the generally slower life history expected for larger brained species. Our findings suggest that both brain expansion and high reliance on culturally transmitted behavior coevolved with sociality and extended lifespan in primates. This coevolution is consistent with the hypothesis that the evolution of large brains, sociality, and long lifespans has promoted reliance on culture, with reliance on culture in turn driving further increases in brain volume, cognitive abilities, and lifespans in some primate lineages.

Daily Distance Traveled Is Associated with Greater Brain Size in Primates

2020 ◽  
Vol 91 (6) ◽  
pp. 654-668
Author(s):  
Marco Vidal-Cordasco ◽  
Lucía Rodríguez-González ◽  
Olalla Prado-Nóvoa ◽  
Guillermo Zorrilla-Revilla ◽  
Mario Modesto-Mata
Keyword(s):  
Group Size ◽  
Social Group ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Brain Mass ◽  
Daily Movement ◽  
Size Evolution ◽  
Movement Distance ◽  
Extant Primate

Explanations for the brain size increments through primate and, particularly, human evolution are numerous. Commonly, these hypotheses rely on the influence that behavioral and ecological variables have on brain size in extant primates, such as diet quality, social group size, or home range (HR) area. However, HR area does not reflect the time spent moving. As such, it has not been properly addressed whether the effort involved in movement could have affected brain size evolution in primates. This study aimed to test the influence of daily movement on primates’ brain sizes, controlling for these other behavioral and ecological factors. We used a large comparative dataset of extant primate species and phylogenetic comparative methods. Our results show a significant correlation between daily movement and brain mass, which is not explained by the influence of diet, social group size, HR, or body mass. Hence, from an evolutionary timescale, a longer daily movement distance is not a constraining factor for the energetic investment in a larger brain. On the contrary, increased mobility could have contributed to brain mass incrementations through evolution.

Association of social group with both life-history traits and brain size in cooperatively breeding birds

2021 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-278
Author(s):  
Ying Jiang ◽  
Long Jin ◽  
Yi Qiang Fu ◽  
Wen Bo Liao
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Social Group ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Size Variation ◽  
Breeding Birds ◽  
Alloparental Care ◽  
Cooperatively Breeding ◽  
Relative Brain Size

Abstract Social group is associated with life-history traits and can predict brain size variation in cooperative primates and some other mammal groups, but such explicit relationships remain enigmatic in cooperatively breeding birds. Indeed, some compositions of social group in cooperative species (e.g., helper number and group size) would affect the fitness of breeders by providing alloparental care. Here, we conducted comparative tests of the relationship between the social group and both life-history traits and brain size across 197 species of cooperatively breeding birds using phylogenetically controlled comparative analyses. We did not find any correlations between helper numbers and both life-history traits and brain size. However, we found that maximum group size was positively associated with clutch size. Moreover, average group size has positive associations with body mass and relative brain size. Our findings suggest that helper numbers cannot promote variation in relative brain size, while larger groups may predict bigger brains in cooperatively breeding birds.

Brain-Behavior Relations in Primates and Cetaceans: Implications for the Ubiquity of Factors Leading to the Evolution of Complex Intelligence

1997 ◽  
Vol 161 ◽  
pp. 553-560
Author(s):  
Lori Marino
Keyword(s):  
Information Processing ◽  
Social Behavior ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Social Group ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Behavioral Evolution ◽  
Brain Organization ◽  
Body Weights ◽  
Evolutionary Paths ◽  
Brain Behavior

AbstractThis paper describes the results of a project aimed at addressing questions about the evolution of intelligence by utilizing comparisons of brain-behavior relations in cetaceans (dolphins and whales) and primates. Three specific questions were asked. First, have any cetaceans reached a hominid level of encephalization? Second, are cetacean-primate comparisons of brain organization useful for grappling with the differences that are bound to exist between any extraterrestrial organism and ourselves? Third, are there similarities in brain-behavior relations in cetaceans and primates that suggest behavioral evolution is shaped by general factors? Brain and body weights for cetacean and primate species were collected and compared with each other and with data on brain organization and social behavior. The results revealed that a hominid level of encephalization is not unique in mammalian history. Furthermore, cetacean-primate comparisons can be useful in understanding the different ways in which information processing systems can be organized. Finally, a comparison of the relation between encephalization and social group size in primates and cetaceans preliminarily suggests that similar mental capacities can be achieved through different independent evolutionary paths and that there may be factors common to behavioral evolution in all intelligent organisms.

scholarly journals A Farewell to the Encephalization Quotient: A New Brain Size Measure for Comparative Primate Cognition

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Carel P. van Schaik ◽  
Zegni Triki ◽  
Redouan Bshary ◽  
Sandra A. Heldstab
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Cognitive Abilities ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Estimation Error ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Encephalization Quotient ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Size Measure

Both absolute and relative brain sizes vary greatly among and within the major vertebrate lineages. Scientists have long debated how larger brains in primates and hominins translate into greater cognitive performance, and in particular how to control for the relationship between the noncognitive functions of the brain and body size. One solution to this problem is to establish the slope of cognitive equivalence, i.e., the line connecting organisms with an identical bauplan but different body sizes. The original approach to estimate this slope through intraspecific regressions was abandoned after it became clear that it generated slopes that were too low by an unknown margin due to estimation error. Here, we revisit this method. We control for the error problem by focusing on highly dimorphic primate species with large sample sizes and fitting a line through the mean values for adult females and males. We obtain the best estimate for the slope of circa 0.27, a value much lower than those constructed using all mammal species and close to the value expected based on the genetic correlation between brain size and body size. We also find that the estimate of cognitive brain size based on cognitive equivalence fits empirical cognitive studies better than the encephalization quotient, which should therefore be avoided in future studies on primates and presumably mammals and birds in general. The use of residuals from the line of cognitive equivalence may change conclusions concerning the cognitive abilities of extant and extinct primate species, including hominins.

scholarly journals Molecular evolutionary analysis of human primary microcephaly genes

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nashaiman Pervaiz ◽  
Hongen Kang ◽  
Yiming Bao ◽  
Amir Ali Abbasi
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Genetic Basis ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Evolutionary Analysis ◽  
Australopithecus Afarensis ◽  
Primary Microcephaly ◽  
Modern Humans ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Brain

Abstract Background There has been a rapid increase in the brain size relative to body size during mammalian evolutionary history. In particular, the enlarged and globular brain is the most distinctive anatomical feature of modern humans that set us apart from other extinct and extant primate species. Genetic basis of large brain size in modern humans has largely remained enigmatic. Genes associated with the pathological reduction of brain size (primary microcephaly-MCPH) have the characteristics and functions to be considered ideal candidates to unravel the genetic basis of evolutionary enlargement of human brain size. For instance, the brain size of microcephaly patients is similar to the brain size of Pan troglodyte and the very early hominids like the Sahelanthropus tchadensis and Australopithecus afarensis. Results The present study investigates the molecular evolutionary history of subset of autosomal recessive primary microcephaly (MCPH) genes; CEP135, ZNF335, PHC1, SASS6, CDK6, MFSD2A, CIT, and KIF14 across 48 mammalian species. Codon based substitutions site analysis indicated that ZNF335, SASS6, CIT, and KIF14 have experienced positive selection in eutherian evolutionary history. Estimation of divergent selection pressure revealed that almost all of the MCPH genes analyzed in the present study have maintained their functions throughout the history of placental mammals. Contrary to our expectations, human-specific adoptive evolution was not detected for any of the MCPH genes analyzed in the present study. Conclusion Based on these data it can be inferred that protein-coding sequence of MCPH genes might not be the sole determinant of increase in relative brain size during primate evolutionary history.

Brains of early carnivores

Paleobiology ◽  
1977 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 333-349 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonard Radinsky
Keyword(s):  
Fossil Record ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
Biological Significance ◽  
Evolutionary Trends ◽  
Relative Brain Size

It is commonly believed that the brains of the ancestors of modern carnivores (miacids) were superior to (e.g., larger than) those of other early carnivores (creodonts and mesonychids). Examination of the fossil record of brains of early carnivores reveals no evidence to support that belief. Moreover, evolutionary trends towards increasing relative brain size and an expansion of neocortex are seen in both miacids and creodonts. The neocortex expanded in a different way in miacids than in creodonts and mesonychids (evidenced by different sulcal patterns), but the biological significance of the observed differences is unknown.

scholarly journals Ecological aspects of black-pincelled marmoset (Callithrix penicillata) in the cerradão and dense cerrado of the Brazilian Central Plateau

2001 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 397-404 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. H. B. de MIRANDA ◽  
D. S. de FARIA
Keyword(s):  
Home Range ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Botanical Garden ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Central Plateau ◽  
Bird Eggs ◽  
Different Seasons ◽  
Gallery Forests

Ecological data about three free-ranging groups of C. penicillata (black-pincelled marmoset) were observed between March and December 1996, in one cerradão patch (in the Ecological Reserve of Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, RECOR) and two patches of dense cerrado (one in the Recor and another in the Botanical Garden of Brasília, JBB), situated in the APA (area of environmental protection) of the Gama/Cabeça-de-Veado, Distrito Federal. Each area was visited weekly during three periods of two months -- end of the rainy season (01/04 to 31/05), dry season (16/06 to 15/08) and beginning of the rainy season (14/10 to 15/12) -- and instantaneous scan records at fifteen minute intervals were made for the vertical and horizontal position of each visible individual of the target group. The group size ranged between 4 and 11 elements. In September, the birth of twins in both groups of the Recor was observed. Home-range varied from 8.25 to 18.5 hectares, while density ranged from 0.4 to 0.82 ind/ha. Twenty two species of nine tree families were identified as exudate sources. Qualea grandiflora (Vochysiaceae), Vochysia thyrsoidea (Vochysiaceae), Scheflera macrocarpum (Araliaceae) and Qualea parviflora (Vochysiaceae) were more explored. Fruits (14 species, two of which were exotics), nectar, honey, arthropods (mainly orthopterans) and bird eggs complete their diet. The main sleep-tree species was Emmotum nitens (Icacinaceae). Data from different seasons and studied groups/areas were compared along previous data from this primate species in gallery forests. In the cerradão and dense cerrado areas C. penicillata had a similar group size, however a larger home-range and smaller density than in gallery forests were observed in this study.

scholarly journals RELATIVE BRAIN SIZE AND FEEDING STRATEGIES IN THE CHIROPTERA

Evolution ◽  
1978 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 740-751 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F. Eisenberg ◽  
Don E. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Brain Size ◽  
Feeding Strategies ◽  
Relative Brain Size
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