Evolution of behavioural control from chordates to primates

This article outlines a hypothetical sequence of evolutionary innovations, along the lineage that produced humans, which extended behavioural control from simple feedback loops to sophisticated control of diverse species-typical actions. I begin with basic feedback mechanisms of ancient mobile animals and follow the major niche transitions from aquatic to terrestrial life, the retreat into nocturnality in early mammals, the transition to arboreal life and the return to diurnality. Along the way, I propose a sequence of elaboration and diversification of the behavioural repertoire and associated neuroanatomical substrates. This includes midbrain control of approach versus escape actions, telencephalic control of local versus long-range foraging, detection of affordances by the dorsal pallium, diversified control of nocturnal foraging in the mammalian neocortex and expansion of primate frontal, temporal and parietal cortex to support a wide variety of primate-specific behavioural strategies. The result is a proposed functional architecture consisting of parallel control systems, each dedicated to specifying the affordances for guiding particular species-typical actions, which compete against each other through a hierarchy of selection mechanisms. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory’.

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Description And Realization Of Parallel Control Systems

10.1109/cmpcon.1977.680820 ◽

2005 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

M. Courvoisier ◽

R. Valette

Keyword(s):

Control Systems ◽

Parallel Control

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Multi-loop model based parallel control systems

2010 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems ◽

10.1109/iros.2010.5648961 ◽

2010 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

R Osypiuk

Keyword(s):

Control Systems ◽

Loop Model ◽

Model Based ◽

Parallel Control

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How predator hunting-modes affect prey behaviour: Capture deterrence inDrosophila melanogaster

10.1101/010330 ◽

2014 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Abhijna Parigi ◽

Cody Porter ◽

Megan Cermak ◽

William R. Pitchers ◽

Ian Dworkin

Keyword(s):

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Prey Species ◽

Important Determinant ◽

Model Organism ◽

Locomotory Activity ◽

Jumping Spiders ◽

Hunting Mode ◽

Ambush Predators ◽

Behavioural Repertoire ◽

Behavioural Strategies

Hunting mode or the distinct set of behavioural strategies that a predator employs while hunting can be an important determinant of the prey organism?s behavioural response. However, few studies have considered the predator?s hunting mode while describing differences in anti-predatory behaviours of a prey species. Here we document the influence of active hunters (zebra jumping spiders,Salticus scenicus) and ambush predators (Chinese praying mantids,Tenodera aridifolia sinensis) on the capture deterrence anti-predatory behavioural repertoire of the model organism,Drosophila melanogaster. We hypothesized thatD. melanogasterwould reduce overall locomotory activity in the presence of ambush predators, and increase them with active hunters. First we observed and described the behavioural repertoire ofD. melanogasterin the presence of the predators. We documented three previously undescribed behaviours- abdominal lifting, stopping and retreat- which were performed at higher frequency byD. melanogasterin the presence of predators, and may aid in capture deterrence. Consistent with our predictions, we observed an increase in the overall activity ofD. melanogasterin the presence of jumping spiders (active hunter). However, counter to our prediction, mantids (ambush hunter) had only a modest influence on activity. Given these new insights intoDrosophilabehaviour, and with the genetic tools available, dissecting the molecular mechanisms of anti-predator behaviours may now be feasible in this system.

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The evolution of brain architectures for predictive coding and active inference

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2020.0531 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 377 (1844) ◽

Author(s):

Giovanni Pezzulo ◽

Thomas Parr ◽

Karl Friston

Keyword(s):

Predictive Control ◽

Animal Species ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Predictive Coding ◽

Generative Models ◽

Predictive Processing ◽

Active Inference ◽

Biological Regulation ◽

Systems Neuroscience ◽

Behavioural Repertoire

This article considers the evolution of brain architectures for predictive processing. We argue that brain mechanisms for predictive perception and action are not late evolutionary additions of advanced creatures like us. Rather, they emerged gradually from simpler predictive loops (e.g. autonomic and motor reflexes) that were a legacy from our earlier evolutionary ancestors—and were key to solving their fundamental problems of adaptive regulation. We characterize simpler-to-more-complex brains formally, in terms of generative models that include predictive loops of increasing hierarchical breadth and depth. These may start from a simple homeostatic motif and be elaborated during evolution in four main ways: these include the multimodal expansion of predictive control into an allostatic loop; its duplication to form multiple sensorimotor loops that expand an animal's behavioural repertoire; and the gradual endowment of generative models with hierarchical depth (to deal with aspects of the world that unfold at different spatial scales) and temporal depth (to select plans in a future-oriented manner). In turn, these elaborations underwrite the solution to biological regulation problems faced by increasingly sophisticated animals. Our proposal aligns neuroscientific theorising—about predictive processing—with evolutionary and comparative data on brain architectures in different animal species. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Systems neuroscience through the lens of evolutionary theory’.

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Homochirality as the Signature of Extra-Terrestrial Life

International Astronomical Union Colloquium ◽

10.1017/s0252921100015037 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 161 ◽

pp. 505-510

Author(s):

Alexandra J. MacDermott ◽

Laurence D. Barron ◽

Andrè Brack ◽

Thomas Buhse ◽

John R. Cronin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Amino Acids ◽

Protein Synthesis ◽

Optical Rotation ◽

Physical Origin ◽

Natural Choice ◽

Rosetta Mission ◽

Terrestrial Life ◽

Subsurface Layers ◽

Solar System Bodies ◽

Origin Of Homochirality

AbstractThe most characteristic hallmark of life is its homochirality: all biomolecules are usually of one hand, e.g. on Earth life uses only L-amino acids for protein synthesis and not their D mirror images. We therefore suggest that a search for extra-terrestrial life can be approached as a Search for Extra- Terrestrial Homochirality (SETH). The natural choice for a SETH instrument is optical rotation, and we describe a novel miniaturized space polarimeter, called the SETH Cigar, which could be used to detect optical rotation as the homochiral signature of life on other planets. Moving parts are avoided by replacing the normal rotating polarizer by multiple fixed polarizers at different angles as in the eye of the bee. We believe that homochirality may be found in the subsurface layers on Mars as a relic of extinct life, and on other solar system bodies as a sign of advanced pre-biotic chemistry. We discuss the chiral GC-MS planned for the Roland lander of the Rosetta mission to a comet and conclude with theories of the physical origin of homochirality.

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