Brain and behaviour of living and extinct echidnas

Ashwell, Ken W.S.; Hardman, Craig D.; Musser, Anne M.

doi:10.1016/j.zool.2014.05.002

Cited by 10 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…As in reptiles, the monotreme auditory epithelium is separated in two components: the basilar papilla and the lagenar macula, while therians have fused both surfaces in the organ of Corti (Fritzsch et al, 2013 ). More interestingly, although monotremes have an incompletely curved cochlea, it shows some mammalian features like a separation of inner and outer cells in the organ of Corti and nonlinear, cochlear amplification mechanisms that enhance auditory perception (Ashwell et al, 2014 ). Additional evidence for a mosaic evolution of the inner ear comes from the Jurassic mammal Dryolestes , which shows derived features of therian-like auditory cochlear innervation, but still has an uncoiled cochlea (Luo et al, 2011 ).…”

Section: The Ecological Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Olfaction, navigation, and the origin of isocortex

Aboitiz

Montiel

2015

Front. Neurosci.

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There are remarkable similarities between the brains of mammals and birds in terms of microcircuit architecture, despite obvious differences in gross morphology and development. While in reptiles and birds the most expanding component (the dorsal ventricular ridge) displays an overall nuclear shape and derives from the lateral and ventral pallium, in mammals a dorsal pallial, six-layered isocortex shows the most remarkable elaboration. Regardless of discussions about possible homologies between mammalian and avian brains, a main question remains in explaining the emergence of the mammalian isocortex, because it represents a unique phenotype across amniotes. In this article, we propose that the origin of the isocortex was driven by behavioral adaptations involving olfactory driven goal-directed and navigating behaviors. These adaptations were linked with increasing sensory development, which provided selective pressure for the expansion of the dorsal pallium. The latter appeared as an interface in olfactory-hippocampal networks, contributing somatosensory information for navigating behavior. Sensory input from other modalities like vision and audition were subsequently recruited into this expanding region, contributing to multimodal associative networks.

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Section: The Ecological Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

Olfaction, navigation, and the origin of isocortex

Aboitiz

Montiel

2015

Front. Neurosci.

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“…In some cases indirect impacts such as increased hunting by humans after a storm led to higher mortality rates for Pteropus species on Mariana Islands, Samoa, and Vanuatu [107]. Susceptibility to extremely high temperatures has also been reported in the long- and short-beaked echidnas, particularly if they do not have access to cooler shelters, shrinking their distribution in areas with substantial temperature increases [108]. Species of echidnas restricted to montane environments [109] will face the prospect of habitat loss as increasing temperatures destroy montane ecosystems [71, 72].…”

Section: Climate Change Impacts On Terrestrial Vertebrate Faunamentioning

confidence: 99%

Global Climate Change Impacts on Pacific Islands Terrestrial Biodiversity: A Review

Taylor

Kumar

2016

Tropical Conservation Science

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The islands of the Pacific region hold three of the 35 global biodiversity hotspots with large numbers of endemic species. Global climate change will exacerbate the challenges faced by the biodiversity of this region. In this review, we identify trends in characteristics for 305 terrestrial species threatened by climate change and severe weather according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). We then review the literature on observed and potential impacts of climate change on terrestrial biodiversity, focusing on the species' characteristics that were identified. High-elevation ecosystems such as cloud montane forests are projected to disappear entirely by the year 2100, with corresponding global losses of their endemic biodiversity. Sea level rise threatens restricted range species on small low-lying atolls. Shifts in distribution may be possible for generalist species, but range shifts will be difficult for species with small distributions, specialized habitat requirements, slow dispersal rates, and species at high elevations. Accurate assessments of climate change impacts on biodiversity of the region are difficult because of confusion about nomenclature, the many species unknown to science, the lack of baseline data on species' ecology and distributions, and lack of fine resolution elevation data for very small islands. Furthermore, synergistic interactions of climate change with other threats like habitat loss and invasive species have not been comprehensively assessed. Addressing these knowledge gaps will be difficult for Pacific island nations due to limited financial resources and expertise.

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The Monotreme Nervous System

Ashwell

2017

Evolution of Nervous Systems

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Brain and behaviour of living and extinct echidnas

Cited by 10 publications

References 38 publications

Olfaction, navigation, and the origin of isocortex

Olfaction, navigation, and the origin of isocortex

Global Climate Change Impacts on Pacific Islands Terrestrial Biodiversity: A Review

The Monotreme Nervous System

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