Expanding evolutionary neuroscience: insights from comparing variation in behavior

Jourjine, Nicholas; Hoekstra, Hopi E.

doi:10.1016/j.neuron.2021.02.002

Cited by 75 publications

(52 citation statements)

References 133 publications

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“…Studies of judiciously delimited clades and ecological gradients may better elucidate relationships between adaptations and constraints (cf. Jourjine and Hoekstra, 2021 ). To take a few examples, Jenssen and Swenson (1974) measured the CFF of seven species of Anolis lizards in an optomotor rotating-drum paradigm, finding a clear correlation between preference for brighter habitats and higher CFF.…”

Section: Variation In the Time Scale Of Retinal Responses Between Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal vision: measures, mechanisms and meaning

Donner

2021

Journal of Experimental Biology

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Time is largely a hidden variable in vision. It is the condition for seeing interesting things such as spatial forms and patterns, colours and movements in the external world, and yet is not meant to be noticed in itself. Temporal aspects of visual processing have received comparatively little attention in research. Temporal properties have been made explicit mainly in measurements of resolution and integration in simple tasks such as detection of spatially homogeneous flicker or light pulses of varying duration. Only through a mechanistic understanding of their basis in retinal photoreceptors and circuits can such measures guide modelling of natural vision in different species and illuminate functional and evolutionary trade-offs. Temporal vision research would benefit from bridging traditions that speak different languages. Towards that goal, I here review studies from the fields of human psychophysics, retinal physiology and neuroethology, with a focus on fundamental constraints set by early vision.

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Section: Variation In the Time Scale Of Retinal Responses Between Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal vision: measures, mechanisms and meaning

Donner

2021

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…In this study, we investigate how coordinated alternative phenotypes have evolved along the phylogeny using four closely-related species of Schistocerca that vary in their degrees of plastic responses to changes in density as a ‘model clade’ 36 , 37 . Representing the locust is S. piceifrons , a major pest that regularly swarms in Mexico and Central America 16 , 38 – 40 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative analysis of phenotypic plasticity sheds light on the evolution and molecular underpinnings of locust phase polyphenism

Foquet

Castellanos

Song

2021

Sci Rep

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Locusts exhibit one of nature’s most spectacular examples of complex phenotypic plasticity, in which changes in density cause solitary and cryptic individuals to transform into gregarious and conspicuous locusts forming large migrating swarms. We investigated how these coordinated alternative phenotypes might have evolved by studying the Central American locust and three closely related non-swarming grasshoppers in a comparative framework. By experimentally isolating and crowding during nymphal development, we induced density-dependent phenotypic plasticity and quantified the resulting behavioural, morphological, and molecular reaction norms. All four species exhibited clear plasticity, but the individual reaction norms varied among species and showed different magnitudes. Transcriptomic responses were species-specific, but density-responsive genes were functionally similar across species. There were modules of co-expressed genes that were highly correlated with plastic reaction norms, revealing a potential molecular basis of density-dependent phenotypic plasticity. These findings collectively highlight the importance of studying multiple reaction norms from a comparative perspective.

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“…The change in wing size and shape corresponds to a adaptive shift between the silkmoths and hawkmoths [7], which is now reflected in their kinematics and performance. These sister groups are ideal "model clades" [46] for exploring the morphological, neuromechanical, and behavior diversification of insect flight. Finally, while the design of human engineered flapping fliers is often attributed to inspiration by insect flight, a rich design space might be better inspired by the many strategies that even closely related insects take to achieve similar but flexible flight behaviors.…”

Section: 3mentioning

confidence: 99%

The evolution of two distinct strategies of moth flight

Aiello

Sikandar

Minoguchi

et al. 2020

Preprint

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A wide diversity of wing shapes has evolved, but how is aerodynamic strategy coupled to morphological variation? Here we examine how wing shape has evolved across a phylogenetic split between hawkmoths (Sphingidae) and wild silkmoths (Saturniidae), which have divergent life histories, but agile flight behaviors. Combined with kinematics of exemplar species, we find that these two diverse sister families have evolved two distinct strategies for agile flight. Each group has evolved distinct wing shapes in phylogenetic PCA-space. The notoriously agile hawkmoths have not evolved wing shapes typical of maneuverability, but rather ones that reduce power. Instead their kinematics favor maneuverability, primarily through higher wingbeat frequency. In contrast, silkmoths evolved maneuverable wing shapes and use kinematics that reduce power. Therefore, multiple strategies have evolved to achieve similar aerodynamic performance. We suggest flapping wings provide flexible aerodynamics through kinematics and might release morphological constraints, enabling the diversity of wing shapes across extant flyers.

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Expanding evolutionary neuroscience: insights from comparing variation in behavior

Cited by 75 publications

References 133 publications

Temporal vision: measures, mechanisms and meaning

Temporal vision: measures, mechanisms and meaning

Comparative analysis of phenotypic plasticity sheds light on the evolution and molecular underpinnings of locust phase polyphenism

The evolution of two distinct strategies of moth flight

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