Mate choice for cognitive traits: a review of the evidence in nonhuman vertebrates

Boogert, Neeltje J.; Fawcett, Tim W.; Lefebvre, Louis

doi:10.1093/beheco/arq173

Cited by 144 publications

(157 citation statements)

References 191 publications

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“…By decreasing the resources available for brain development, nutritional and developmental stress in the nest can lead to deficits in this song system (MacDonald et al 2006;Schmidt et al 2013) and thus in song learning. Therefore, learned song can be a reliable indicator of a male's fitness potential (Nowicki et al 1998a;Nowicki and Searcy 2004) and general cognitive capacity (Boogert et al 2008(Boogert et al , 2011Templeton et al 2014). Early-life stresses can lead to perceptible differences in song repertoire size (Nowicki et al 2000), the amount of song produced , song complexity (Spencer et al , 2004Soma et al 2006), and learning accuracy (Holveck et al 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cultural niche construction of repertoire size and learning strategies in songbirds

Creanza

Fogarty²,

Feldman

2016

Evol Ecol

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Birdsong is a complex cultural and biological system, and the selective forces driving evolutionary changes in aspects of song learning vary considerably among species. The extent to which repertoire size, the number of syllables or song types sung by a bird, is subject to sexual selection is unknown, and studies to date have provided inconsistent evidence. Here, we propose that selection pressure on the size and complexity of birdsong repertoires may facilitate the construction of a niche in which learning, sexual selection, and song-based homophily may co-evolve. We show, using a review of the birdsong literature and mathematical modeling, that learning mode (open-ended or closed-ended learning) is correlated with the size of birdsong repertoires. Underpinning this correlation may be a form of cultural niche construction in which a costly biological trait (for example, open-ended learning) can spread in a population (or be lost) as a result of direct selection on an associated cultural trait (for example, song repertoire size).

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cultural niche construction of repertoire size and learning strategies in songbirds

Creanza

Fogarty²,

Feldman

2016

Evol Ecol

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“…During reproductive season, males display their traits and/or compete with other males to control resources in order to attract females while females choose males on the basis of male displays and competitive encounters in order to maximize reproductive success and increase offspring quality (Mays and Hill 2004;Andersson and Simmons 2006;Clutton-Brock 2007). Sexual selection is therefore associated with complex decision-making processes including individual recognition and risk assessment (Gibson and Langen 1996;Fisher et al 2002;Castellano 2010;Boogert et al 2011). It is well known that these cognitive processes are dependent on large-scale networks (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A lateralized functional auditory network is involved in anuran sexual selection

et al. 2016

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Right ear advantage (REA) exists in many land vertebrates in which the right ear and left hemisphere preferentially process conspecific acoustic stimuli such as those related to sexual selection. Although ecological and neural mechanisms for sexual selection have been widely studied, the brain networks involved are still poorly understood. In this study we used multi-channel electroencephalographic data in combination with Granger causal connectivity analysis to demonstrate, for the first time, that auditory neural network interconnecting the left and right midbrain and forebrain function asymmetrically in the Emei music frog (Babina daunchina), an anuran species which exhibits REA. The results showed the network was lateralized. Ascending connections between the mesencephalon and telencephalon were stronger in the left side while descending ones were stronger in the right, which matched with the REA in this species and implied that inhibition from the forebrain may induce REA partly. Connections from the telencephalon to ipsilateral mesencephalon in response to white noise were the highest in the non-reproductive stage while those to advertisement calls were the highest in reproductive stage, implying the attention resources and living strategy shift when entered the reproductive season. Finally, these connection changes were sexually dimorphic, revealing sex differences in reproductive roles.[Xue F, Fang G, Yue X, Zhao E, Brauth SE and Tang Y 2016 A lateralized functional auditory network is involved in anuran sexual selection. J.

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“…Still, there is as of yet little compelling data to support this hypothesis. The idea that problem-solving, or intelligence, might be under sexual selection [40] is at least functionally consistent with the notion of prestige, and specifically with social prestige as a consequence of behavioural innovation. A few studies found a positive correlation between problem-solving and mating success [41][42][43], but it is difficult to show that improved mating success is directly owing to preference for problem-solving mates rather than these problem-solving individuals faring better and being in good condition, which makes them attractive mates and successful breeders.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 64%

The magnitude of innovation and its evolution in social animals

Arbilly

Laland

2017

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Innovative behaviour in animals, ranging from invertebrates to humans, is increasingly recognized as an important topic for investigation by behavioural researchers. However, what constitutes an innovation remains controversial, and difficult to quantify. Drawing on a broad definition whereby any behaviour with a new component to it is an innovation, we propose a quantitative measure, which we call the magnitude of innovation, to describe the extent to which an innovative behaviour is novel. This allows us to distinguish between innovations that are a slight change to existing behaviours (low magnitude), and innovations that are substantially different (high magnitude). Using mathematical modelling and evolutionary computer simulations, we explored how aspects of social interaction, cognition and natural selection affect the frequency and magnitude of innovation. We show that high-magnitude innovations are likely to arise regularly even if the frequency of innovation is low, as long as this frequency is relatively constant, and that the selectivity of social learning and the existence of social rewards, such as prestige and royalties, are crucial for innovative behaviour to evolve. We suggest that consideration of the magnitude of innovation may prove a useful tool in the study of the evolution of cognition and of culture.

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Mate choice for cognitive traits: a review of the evidence in nonhuman vertebrates

Cited by 144 publications

References 191 publications

Cultural niche construction of repertoire size and learning strategies in songbirds

Cultural niche construction of repertoire size and learning strategies in songbirds

A lateralized functional auditory network is involved in anuran sexual selection

The magnitude of innovation and its evolution in social animals

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