Seasonality and Age is Positively Related to Brain Size in Andrew’s Toad (Bufo andrewsi)

Jiang, Ao; Zhong, Mao Jun; Xie, Min; Lou, Shang Ling; Jin, Long; Jehle, Robert; Liao, Wen Bo

doi:10.1007/s11692-015-9329-4

Cited by 32 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 49 publications

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“…The majority of hibernating species, however, spends at least one‐third to one‐half of their total lifetime in hibernation and is therefore expected to exhibit relatively small brains. Support for this hypothesis derives not only from the present study but also from an intraspecific study in Andrew's toads ( Bufo andrewsi ), which found that populations with longer periods of hibernation had smaller brains (Jiang et al ., ). Furthermore, a study in extant and extinct bear species reveals that brain size is smaller in species that exhibit dormancy and have a low calorie diet (Veitschegger, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Hibernation constrains brain size evolution in mammals

Heldstab

Isler

Schaik

2018

J of Evolutionary Biology

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The expensive brain hypothesis predicts that the lowest stable level of steady energy input acts as a strong constraint on a species' brain size, and thus, that periodic troughs in net energy intake should select for reduced brain size relative to body mass. Here, we test this prediction for the extreme case of hibernation. Hibernators drastically reduce food intake for up to several months and are therefore expected to have smaller relative brain sizes than nonhibernating species. Using a comparative phylogenetic approach on brain size estimates of 1104 mammalian species, and controlling for possible confounding variables, we indeed found that the presence of hibernation in mammals is correlated with decreased relative brain size. This result adds to recent comparative work across mammals and amphibians supporting the idea that environmental seasonality (where in extremis hibernation is necessary for survival) imposes an energetic challenge and thus acts as an evolutionary constraint on relative brain size.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Hibernation constrains brain size evolution in mammals

Heldstab

Isler

Schaik

2018

J of Evolutionary Biology

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“…Mosaic‐like brain evolution has been documented in sensory areas across a wide variety of taxa (Baron et al ., ; Ranade et al ., ), and also at intraspecific level among populations inhabiting different environments (e.g. Gonda et al ., ; Jiang et al ., ). Hence, further analysis of the anuran brain architecture extending to species occurring in contrasting habitats is likely to uncover further evidence supporting mosaic evolution hypothesis of brain evolution.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Evolution of anuran brains: disentangling ecological and phylogenetic sources of variation

Liao

Lou

Zeng

et al. 2015

J of Evolutionary Biology

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Variation in ecological selection pressures has been implicated to explain variation in brain size and architecture in fishes, birds and mammals, but little is known in this respect about amphibians. Likewise, the relative importance of constraint vs. mosaic hypotheses of brain evolution in explaining variation in brain size and architecture remains contentious. Using phylogenetic comparative methods, we studied interspecific variation in brain size and size of different brain parts among 43 Chinese anuran frogs and explored how much of this variation was explainable by variation in ecological factors (viz. habitat type, diet and predation risk). We also evaluated which of the two above-mentioned hypotheses best explains the observed patterns. Although variation in brain size explained on average 80.5% of the variation in size of different brain parts (supporting the constraint hypothesis), none of the three ecological factors were found to explain variation in overall brain size. However, habitat and diet type explained a significant amount of variation in telencephalon size, as well in three composite measures of brain architecture. Likewise, predation risk explained a significant amount of variation in bulbus olfactorius and optic tecta size. Our results show that evolution of anuran brain accommodates features compatible with both constraint (viz. strong allometry among brain parts) and mosaic (viz. independent size changes in response to ecological factors in certain brain parts) models of brain size evolution.

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“…Here we aimed to verify the predictions of the CBH and the EBH by investigating patterns of variation in brain size and brain structures such as comparative volume of olfactory nerves, olfactory bulbs, telencephalon, optic tectum and cerebellum across six F. limnocharis populations from different altitudes and latitudes along a latitudinal and altitudinal transect in China. Consistent with the EBH, B. andrewsi living at lower latitudes and/or altitudes have larger absolute and relative brain volume (Jiang et al ., ). We hypothesized that the Asian grass frogs would develop larger brains in lower latitudes and/or altitudes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Many physiological and behavioral adaptations of animals reflect environmental conditions. Indeed, it is known that the variability in environmental conditions over time is important for brain size evolution (Sol, Lefebvre & Rodriguez‐Teijeiro, ; Schuck‐Paim, Alonso & Ottoni, ; Roth et al ., ; van Woerden, van Schaik & Isler, ; van Woerden et al ., ; Jiang et al ., ). Two hypotheses – the cognitive buffer hypothesis (CBH) and the expensive brain hypothesis (EBH) – have focused on explaining the relationships between the evolution of brain size and seasonality of habitats.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Studies on brain size evolution at inter‐specific species level have shown that seasonality restricts brain size in strepsirrhine primates as predicted by the EBH and reported weak support for the CBH in lemurs (van Woerden et al ., ). In recent years, the differences in the sizes of brain structures among populations at the intra‐specific level have been regularly reported (Burns & Rodd, ; Gonda, Herczeg & Merilä, , ; Roth & Pravosudov, ; Park & Bell, ; Jiang et al ., ). For instance positive correlations between both the bulbus olfactorius and the telencephalon and habitat complexity in the nine‐spined stickleback (Gonda et al ., ) and between hippocampal volumes and the latitude in a temperate bird were reported (Chrispo & Chapman, ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Brain size evolution in the frog Fejervarya limnocharis supports neither the cognitive buffer nor the expensive brain hypothesis

et al. 2016

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Variable environmental conditions affect brain size evolution. To explain inter‐ and intraspecific brain size variation among vertebrates, two adaptive hypotheses – the expensive brain hypothesis (EBH) and the cognitive buffer hypothesis (CBH) – have been proposed. The EBF proposes that relative brain size is reduced in animals that experience longer periods of low food availability in fluctuating environments. Alternatively, the CBH states that a major advantage of a relatively large brain is to enhance cognitive abilities in fluctuating environments. We found considerable variation in brain size and the sizes of brain structures in the Asian grass frog (Fejervarya limnocharis) among populations. Inconsistent with the predictions of the EBH and the CBH, individuals living in habitats with medium variation in temperatures and length of growth seasons at middle latitude and/or altitude had a relatively large brain, suggesting that environmental habitat‐induced energetic constraints do not play an important role in shaping brain size evolution. Moreover, we also detected a significant intersexual difference in telencephalon size. Specifically, none of relative size of brain structures was correlated with variation in temperature and growth season related to environmental habitats, although latitude strongly affected the relative sizes of telencephalon and cerebellum. Our findings decline both the EBH and the CBH to explain brain size variation in the Asian grass frog. Furthermore, our results also suggest the sex‐specificity of the environmental‐induced brain size evolution in adult frogs associated with reproductive behaviors and spawning site selection.

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Seasonality and Age is Positively Related to Brain Size in Andrew’s Toad (Bufo andrewsi)

Cited by 32 publications

References 49 publications

Hibernation constrains brain size evolution in mammals

Hibernation constrains brain size evolution in mammals

Evolution of anuran brains: disentangling ecological and phylogenetic sources of variation

Brain size evolution in the frog Fejervarya limnocharis supports neither the cognitive buffer nor the expensive brain hypothesis

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