The benefit of evolving a larger brain: big-brained guppies perform better in a cognitive task

Kotrschal, Alexander; Rogell, Björn; Bundsen, Andreas; Svensson, Beatrice; Zajitschek, Susanne; Brännström, Ioana Onut; Immler, Simone; Maklakov, Alexei A.; Kolm, Niclas

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.07.011

Cited by 66 publications

(67 citation statements)

References 18 publications

(11 reference statements)

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“…In humans, costs are even greater in infancy, with our brains consuming about 50% of the resting energy as newborns, 66% of RMR at age 4 years, as compared with 20% for adults [38]. The high energetic costs of the human brain highlight the importance of strong selective benefits to having a larger brain and enhanced cognitive abilities in human evolution [39,40].…”

Section: Energy Constraints For the Enlarging Brainmentioning

confidence: 99%

The evolutionary roles of nutrition selection and dietary quality in the human brain size and encephalization

Burini

Leonard

2018

Nutrire

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Background: Humans and other primates have evolved particular morphological and biological traits (e.g., larger brains, slower growth, longer-lived offspring) that distinguish them from most other mammals. The evolution of many distinctive human characteristics, such as our large brain sizes, reduced gut sizes, and high activity budgets, suggest major energetic and dietary shifts. Main body: Over the course of the last three million years, hominin brain sizes tripled. It is often taken for granted that the benefit of a larger brain is an increase in "intelligence" that makes us stand out among other mammals, including our nearest relatives, the primates. In the case of humans, brain expansion was associated with changes in diet, foraging, and energy metabolism. The first marked expansion occurred with the appearance of the genus Homo. Improved diet quality, allomaternal subsidies, cognitive buffering [by earlier weaning and longer juvenile periods], reduced costs for locomotion and by cooperative behavior, and reduced allocation to production, all operated simultaneously, thus enabling the extraordinary brain enlargement in our lineage. Conclusion: It appears that major expansion of brain size in the human lineage is the product of synergistically interacting dietary/nutritional and social forces. Although dietary change was not being the sole force responsible for the evolution of large brain size, the exploitation of high-quality foods likely fueled the energetic costs of larger brains and necessitated more complex behaviors that would have selected for greater brain size.

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Section: Energy Constraints For the Enlarging Brainmentioning

confidence: 99%

The evolutionary roles of nutrition selection and dietary quality in the human brain size and encephalization

Burini

Leonard

2018

Nutrire

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“…Specifically, increased brain size can enhance individual fitness through improved cognitive ability (Deaner, Isler, Burkart, & van Schaik, 2007; Gibson, 2002; Kotrschal et al., 2013a,b; Striedter, 2005). Moreover, certain brain regions often show an increase in size that is associated with specific ecological conditions likely to select for this growth (Eifert et al., 2015; Gonzalez‐Voyer & Kolm, 2010; Krebs, Sherry, Healy, Perry, & Vaccarino, 1989; de Winter & Oxnard, 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental enrichment, sexual dimorphism, and brain size in sticklebacks

Toli

Noreikienė

DeFaveri

et al. 2017

Ecology and Evolution

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Evidence for phenotypic plasticity in brain size and the size of different brain parts is widespread, but experimental investigations into this effect remain scarce and are usually conducted using individuals from a single population. As the costs and benefits of plasticity may differ among populations, the extent of brain plasticity may also differ from one population to another. In a common garden experiment conducted with three‐spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) originating from four different populations, we investigated whether environmental enrichment (aquaria provided with structural complexity) caused an increase in the brain size or size of different brain parts compared to controls (bare aquaria). We found no evidence for a positive effect of environmental enrichment on brain size or size of different brain parts in either of the sexes in any of the populations. However, in all populations, males had larger brains than females, and the degree of sexual size dimorphism (SSD) in relative brain size ranged from 5.1 to 11.6% across the populations. Evidence was also found for genetically based differences in relative brain size among populations, as well as for plasticity in the size of different brain parts, as evidenced by consistent size differences among replicate blocks that differed in their temperature.

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“…There are clear fitness benefits associated with a larger brain as brain size is positively correlated with increased intelligence, cognition, learning capability, population persistence, and decreased susceptibility to predation (Sol & Lefebvre, 2000; Tebbich & Bshary, 2004; Shultz & Dunbar, 2006a; Sol, Szekely, Liker, & Lefebvre, 2007; Sol, Bacher, Reader, & Lefebvre, 2008; Overington, Morand‐Ferron, Boogert, & Lefebvre, 2009; Barrickman, Bastian, Isler, & van Schaik, 2008; Amiel, Tingley, & Shine, 2011; Reader, Hager, & Laland, 2011; Kotrschal et al., 2013b; MacLean et al., 2014; Kotrschal et al., 2015a; Kotrschal, Corral‐Lopez, Amcoff, & Kolm, 2015b; Benson‐Amram, Dantzer, Stricker, Swanson, & Holekamp, 2016; but also see Drake, 2007). Key hypotheses, such as the expensive tissue hypothesis (i.e., expensive metabolic cost of brain tissue) (Aiello & Wheeler, 1995; Isler & van Schaik, 2009) and energy trade‐off hypothesis (increased encephalization leads to trade‐offs with other functions) (Isler & van Schaik, 2006a,b, 2009; Navarrete, van Schaik, & Isler, 2011; Tsuboi et al., 2015), recognize that brain tissue is costly and that fitness trade‐offs likely underlie increased encephalization (Aiello & Wheeler, 1995).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Selection for larger brains in captive populations of guppies is associated with increased cognitive function and declines in susceptibility to predation (Kotrschal et al., 2013a,b, 2015b). However, work on natural fish populations in other species yielded the opposite trajectory of evolution.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This work showed that male, but not female, Rivulus from sites with large piscivores have evolved smaller brains when compared to fish from sites that lack predators. Such sex‐specific differences may be related to known differences in fish behavior and learning abilities between sites that differ strongly in predation intensity (Archard & Braithwaite, 2011; Benson‐Amram et al., 2016; van der Bijl et al., 2015; Brydges, Heathcote, & Braithwaite, 2008; Cousyn et al., 2001; DePasquale, Wagner, Archard, Ferguson, & Braithwaite, 2014; Dingemanse et al., 2007; Fraser, Gilliam, Daley, Le, & Skalski, 2001; Gilliam & Fraser, 2001; Harris, Ramnarine, Smith, & Pettersson, 2010; Hembre & Peterson, 2013; Kotrschal et al., 2013a,b; Lima & Dill, 1990; Plijanowska, Weider, & Lampert, 1993; Tulley & Huntingford, 1988; Urban, 2007). For example, fish that experience weak levels of predation are faster learners and have better spatial cognition than fish that are exposed to higher rates of predation (Brydges et al., 2008; DePasquale et al., 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Increased juvenile predation is not associated with evolved differences in adult brain size in Trinidadian killifish (Rivulus hartii)

Beston

Broyles

Walsh

2017

Ecology and Evolution

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Vertebrates exhibit extensive variation in brain size. The long‐standing assumption is that this variation is driven by ecologically mediated selection. Recent work has shown that an increase in predator‐induced mortality is associated with evolved increases and decreases in brain size. Thus, the manner in which predators induce shifts in brain size remains unclear. Increased predation early in life is a key driver of many adult traits, including life‐history and behavioral traits. Such results foreshadow a connection between age‐specific mortality and selection on adult brain size. Trinidadian killifish, Rivulus hartii, are found in sites with and without guppies, Poecilia reticulata. The densities of Rivulus drop dramatically in sites with guppies because guppies prey upon juvenile Rivulus. Previous work has shown that guppy predation is associated with the evolution of adult life‐history traits in Rivulus. In this study, we compared second‐generation laboratory‐born Rivulus from sites with and without guppies for differences in brain size and associated trade‐offs between brain size and other components of fitness. Despite the large amount of existing research on the importance of early‐life events on the evolution of adult traits, and the role of predation on both behavior and brain size, we did not find an association between the presence of guppies and evolutionary shifts in Rivulus brain size. Such results argue that increased rates of juvenile mortality may not alter selection on adult brain size.

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The benefit of evolving a larger brain: big-brained guppies perform better in a cognitive task

Abstract: HighlightsWe previously selected for large and small brain size in guppies.Large-brained females outperformed small-brained females in a learning task.Healy and Rowe challenged our interpretations of larger brains = better learning.Here we argue why we think they are mistaken.

Cited by 66 publications

References 18 publications

The evolutionary roles of nutrition selection and dietary quality in the human brain size and encephalization

The evolutionary roles of nutrition selection and dietary quality in the human brain size and encephalization

Environmental enrichment, sexual dimorphism, and brain size in sticklebacks

Increased juvenile predation is not associated with evolved differences in adult brain size in Trinidadian killifish (Rivulus hartii)

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