Both Diet and Sociality Affect Primate Brain-Size Evolution
(2023) In Systematic Biology 72(2). p.404-418- Abstract
Increased brain size in humans and other primates is hypothesized to confer cognitive benefits but brings costs associated with growing and maintaining energetically expensive neural tissue. Previous studies have argued that changes in either diet or levels of sociality led to shifts in brain size, but results were equivocal. Here we test these hypotheses using phylogenetic comparative methods designed to jointly account for and estimate the effects of adaptation and phylogeny. Using the largest current sample of primate brain and body sizes with observation error, complemented by newly compiled diet and sociality data, we show that both diet and sociality have influenced the evolution of brain size. Shifting from simple to more complex... (More)
Increased brain size in humans and other primates is hypothesized to confer cognitive benefits but brings costs associated with growing and maintaining energetically expensive neural tissue. Previous studies have argued that changes in either diet or levels of sociality led to shifts in brain size, but results were equivocal. Here we test these hypotheses using phylogenetic comparative methods designed to jointly account for and estimate the effects of adaptation and phylogeny. Using the largest current sample of primate brain and body sizes with observation error, complemented by newly compiled diet and sociality data, we show that both diet and sociality have influenced the evolution of brain size. Shifting from simple to more complex levels of sociality resulted in relatively larger brains, while shifting to a more folivorous diet led to relatively smaller brains. While our results support the role of sociality, they modify a range of ecological hypotheses centered on the importance of frugivory, and instead indicate that digestive costs associated with increased folivory may have resulted in relatively smaller brains.
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- author
- Grabowski, Mark ; Kopperud, Bjørn T. ; Tsuboi, Masahito LU and Hansen, Thomas F.
- organization
- publishing date
- 2023-03-01
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- adaptation, allometry, bayou, energetic constraints, evolutionary trend, phylogenetic comparative methods, primate brain size, Slouch, social-brain hypothesis
- in
- Systematic Biology
- volume
- 72
- issue
- 2
- pages
- 15 pages
- publisher
- Oxford University Press
- external identifiers
-
- scopus:85152055451
- pmid:36454664
- ISSN
- 1063-5157
- DOI
- 10.1093/sysbio/syac075
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- a0740b5a-b1db-4907-8eab-e96a010a99c0
- date added to LUP
- 2024-01-12 14:41:50
- date last changed
- 2024-04-27 10:02:42
@article{a0740b5a-b1db-4907-8eab-e96a010a99c0,
abstract = {{<p>Increased brain size in humans and other primates is hypothesized to confer cognitive benefits but brings costs associated with growing and maintaining energetically expensive neural tissue. Previous studies have argued that changes in either diet or levels of sociality led to shifts in brain size, but results were equivocal. Here we test these hypotheses using phylogenetic comparative methods designed to jointly account for and estimate the effects of adaptation and phylogeny. Using the largest current sample of primate brain and body sizes with observation error, complemented by newly compiled diet and sociality data, we show that both diet and sociality have influenced the evolution of brain size. Shifting from simple to more complex levels of sociality resulted in relatively larger brains, while shifting to a more folivorous diet led to relatively smaller brains. While our results support the role of sociality, they modify a range of ecological hypotheses centered on the importance of frugivory, and instead indicate that digestive costs associated with increased folivory may have resulted in relatively smaller brains.</p>}},
author = {{Grabowski, Mark and Kopperud, Bjørn T. and Tsuboi, Masahito and Hansen, Thomas F.}},
issn = {{1063-5157}},
keywords = {{adaptation; allometry; bayou; energetic constraints; evolutionary trend; phylogenetic comparative methods; primate brain size; Slouch; social-brain hypothesis}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{03}},
number = {{2}},
pages = {{404--418}},
publisher = {{Oxford University Press}},
series = {{Systematic Biology}},
title = {{Both Diet and Sociality Affect Primate Brain-Size Evolution}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/sysbio/syac075}},
doi = {{10.1093/sysbio/syac075}},
volume = {{72}},
year = {{2023}},
}