Sociality, ecology and developmental constraints predict variation in brain size across birds.

ABSTRACT: Conflicting theories have been proposed to explain variation in relative brain size across the animal kingdom. Ecological theories argue that the cognitive demands of seasonal or unpredictable environments have selected for increases in relative brain size, whereas the 'social brain hypothesis' argues that social complexity is the primary driver of brain size evolution. Here, we use a comparative approach to test the relative importance of ecology (diet, foraging niche and migration), sociality (social bond, cooperative breeding and territoriality) and developmental mode in shaping brain size across 1886 bird species. Across all birds, we find a highly significant effect of developmental mode and foraging niche on brain size, suggesting that developmental constraints and selection for comp

SUBMITTER: Hardie JL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10100238 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature