Sexual selection impacts brain anatomy in frogs and toads.

ABSTRACT: Natural selection is a major force in the evolution of vertebrate brain size, but the role of sexual selection in brain size evolution remains enigmatic. At least two opposing schools of thought predict a relationship between sexual selection and brain size. Sexual selection should facilitate the evolution of larger brains because better cognitive abilities may aid the competition for mates. However, it may also restrict brain size evolution due to energetic trade-offs between brain tissue and sexually selected traits. Here, we examined the patterns of selection on brain size and brain anatomy in male anurans (frogs and toads), a group where the strength of sexual selection differs markedly among species, using a phylogenetically controlled generalized least-squared (PGLS) regression analy

SUBMITTER: Zeng Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5513231 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature