Intraspecific brain size variation between coexisting sunfish ecotypes.

ABSTRACT: Variation in spatial complexity and foraging requirements between habitats can impose different cognitive demands on animals that may influence brain size. However, the relationship between ecologically related cognitive performance and brain size is not well established. We test whether variation in relative brain size and brain region size is associated with habitat use within a population of pumpkinseed sunfish composed of different ecotypes that inhabit either the structurally complex shoreline littoral habitat or simpler open-water pelagic habitat. Sunfish using the littoral habitat have on average 8.3% larger brains than those using the pelagic habitat. We found little difference in the proportional sizes of five brain regions between ecotypes. The results suggest that cognitive dema

SUBMITTER: Axelrod CJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6235049 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature