Evolutionary divergence in brain size between migratory and resident birds

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dc.contributor.authorSol, Daniel
dc.contributor.authorGarcia, Nuria
dc.contributor.authorIwaniuk, Andrew N.
dc.contributor.authorDavis, Katie
dc.contributor.authorMeade, Andrew
dc.contributor.authorBoyle, W. Alice
dc.contributor.authorSzekely, Tamas
dc.date.accessioned2016-11-16T18:05:40Z
dc.date.available2016-11-16T18:05:40Z
dc.date.issued2010
dc.descriptionSherpa Romeo green journal: open accessen_US
dc.description.abstractDespite important recent progress in our understanding of brain evolution, controversy remains regarding the evolutionary forces that have driven its enormous diversification in size. Here, we report that in passerine birds, migratory species tend to have brains that are substantially smaller (relative to body size) than those of resident species, confirming and generalizing previous studies. Phylogenetic reconstructions based on Bayesian Markov chain methods suggest an evolutionary scenario in which some large brained tropical passerines that invaded more seasonal regions evolved migratory behavior and migration itself selected for smaller brain size. Selection for smaller brains in migratory birds may arise from the energetic and developmental costs associated with a highly mobile life cycle, a possibility that is supported by a path analysis. Nevertheless, an important fraction (over 68%) of the correlation between brain mass and migratory distance comes from a direct effect of migration on brain size, perhaps reflecting costs associated with cognitive functions that have become less necessary in migratory species. Overall, our results highlight the importance of retrospective analyses in identifying selective pressures that have shaped brain evolution, and indicate that when it comes to the brain, larger is not always better.en_US
dc.description.peer-reviewYesen_US
dc.identifier.citationSol, D., Garcia, N., Iwaniuk, A., Davis, K., Meade, A., Boyle, W. A., & Szekely, T. (2010). Evolutionary divergence in brain size between migratory and resident birds. PLoS ONE, 5(3), e9617. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0009617en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10133/4697
dc.language.isoen_CAen_US
dc.publisherPublic Library of Scienceen_US
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Neuroscienceen_US
dc.publisher.facultyArts and Scienceen_US
dc.publisher.institutionAutonomous University of Barcelonaen_US
dc.publisher.institutionCentre for Advanced Studies of Blanes-Spanish National Research Council-Spanish National Research Councilen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Lethbridgeen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Readingen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Glasgowen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Western Ontarioen_US
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Bathen_US
dc.subjectBrain evolutionen_US
dc.subjectBrain sizeen_US
dc.subjectMigratory birdsen_US
dc.subjectResident birdsen_US
dc.subjectMigrationen_US
dc.titleEvolutionary divergence in brain size between migratory and resident birdsen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
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