The evolution of mammalian brain size

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dc.contributor.authorSmaers, J. B.
dc.contributor.authorRothman, R. S.
dc.contributor.authorHudson, D. R.
dc.contributor.authorBalanoff, A. M.
dc.contributor.authorBeatty, B.
dc.contributor.authorDechmann, D. K. N.
dc.contributor.authorde Vries, D.
dc.contributor.authorDunn, J. C.
dc.contributor.authorFleagle, J. G.
dc.contributor.authorGilbert, C. C.
dc.contributor.authorGoswami, A.
dc.contributor.authorIwaniuk, Andrew N.
dc.contributor.authorJungers, W. L.
dc.contributor.authorKerney, M.
dc.contributor.authorKsepka, D. T.
dc.contributor.authorManger, P. R.
dc.contributor.authorMongle, C. S.
dc.contributor.authorRohlf, F. J.
dc.contributor.authorSmith, N. A.
dc.contributor.authorSoligo, C.
dc.contributor.authorWeisbecker, V.
dc.contributor.authorSafi, K.
dc.date.accessioned2024-12-23T22:12:07Z
dc.date.available2024-12-23T22:12:07Z
dc.date.issued2021
dc.descriptionOpen access article. Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial license (CC BY-NC) applies
dc.description.abstractRelative brain size has long been considered a reflection of cognitive capacities and has played a fundamental role in developing core theories in the life sciences. Yet, the notion that relative brain size validly represents selection on brain size relies on the untested assumptions that brain-body allometry is restrained to a stable scaling relationship across species and that any deviation from this slope is due to selection on brain size. Using the largest fossil and extant dataset yet assembled, we find that shifts in allometric slope underpin major transitions in mammalian evolution and are often primarily characterized by marked changes in body size. Our results reveal that the largest-brained mammals achieved large relative brain sizes by highly divergent paths. These findings prompt a reevaluation of the traditional paradigm of relative brain size and open new opportunities to improve our understanding of the genetic and developmental mechanisms that influence brain size.
dc.description.peer-reviewYes
dc.identifier.citationSmaers, J. B., Rothman, R. S., Hudson, D. R., Balanoff, A. M., Beatty, B., Dechmann, D. K. N., de Vries, D., Dunn, J. C., Fleagle, J. G., Gilbert, C. C., Goswami, A., Iwaniuk, A. N., Jungers, W. L., Kerney, M., Ksepka, D. T., Manger, P. R., Mongle, C. S., Rohlf, F. J., Smith,... Soligo, C. (2021). The evolution of mammalian brain size. ScienceAdvances, 7(18), Article eabe2101. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abe2101
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10133/6966
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherAmerican Association for Advancement of Science
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Neuroscience
dc.publisher.facultyArts and Science
dc.publisher.institutionStony Brook University
dc.publisher.institutionAmerican Museum of Natural History
dc.publisher.institutionJohns Hopkins University
dc.publisher.institutionNYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine
dc.publisher.institutionMax-Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Konstanz
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Salford
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cambridge
dc.publisher.institutionAnglia Ruskin University
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Vienna
dc.publisher.institutionHunter College
dc.publisher.institutionCity University of New York
dc.publisher.institutionNew York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology
dc.publisher.institutionNatural History Museum (London, England)
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Lethbridge
dc.publisher.institutionAssociation Vahatra
dc.publisher.institutionBruce Museum
dc.publisher.institutionField Museum of Natural History
dc.publisher.institutionSmithsonian Institution
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of the Witwatersrand
dc.publisher.institutionClemson University
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity College London
dc.publisher.institutionFlinders University
dc.publisher.urlhttps://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abe2101
dc.subjectBrain size
dc.subjectBody size
dc.subjectBrain-body allometry
dc.subjectMammalian evolution
dc.subject.lcshAllometry
dc.subject.lcshBrain--Research
dc.subject.lcshMammals--Research
dc.titleThe evolution of mammalian brain size
dc.typeArticle
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