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Vinogradov IM, Fox RJ, Fichtel C, Kappeler PM, Jennions MD. Paternity analysis reveals sexual selection on cognitive performance in mosquitofish. Nat Ecol Evol 2025; 9:692-704. [PMID: 40000808 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-025-02645-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2025] [Indexed: 02/27/2025]
Abstract
In many animal species, cognitive abilities are under strong natural selection because decisions about foraging, habitat choice and predator avoidance affect fecundity and survival. But how has sexual selection, which is usually stronger on males than females, shaped the evolution of cognitive abilities that influence success when competing for mates or fertilizations? We aimed to investigate potential links between individual differences in male cognitive performance to variation in paternity arising solely from sexual selection. We therefore ran four standard cognitive assays to quantify five measures of cognitive performance by male mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki). Males were then assigned to 11 outdoor ponds where they could compete for females. Females mate many times, which leads to intense sperm competition and broods with mixed paternity. We genotyped 2,430 offspring to identify their fathers. Males with greater inhibitory control and better spatial learning abilities sired significantly more offspring, while males with better initial impulse control sired significantly fewer offspring. Associative and reversal learning did not predict a male's share of paternity. In sum, there was sexual selection on several, but not all, aspects of male cognitive performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan M Vinogradov
- Division of Ecology & Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.
| | - Rebecca J Fox
- Division of Ecology & Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Claudia Fichtel
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Peter M Kappeler
- Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Sociobiology/Anthropology, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Michael D Jennions
- Division of Ecology & Evolution, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
- Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS), Wallenberg Research Centre at Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
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Jones NAR, Gaffney K, Gardella G, Rowe A, Spence-Jones HC, Munson A, Houslay TM, Webster MM. A reinvestigation of cognitive styles in sticklebacks: decision success varies with behavioral type. Behav Ecol 2025; 36:arae097. [PMID: 39664074 PMCID: PMC11631196 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arae097] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2023] [Revised: 10/30/2024] [Accepted: 11/19/2024] [Indexed: 12/13/2024] Open
Abstract
The "cognitive styles" hypothesis suggests that individual differences in behavior are associated with variation in cognitive performance via underlying speed-accuracy trade-offs. While this is supported, in part, by a growing body of evidence, some studies did not find the expected relationships between behavioral type and cognitive performance. In some cases, this may reflect methodological limitations rather than the absence of a true relationship. The physical design of the testing arena and the number of choices offered in an assay can hinder our ability to detect inter-individual differences in cognitive performance. Here, we re-investigated the cognitive styles hypothesis in threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), adapting the maze design of a previous study which found no cost to decision success by faster (bolder) individuals. We used a similar design but increased the size of the maze and incorporated an additional choice in the form of a third maze arm. We found, in accordance with cognitive style expectations, that individuals who were consistently slower to emerge from the start chamber made fewer errors than fish that emerged faster. Activity in an open field test, however, did not show evidence of a relationship with decision success, possibly due to the low number of repeated observations per fish in this separate assay. Our results provide further empirical support for the cognitive styles hypothesis and highlight important methodological aspects to consider in studies of inter-individual differences in cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nick A R Jones
- Department of Animal Physiology, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstraße 30, 95447, Bayreuth, Germany
- Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9TH, United Kingdom
| | - Kirstin Gaffney
- Dove Marine Laboratory, School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University, Cullercoats, North Shields, NE30 4PZ, Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom
| | - Giacomo Gardella
- Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9TH, United Kingdom
| | - Annie Rowe
- Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9TH, United Kingdom
| | - Helen C Spence-Jones
- School of Liberal arts and Natural Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Amelia Munson
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Graham Kerr Building, Glasgow G12 8QQ, United Kingdom
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skogsmarksgränd, SE-907 36, Umeå, Sweden
| | | | - Mike M Webster
- Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, KY16 9TH, United Kingdom
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Yin JH, Horzmann KA. The influence of sex and age differences in an adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) T-maze model of cognition. JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY 2024. [PMID: 39638551 DOI: 10.1111/jfb.16024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2023] [Revised: 11/22/2024] [Accepted: 11/25/2024] [Indexed: 12/07/2024]
Abstract
The zebrafish (Danio rerio) model is increasingly popular in neurobehavioral research, and behavioral outcomes are commonly evaluated in studies on neurodegeneration and neurotoxicity. Sex and age have been identified as important variables in cognition studies; however, these factors are often underreported in published studies that use the zebrafish model, leading to uncertainty about their impact in zebrafish T-maze experiments. In this study, we evaluated the role of sex and age in zebrafish cognitive function using a 5-day T-maze task. Our results demonstrated that female and younger zebrafish had increased learning and memory capacity. These findings highlighted the importance of considering and reporting sex and age in experimental design in zebrafish cognitive neurobehavioral studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji-Hang Yin
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
| | - Katharine A Horzmann
- Department of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama, USA
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Woodley of Menie MA, Peñaherrera-Aguirre M, Sarraf MA. Do Cleaner Fish (Labroides dimidiatus) Have General Cognitive Ability? A Reanalysis of Individual Differences Data and Consideration of Phylogenetic Context. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s40806-023-00357-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/19/2023]
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Signs of a Flynn effect in rodents? Secular differentiation of the manifold of general cognitive ability in laboratory mice (Mus musculus) and Norwegian rats (Rattus norvegicus) over a century—Results from two cross-temporal meta-analyses. INTELLIGENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.intell.2022.101700] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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