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Stingo-Hirmas D, Cunha F, Cardoso RF, Carra LG, Rönnegård L, Wright D, Henriksen R. Proportional Cerebellum Size Predicts Fear Habituation in Chickens. Front Physiol 2022; 13:826178. [PMID: 35250629 PMCID: PMC8891606 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2022.826178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The cerebellum has a highly conserved neural structure across species but varies widely in size. The wide variation in cerebellar size (both absolute and in proportion to the rest of the brain) among species and populations suggests that functional specialization is linked to its size. There is increasing recognition that the cerebellum contributes to cognitive processing and emotional control in addition to its role in motor coordination. However, to what extent cerebellum size reflects variation in these behavioral processes within species remains largely unknown. By using a unique intercross chicken population based on parental lines with high divergence in cerebellum size, we compared the behavior of individuals repeatedly exposed to the same fear test (emergence test) early in life and after sexual maturity (eight trials per age group) with proportional cerebellum size and cerebellum neural density. While proportional cerebellum size did not predict the initial fear response of the individuals (trial 1), it did increasingly predict adult individuals response as the trials progressed. Our results suggest that proportional cerebellum size does not necessarily predict an individual’s fear response, but rather the habituation process to a fearful stimulus. Cerebellum neuronal density did not predict fear behavior in the individuals which suggests that these effects do not result from changes in neuronal density but due to other variables linked to proportional cerebellum size which might underlie fear habituation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Felipe Cunha
- IFM-Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | | | | | - Lars Rönnegård
- School of Technology and Business Studies, Dalarna University, Falun, Sweden
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | | | - Rie Henriksen
- IFM-Biology, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
- *Correspondence: Rie Henriksen,
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Charutha K, Roshnath R, Sinu PA. Urban heronry birds tolerate human presence more than its conspecific rural birds. J NAT HIST 2021. [DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2021.1912844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- K. Charutha
- Department of Zoology, Central University of Kerala, Periya, India
| | - R. Roshnath
- Department of Zoology, Central University of Kerala, Periya, India
- Malabar Awareness and Rescue Centre for Wildlife, Kannur, India
| | - P. A. Sinu
- Department of Zoology, Central University of Kerala, Periya, India
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Duhamel A, Hume JP, Guenser P, Salaviale C, Louchart A. Cranial evolution in the extinct Rodrigues Island owl Otus murivorus (Strigidae), associated with unexpected ecological adaptations. Sci Rep 2020; 10:14019. [PMID: 32820225 PMCID: PMC7441405 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-69868-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Island birds that were victims of anthropic extinctions were often more specialist species, having evolved their most distinctive features in isolation, making the study of fossil insular birds most interesting. Here we studied a fossil cranium of the 'giant' extinct scops owl Otus murivorus from Rodrigues Island (Mascarene Islands, southwestern Indian Ocean), to determine any potential unique characters. The fossil and extant strigids were imaged through X-ray microtomography, providing 3D views of external and internal (endocast, inner ear) cranial structures. Geometric morphometrics and analyses of traditional measurements yielded new information about the Rodrigues owl's evolution and ecology. Otus murivorus exhibits a 2-tier "lag behind" phenomenon for cranium and brain evolution, both being proportionately small relative to increased body size. It also had a much more developed olfactory bulb than congeners, indicating an unexpectedly developed olfactory sense, suggesting a partial food scavenging habit. In addition, O. murivorus had the eyes placed more laterally than O. sunia, the species from which it was derived, probably a side effect of a small brain; rather terrestrial habits; probably relatively fearless behavior; and a less vertical posture (head less upright) than other owls (this in part an allometric effect of size increase). These evolutionary features, added to gigantism and wing reduction, make the extinct Rodrigues owl's evolution remarkable, and with multiple causes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anaïs Duhamel
- Univ Lyon, Univ Lyon 1, ENSL, CNRS, LGL-TPE, 69622, Villeurbanne, France.
| | - Julian P Hume
- Bird Group, Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Tring, Herts, HP23 6AP, UK
| | - Pauline Guenser
- Univ Lyon, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, CNRS, ENTPE, UMR 5023 LEHNA, 69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Céline Salaviale
- Univ Lyon, Univ Lyon 1, ENSL, CNRS, LGL-TPE, 69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Antoine Louchart
- Univ Lyon, Univ Lyon 1, ENSL, CNRS, LGL-TPE, 69622, Villeurbanne, France
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DeCasien AR, Higham JP. Relative Cerebellum Size Is Not Sexually Dimorphic across Primates. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2020; 95:93-101. [PMID: 32791505 DOI: 10.1159/000509070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIMS Substantive sex differences in behavior and cognition are found in humans and other primates. However, potential sex differences in primate neuroanatomy remain largely unexplored. Here, we investigate sex differences in the relative size of the cerebellum, a region that has played a major role in primate brain evolution and that has been associated with cognitive abilities that may be subject to sexual selection in primates. METHODS We compiled individual volumetric and sex data from published data sources and used MCMC generalized linear mixed models to test for sex effects in relative cerebellar volume while controlling for phylogenetic relationships between species. Given that the cerebellum is a functionally heterogeneous structure involved in multiple complex cognitive processes that may be under selection in males or females within certain species, and that sexual selection pressures vary so greatly across primate species, we predicted there would be no sex difference in the relative size of the cerebellum across primates. RESULTS Our results support our prediction, suggesting there is no consistent sex difference in relative cerebellum size. CONCLUSION This work suggests that the potential for sex differences in relative cerebellum size has been subject to either developmental constraint or lack of consistent selection pressures, and highlights the need for more individual-level primate neuroanatomical data to facilitate intra- and inter-specific study of brain sexual dimorphism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alex R DeCasien
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, New York, USA, .,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York, USA,
| | - James P Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, New York, USA.,New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, New York, USA
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Comparative analysis of squamate brains unveils multi-level variation in cerebellar architecture associated with locomotor specialization. Nat Commun 2019; 10:5560. [PMID: 31804475 PMCID: PMC6895188 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13405-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecomorphological studies evaluating the impact of environmental and biological factors on the brain have so far focused on morphology or size measurements, and the ecological relevance of potential multi-level variations in brain architecture remains unclear in vertebrates. Here, we exploit the extraordinary ecomorphological diversity of squamates to assess brain phenotypic diversification with respect to locomotor specialization, by integrating single-cell distribution and transcriptomic data along with geometric morphometric, phylogenetic, and volumetric analysis of high-definition 3D models. We reveal significant changes in cerebellar shape and size as well as alternative spatial layouts of cortical neurons and dynamic gene expression that all correlate with locomotor behaviours. These findings show that locomotor mode is a strong predictor of cerebellar structure and pattern, suggesting that major behavioural transitions in squamates are evolutionarily correlated with mosaic brain changes. Furthermore, our study amplifies the concept of ‘cerebrotype’, initially proposed for vertebrate brain proportions, towards additional shape characters. The cerebellum is critical in sensory-motor control and is structurally diverse across vertebrates. Here, the authors investigate the evolutionary relationship between locomotory mode and cerebellum architecture across squamates by integrating study of gene expression, cell distribution, and 3D morphology.
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Guay P, Leppitt R, Weston MA, Yeager TR, Dongen WFD, Symonds MRE. Are the big and beautiful less bold? Differences in avian fearfulness between the sexes in relation to body size and colour. J Zool (1987) 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12525] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- P.‐J. Guay
- Institute for Sustainability and Innovation College of Engineering and Science Victoria University Melbourne Vic Australia
- Centre for Integrative Ecology School of Life and Environmental Sciences Faculty of Science Engineering and the Built Environment Deakin University Burwood Vic Australia
| | - R. Leppitt
- Institute for Sustainability and Innovation College of Engineering and Science Victoria University Melbourne Vic Australia
| | - M. A. Weston
- Centre for Integrative Ecology School of Life and Environmental Sciences Faculty of Science Engineering and the Built Environment Deakin University Burwood Vic Australia
| | - T. R. Yeager
- Institute for Sustainability and Innovation College of Engineering and Science Victoria University Melbourne Vic Australia
| | - W. F. D. Dongen
- Institute for Sustainability and Innovation College of Engineering and Science Victoria University Melbourne Vic Australia
- Centre for Integrative Ecology School of Life and Environmental Sciences Faculty of Science Engineering and the Built Environment Deakin University Burwood Vic Australia
| | - M. R. E. Symonds
- Centre for Integrative Ecology School of Life and Environmental Sciences Faculty of Science Engineering and the Built Environment Deakin University Burwood Vic Australia
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Symonds MRE, Weston MA, van Dongen WFD, Lill A, Robinson RW, Guay PJ. Time Since Urbanization but Not Encephalisation Is Associated with Increased Tolerance of Human Proximity in Birds. Front Ecol Evol 2016. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2016.00117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Day LB, Lindsay WR. Associations between Manakin Display Complexity and Both Body and Brain Size Challenge Assumptions of Allometric Correction: A Response to Gutierrez-Ibanez et al. (2016). BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2016; 87:227-31. [DOI: 10.1159/000446341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Gutierrez-Ibanez C, Iwaniuk AN, Wylie DR. Relative Brain Size Is Not Correlated with Display Complexity in Manakins: A Reanalysis of Lindsay et al. (2015). BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2016; 87:223-6. [PMID: 27256814 DOI: 10.1159/000446312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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van der Bijl W, Kolm N. Why direct effects of predation complicate the social brain hypothesis. Bioessays 2016; 38:568-77. [DOI: 10.1002/bies.201500166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Niclas Kolm
- Department of Zoology/Ethology; Stockholm University; Stockholm Sweden
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Samia DSM, Blumstein DT. Birds flush early and avoid the rush: an interspecific study. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0119906. [PMID: 25799238 PMCID: PMC4370843 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0119906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2014] [Accepted: 02/03/2015] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Since 1986, studies about the escape decisions made by prey are grounded in optimal escape theory (OET) which states that prey will initiate escape when the risk of remaining and the costs of leaving are equal. However, a recent hypothesis, Flush Early and Avoid the Rush (FEAR), acknowledged that the cost of monitoring approaching predators might be a ubiquitous cost. The FEAR hypothesis predicts that prey will generally flee soon after they detect a predator so as to minimize the costs incurred by monitoring the predator. Knowing whether animals flee to reduce monitoring costs is of applied interest because wildlife managers use escape behavior to create set-back zones to reduce human-wildlife conflict. Here we provide the most comprehensive assessment of the FEAR hypothesis using data collected from 178 bird species representing 67 families from two continents. The FEAR hypothesis explains escape behavior in 79% of studied species. Because the FEAR hypothesis is a widespread phenomenon that drives escape behavior in birds, alert distance must be systematically incorporated into the design of set-back zones to protect vulnerable species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diogo S. M. Samia
- Laboratory of Theoretical Ecology and Synthesis, Department of Ecology, Federal University of Goiás, Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
| | - Daniel T. Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
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Cooper WE, Samia DS, Blumstein DT. FEAR, Spontaneity, and Artifact in Economic Escape Theory: A Review and Prospectus. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2015.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
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