ArticleNature ecology & evolution2019
Primate mosaic brain evolution reflects selection on sensory and cognitive specialization.
Article in Nature ecology & evolution, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 46 papers.
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Who cites it
46 citing papers in PubMed.
- Energy Constraints and Ecological Adaptation Drive Divergent Evolution of Sensory and Cognitive Brain Regions in Bats.Integrative zoology · 2026Article
- Morphological and anatomical variations in subcortical anatomy between humans and chimpanzees associated with heritability patterns related to human behavioral traits.Communications biology · 2026Article
- The evolution of lepidopteran brain morphology.Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology · 2026Article
- Early Life Adversity and Disordered Eating: Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms.Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Collective decision-making under predator threat is faster in guppy shoals selected for larger telencephalon size.Animal cognition · 2025Article
- Human dexterity and brains evolved hand in hand.Communications biology · 2025Article
- Proximate mechanisms underlying the coevolution of diet quality and relative brain size in primates.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2025Article
- Tolerant and despotic macaques show divergent temperament but similar theory of mind.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2025Article
- The ability of captive spider monkeys, Ateles geoffroyi, to visually discriminate between different sizes of food and of non-edible objects.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Article
- Genomic and phenotypic evidence support visual and olfactory shifts in primate evolution.Nature ecology & evolution · 2025Article
- The effect of social settings and olfactory environments on spontaneous movement synchrony.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- How can we apply decision-making theories to wild animal behavior? Predictions arising from dual process theory and Bayesian decision theory.American journal of primatology · 2025Review
- Investigating the role of the left inferior frontal gyrus in language evolution: insights from comparative neuroscience.Frontiers in human neuroscience · 2025Review
- Evolutionary scaling and cognitive correlates of primate frontal cortex microstructure.Brain structure & function · 2024Article
- Linking the evolution of two prefrontal brain regions to social and foraging challenges in primates.eLife · 2024Article
- Invariance of Mitochondria and Synapses in the Primary Visual Cortex of Mammals Provides Insight Into Energetics and Function.The Journal of comparative neurology · 2024Article
- Endocranial shape variation and allometry in Euarchontoglires.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- No immediate attentional bias towards or choice bias for male secondary sexual characteristics in Bornean orang-utans (Pongo pygmaeus).Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Evolution of neural circuitry and cognition.Biology letters · 2024Review
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
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Abstract
The mammalian brain is composed of numerous functionally distinct structures that vary in size within and between clades, reflecting selection for sensory and cognitive specialization. Primates represent a particularly interesting case in which to examine mosaic brain evolution since they exhibit marked behavioural variation, spanning most social structures, diets and activity periods observed across mammals. Although studies have consistently demonstrated a trade-off between visual and olfactory specialization in primates, studies of some regions (for example, the neocortex) have produced conflicting results. Here, we analyse the socioecological factors influencing the relative size of 33 brain regions, using updated statistical techniques and data from more species and individuals than previous studies. Our results confirm that group-living species and those with high-quality diets have expanded olfactory or visual systems, depending on whether they are nocturnal or diurnal. Conversely, regions associated with spatial memory are expanded in solitary species and those with low-quality diets, suggesting a trade-off between visual processing and spatial memory. Contrary to previous work, we show that diet quality predicts relative neocortex size at least as well as, if not better than, social complexity. Overall, our results demonstrate that primate brain structure is largely driven by selection on sensory and cognitive specializations that develop in response to divergent socioecological niches.
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