Cited by 184Marine Invertebrate Physiology and EcologyEvolution and Paleontology StudiesEvolution and Genetic Dynamics

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 98 of the 101 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

The evolution of associative learning: A factor in the Cambrian explosion

Ginsburg, Simona, Jablonka, Eva·2010·Journal of Theoretical Biology

Abstract

The Cambrian explosion is probably the most spectacular diversification in evolutionary history, and understanding it has been a challenge for biologists since the time of Darwin. We propose that one of the key factors that drove this great diversification was associative learning. Although the evolutionary emergence of associative learning required only small modifications in already existing memory mechanisms and may have occurred in parallel in several groups, once this type of learning appeared on the evolutionary scene, it led to extreme diversifying selection at the ecological level: it enabled animals to exploit new niches, promoted new types of relations and arms races, and led to adaptive responses that became fixed through genetic accommodation processes. This learning-based diversification was accompanied by neurohormonal stress, which led to an ongoing destabilization and re-patterning of the epigenome, which, in turn, enabled further morphological, physiological, and behavioral diversification. Our hypothesis combines several previous ideas about the dynamics of the Cambrian explosion and provides a unifying framework that includes both ecological and genomic factors. We conclude by suggesting research directions that would clarify the timing and manner in which associative learning evolved, and the effects it had on the evolution of nervous systems, genomes, and animal morphology.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.jtbi.2010.06.017

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Citations

Cites

Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Belyaev, 1982, The influence of stress on variation and its role in evolution, Biol. Zentralbl., 100, 705
  2. Jablonka, 2008, The epigenome in evolution: beyond the modern synthesis, Вестник ВОГиС, 12, 242
  3. Stanley, 1992, Can neurons explain the Cambrian explosion?, Geol. Soc. Am. Abstracts Programs, 24, A45

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Metadata

Authors
Ginsburg, S., & Jablonka, E.
Affiliations
  • Open University of Israel (IL)
  • Tel Aviv University (IL)
Corresponding author
Jablonka, Eva
Venue
Journal of Theoretical Biology
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2010-09
Volume
266
Issue
1
Pages
11-20
ISSN
0022-5193 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2162225069
Cited by
184
References
101
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 20 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 31 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 8 · 2014: 5 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 3
FWCI
2.95
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Theoretical Biology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Animal Science and Zoology › Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology
  • Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Paleontology › Evolution and Paleontology Studies
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
Keywords
Cambrian explosion, associative learning, evolutionary diversification, memory mechanisms, diversifying selection, arms race, genetic accommodation, epigenome, nervous system evolution, animal morphology, animal behavior
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Biological, Animals, Association Learning, Behavior, Animal, Biological Evolution, Memory, Nervous System Physiological Phenomena, Phylogeny, Selection, Genetic, Stress, Physiological, Stress, Psychological, Neurotransmitter Agents, Evolution, Molecular, Epigenesis, Genetic, Ecological and Environmental Phenomena

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