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Cited by 24Primate Behavior and EcologyComparative Animal Anatomy StudiesVisual perception and processing mechanisms

Comparative evidence indicating neural specialization for predatory behaviour in mammals

Robert A. Barton, Paul Dean·1993·Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences
DOI 10.1098/rspb.1993.0127
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Abstract

The evolution of cognitive and sensory specializations must involve concomitant modifications of neural substrates. Ecological correlates of species differences in brain structure are intriguing sources of evidence about such evolutionary specialization but, to date, these have been identified only for gross parameters, such as overall brain size and the size of major brain regions. Here we show that a behavioural specialization in mammals, predation, is associated with species differences in the fine structure of a single neural pathway, the tectospinal tract. Both the relative number of neurons in this pathway and the relative size of their cell bodies were greater in more predatory species than in their less predatory counterparts within each of four separate mammalian orders. Expansion of these analyses to consider comparisons between taxa at a variety of taxonomic levels gave further support to the idea of a relation between predatory habits and the evolution of the tectospinal tract. In addition, within the primates, the number of neurons in the tectospinal tract was significantly correlated with the proportion of prey in the diet. These results therefore appear to provide an example of correlated evolution between a specific neural system and behaviour which applies generally within the mammals. They also help to unify findings from physiological and anatomical studies on a wider range of vertebrate taxa, including reptiles and amphibians.

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Crossref · 10.1098/rspb.1993.0127

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  • Each of many dimensions of behavioural ecology has been shown to correlate with brain size and/or with a specific and relevant aspect of brain structure.

    “Each of these and other dimensions of behavioural ecology has been shown to correlate with the brain size and/or with a specific and relevant aspect of brain structure [14–20].”

    From Embodied cognitive evolution and the cerebellum (2012) · cites this paper as [16]

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Authors
Barton, R. A., & Dean, P.
Affiliations
Durham University (GB)
ORCID
Venue
Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences
Publisher
The Royal Society
Published
1993-10-22
Volume
254
Issue
1339
Pages
63-68
ISSN
  • 0080-4649 (ISSN-L)
  • 0962-8452
  • 1471-2954
DOI
10.1098/rspb.1993.0127
OpenAlex
W2043943609
Cited by
24
References
37
Citations by year
2025: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 1 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 1 · 2013: 1 · 2012: 1
FWCI
1.97
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Urology › Comparative Animal Anatomy Studies
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
Keywords
predatory behavior, neural specialization, brain evolution, mammalian brain, neuron number, cell body size, diet composition, primate diet, correlated evolution, amphibians and reptiles
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Physiological, Animals, Brain, Carnivora, Cognition, Mammals, Marsupialia, Neurons, Neurons, Afferent, Phylogeny, Predatory Behavior, Primates, Rodentia, Species Specificity

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