Why are there so many explanations for primate brain evolution?
Why are there so many explanations for primate brain evolution?
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DOI：
10.1098/rstb.2016.0244
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发表时间：
2017-08-19
期刊：
影响因子：
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通讯作者：
Shultz S
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Dunbar RIM;Shultz S
为什么灵长类动物进化出了异常大的大脑，这个问题受到了广泛的关注，许多替代方案都得到了证据的支持。我们回顾了主要的假设，他们所做的假设和支持和反对他们的证据。我们的出发点是，每个假设都有可靠的经验证据来支持它，我们认为，这些假设最好是在进化原因（选择因素），后果（进化机会窗口）和限制（通常是生理限制，需要解决，如果大的大脑进化）的框架方面进行解释。对鸟类和哺乳动物大脑进化的解释，特别是灵长类动物，必须在协调、有凝聚力、有联系的社会群体进化所涉及的挑战的背景下看待，这些群体需要新的社会行为来解决问题，以及支持这一点的专门认知和神经基质。一个关键但经常被忽视的问题是，大型大脑的进化需要克服能量、生理和时间预算的限制。在某些情况下，这反映在“智能觅食”和技术智能的进化中，但在许多情况下，需要行为能力的进化（如联盟形成），这需要新的认知技能。这些可能都得到了一种可以在许多不同背景下使用的通用认知形式的支持。这篇文章是“动物社会行为的生理决定因素”主题问题的一部分。
The question as to why primates have evolved unusually large brains has received much attention, with many alternative proposals all supported by evidence. We review the main hypotheses, the assumptions they make and the evidence for and against them. Taking as our starting point the fact that every hypothesis has sound empirical evidence to support it, we argue that the hypotheses are best interpreted in terms of a framework of evolutionary causes (selection factors), consequences (evolutionary windows of opportunity) and constraints (usually physiological limitations requiring resolution if large brains are to evolve). Explanations for brain evolution in birds and mammals generally, and primates in particular, have to be seen against the backdrop of the challenges involved with the evolution of coordinated, cohesive, bonded social groups that require novel social behaviours for their resolution, together with the specialized cognition and neural substrates that underpin this. A crucial, but frequently overlooked, issue is that fact that the evolution of large brains required energetic, physiological and time budget constraints to be overcome. In some cases, this was reflected in the evolution of ‘smart foraging’ and technical intelligence, but in many cases required the evolution of behavioural competences (such as coalition formation) that required novel cognitive skills. These may all have been supported by a domain-general form of cognition that can be used in many different contexts. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Physiological determinants of social behaviour in animals’.