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The Expensive Brain: a framework for explaining evolutionary changes in brain size.

Karin Isler1, Carel P van Schaik

  • 1Anthropological Institute and Museum, University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland. kisler@aim.uzh.ch

Journal of Human Evolution
|September 8, 2009
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

The Expensive Brain hypothesis explains brain size variation by linking costs to energy. Large brains require more energy, impacting reproduction and development across mammal species.

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Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Comparative physiology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Variation in relative brain size across species presents an evolutionary puzzle.
  • Understanding the energetic constraints on brain evolution is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose and test the Expensive Brain hypothesis as a unifying framework for brain size variation.
  • To investigate the energetic costs associated with relatively large brains in mammals.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative analysis of the largest mammalian sample to date.
  • Examining the relationship between brain size and life history traits (e.g., neonate size, immaturity period, litter size, fertility rates).

Main Results:

  • Increased brain size correlates with larger neonates and altered developmental periods (longer immaturity in some, reduced litter size in others).
  • Mammals with larger brains exhibit reduced annual fertility rates.
  • Allomaternal care can mitigate reproductive costs in cooperatively breeding species with large brains.

Conclusions:

  • The Expensive Brain hypothesis provides a unifying framework for brain size variation and its link to life history pace.
  • The framework integrates energetic constraints and is compatible with other hypotheses, while challenging the 'Needing-to-Learn' explanation for slower development.