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Adaptive phenotypic plasticity induces individual variability along a cognitive trade-off
Tyrone Lucon-Xiccato1, Giulia Montalbano1, Cristiano Bertolucci1
1Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via L. Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, Italy.
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|June 26, 2023
Summary
Resource predictability shapes cognitive traits in guppies. High predictability enhances learning, while low predictability boosts cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control, revealing adaptive plasticity
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Ecology
- Neuroscience
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Individual cognitive variability is common across species, yet its origins remain unclear.
- Theoretical models suggest that cognitive plasticity, matching phenotypes to environmental conditions, may drive this variation.
- Opposing cognitive strategies could enhance fitness in diverse or changing environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally investigate the role of cognitive plasticity in generating individual differences in cognition.
- To explore how environmental factors, specifically resource predictability, influence cognitive strategies in a model species.
Main Methods:
- Guppies (Poecilia reticulata) were exposed to controlled environments with either high or low resource predictability.
- Cognitive performance was assessed using tasks measuring learning, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control.
- Comparative analysis was performed to identify differences in cognitive abilities between the two environmental conditions.
Main Results:
- Guppies in high resource predictability environments showed enhanced learning abilities.
- Guppies in low resource predictability environments exhibited improved cognitive flexibility and inhibitory control.
- A trade-off was observed between learning and flexibility/inhibitory control, suggesting distinct adaptive strategies.
Conclusions:
- Adaptive cognitive plasticity in response to resource predictability is a significant driver of individual cognitive differences.
- Environmental factors can sculpt cognitive phenotypes, leading to specialized abilities that enhance fitness.
- Understanding cognitive plasticity is crucial for explaining the diversity of cognitive traits observed in nature.
Keywords:
behavioural flexibilitycognitive ecologycognitive plasticityfish cognitionindividual differencesMore Related Videos
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