Digest: A synergistic approach explains the evolutionary connection between brain size and longevity* |
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Authors: | Willian TAF Silva |
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Institution: | Centre for Environmental and Climate Research, Lund University, Lund, Sweden |
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Abstract: | The cognitive buffer hypothesis poses that brain size evolves to buffer individuals from environmental changes, increasing survival. Jiménez-Ortega et al. (2020) explored this hypothesis using a phylogenetic path analysis and showed that there is a direct causal link between brain size and longevity in birds, even when allometric effects are taken into account. Furthermore, a synergistic model was better supported than models that included independent effects of brain size and body size. |
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