Evolution of brains and behavior for optimal foraging: A tale of two predators

Catania, Kenneth C.

doi:10.1073/pnas.1201885109

Cited by 32 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 49 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Over evolutionary time, selection has presumably favoured enhancements of sensory systems that provide the greatest benefits to individuals, while also favouring low costs [1]. The often observed match between the capacities of an animal's sensory systems and the animal's apparent needs is a testament to such selection [2,3]. Thus, when we observe extreme sensory structures unique to particular animals, we often hypothesize an associated extreme sensory-specific function.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Nocturnal foraging enhanced by enlarged secondary eyes in a net-casting spider

Stafstrom¹,

Hebets²

2016

Biol. Lett.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Animals that possess extreme sensory structures are predicted to have a related extreme behavioural function. This study focuses on one such extreme sensory structure-the posterior median eyes of the net-casting spider Deinopis spinosa. Although past research has implicated the importance of vision in the nocturnal foraging habits of Deinopis, no direct link between vision in the enlarged eyes and nocturnal foraging has yet been made. To directly test the hypothesis that the enlarged posterior median eyes facilitate visually based nocturnal prey capture, we conducted repeated-measures, visual occlusion trials in both natural and laboratory settings. Our results indicate that D. spinosa relies heavily on visual cues detected by the posterior median eyes to capture cursorial prey items. We suggest that the enlarged posterior median eyes benefit D. spinosa not only through increased diet breadth, but also by allowing spiders to remain active solely at night, thus evading predation by diurnal animals.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 87%

Nocturnal foraging enhanced by enlarged secondary eyes in a net-casting spider

Stafstrom¹,

Hebets²

2016

Biol. Lett.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A review of the past few years of biological literature finds persistent employment of OFT models, with empirical data often showing good fits with their predictions in a variety of organisms (e.g., refs. [71][72][73][74]. OFT applications in human research also continue apace with valuable insights on varied topics (e.g., refs.…”

Section: Models Of Ee Often Generate Accuratementioning

confidence: 99%

Particularism and the retreat from theory in the archaeology of agricultural origins

Gremillion

Barton

Piperno

2014

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

131

105

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The introduction of new analytic methods and expansion of research into previously untapped regions have greatly increased the scale and resolution of data relevant to the origins of agriculture (OA). As a result, the recognition of varied historical pathways to agriculture and the continuum of management strategies have complicated the search for general explanations for the transition to food production. In this environment, higher-level theoretical frameworks are sometimes rejected on the grounds that they force conclusions that are incompatible with real-world variability. Some of those who take this position argue instead that OA should be explained in terms of local and historically contingent factors. This retreat from theory in favor of particularism is based on the faulty beliefs that complex phenomena such as agricultural origins demand equally complex explanations and that explanation is possible in the absence of theoretically based assumptions. The same scholars who are suspicious of generalization are reluctant to embrace evolutionary approaches to human behavior on the grounds that they are ahistorical, overly simplistic, and dismissive of agency and intent. We argue that these criticisms are misplaced and explain why a coherent theory of human behavior that acknowledges its evolutionary history is essential to advancing understanding of OA. Continued progress depends on the integration of human behavior and culture into the emerging synthesis of evolutionary developmental biology that informs contemporary research into plant and animal domestication. evolutionary theory | behavioral ecologyOver the last decade there has been a major expansion of knowledge regarding the timing and socioecological context of plant domestication and emerging agricultural systems. This wealth of data is due in large part to methodological innovations (e.g., in genetics and paleogenomics, in the analysis of plant micro-and macroremains and biological residues, and in the physical and biogeochemical analyses of anthropogenic sediments), reexcavations of some important archaeological sites, and the expansion of archaeological research into regions whose record of agricultural origins has been until recently poorly known [such as New Guinea (1, 2), lowland areas of Mesoamerica and northern South America (3-7), and northern and southern China (8-13)]. These research activities have enriched both the scale and resolution of the data relevant to agricultural origins worldwide. One result of this welcome enhancement of the empirical record is wider acknowledgment of the variability in the historical pathways taken by emerging food production systems across space and time. The dichotomy between foraging and food production has been discarded in favor of a continuum of landscape, plant, and animal management strategies that sometimes resist classification. However, for some scholars (2, 14), the richly detailed records of change seem to have dampened the appeal of general explanations for the transition to agriculture. This tr...

show abstract

“…In recent years, great development of bionic optimization algorithms based on forging behaviors has been achieved [1][2][3][4]. Foraging is a significant inherent feature of behaviors that touches virtually all aspects of ecological species, involving optimal decision-making strategies for locating, handling, and ingesting food effectively in a given environment [1,2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%