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Title
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When does being smart pay off? Ecology and evolution of cognition in lacertid lizards
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Author
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Abstract
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| The evolution of cognition is one of the most enigmatic topics within biology. In particular, which exact (socio-)ecological forces shape the evolution of cognition remains unclear. Both the spatial complexity and the temporal variability of the environment have been hypothesized to be major selective drivers behind cognitive evolution, but evidence from previous research is sparse and mixed. During my PhD, I studied the role of ecology in cognitive evolution, by looking at variation both across and within species of lacertid lizards. The first part of my thesis investigated cognitive variation at the intraspecific level. I looked at the evolution of relative brain size across Squamata (lizards + snakes). In contrast to expectations based on literature, brain size was unrelated to habitat complexity, and social species had relative smaller brains than solitary species. Next, I measured and compared five aspects of cognition across thirteen species of lacertid lizards. Albeit species varied considerably in their performance on all five tests, this variation was largely unrelated to differences in their ecology and life-history. The sole exception was that species from more seasonal habitats tended to exhibit lower behavioural flexibility. The second part of my PhD focused on the link between environment and cognitive variation among populations of the Aegean wall lizard (Podarcis erhardii). Wall lizards from a more seasonal island habitat performed better on a spatial learning task than conspecifics from a less variable mainland location, but also demonstrated lower cognitive flexibility. Secondly, lizards from structural complex habitats were superior spatial learners compared to lizards from more simple environments. Behavioural covariance between lizard personality and cognition was also often year- and habitat-dependent. Finally, I investigated variation at the individual level. I specifically tested whether cognition would be more advantageous in complex habitats. Lizards with known cognitive abilities and personality traits were released in large outdoor enclosures characterized by either complex or simple vegetation for 11-12 months to measure their fitness. Spatial learning and problem-solving were indeed associated with survival, albeit in unexpected ways, but there was no link between cognition and reproductive success. I also found no evidence for habitat-dependent selection on cognition. The link between ecology and cognition is thus not straightforward, and may depend on the cognitive trait and taxonomic level under investigation. Altogether, this thesis illustrates how an integrative approach, looking at both macro-evolutionary patterns and selection within species, can provide valuable new insights in the evolution of animal cognition. |
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Language
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English
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Publication
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Antwerp
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University of Antwerp, Faculty of Science, Department of Biology, Laboratory of Functional Morphology
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2022
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ISBN
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978-90-5728-749-7
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Volume/pages
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509 p.
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Note
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Van Damme, Raoul [Supervisor]
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Pafilis, Panayiotis [Supervisor]
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Full text (open access)
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