Variation in cognitive abilities is thought to be linked to variation in brain size, which varies across species with either social factors (Social Intelligence Hypothesis) or ecological challenges (Ecological Intelligence Hypothesis). However, the nature of the ecological processes invoked by the Ecological Intelligence Hypothesis, like adaptations to certain habitat characteristics or dietary requirements, remains relatively poorly known. Here, we review comparative studies that experimentally investigated interspecific variation in cognitive performance in relation to a species’ degree of ecological specialisation. Overall, the relevant literature was biased towards studies of mammals and birds as well as studies focusing on ecological challenges related to diet. We separated ecological challenges into those related to searching for food, accessing a food item and memorising food locations. We found interspecific variation in cognitive performance that can be explained by adaptations to different foraging styles. Species-specific adaptations to certain ecological conditions, like food patch distribution, characteristics of food items or seasonality also broadly predicted variation in cognitive abilities. A species’ innovative problem-solving and spatial processing ability, for example, could be explained by its use of specific foraging techniques or search strategies, respectively. Further, habitat generalists were more likely to outperform habitat specialists. Hence, we found evidence that ecological adaptations and cognitive performance are linked and that the classification concept of ecological specialisation can explain variation in cognitive performance only with regard to habitat, but not dietary specialisation.

中文翻译：

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连接生态与认知：生态专业化是否能预测认知测试表现？

认知能力的差异被认为与大脑大小的差异有关，大脑大小因社会因素（社会智力假设）或生态挑战（生态智力假设）而因物种而异。然而，生态智能假设所调用的生态过程的性质，如对某些栖息地特征或饮食要求的适应，仍然相对鲜为人知。在这里，我们回顾了比较研究，这些研究通过实验研究了与物种生态专业化程度相关的认知表现的种间变异。总体而言，相关文献偏向于对哺乳动物和鸟类的研究，以及侧重于与饮食相关的生态挑战的研究。我们将生态挑战分为与寻找食物有关的挑战，访问食物项目并记住食物位置。我们发现认知表现的种间差异可以通过对不同觅食方式的适应来解释。物种对某些生态条件的特定适应，如食物斑块分布、食物特征或季节性，也广泛地预测了认知能力的变化。例如，一个物种的创新解决问题和空间处理能力可以分别通过其使用特定的觅食技术或搜索策略来解释。此外，栖息地通才更有可能胜过栖息地专家。因此，