Brain size variation along altitudinal gradients in the Asiatic Toad (Bufo gargarizans),Ecology and Evolution

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Brain size variation along altitudinal gradients in the Asiatic Toad (Bufo gargarizans)
Ecology and Evolution ( IF 2.3 ) Pub Date : 2021-01-26 , DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7192
Zhongyi Yao _{1,

2,

3} , Yin Qi ₁ , Bisong Yue ₂ , Jinzhong Fu _{1,

4}

Affiliation

Size changes in brain and brain regions along altitudinal gradients provide insight into the trade‐off between energetic expenditure and cognitive capacity. We investigated the brain size variations of the Asiatic Toad (Bufo gargarizans) across altitudes from 700 m to 3,200 m. A total of 325 individuals from 11 sites and two transects were sampled. To reduce confounding factors, all sampling sites within each transect were within a maximum distance of 85 km and an altitudinal difference close to 2,000 m. Brains were dissected, and five regions were both measured directly and with 3D CT scan. There is a significant negative correlation between the relative whole‐brain volume (to snout‐vent length) and altitude. Furthermore, the relative volumes (to whole‐brain volume) of optic tectum and cerebellum also decrease along the altitudinal gradients, while the telencephalon increases its relative volume along the gradients. Therefore, our results are mostly consistent with the expensive brain hypothesis and the functional constraint hypothesis. We suggest that most current hypotheses are not mutually exclusive and data supporting one hypothesis are often partially consistent with others. More studies on mechanisms are needed to explain the brain size evolution in natural populations.

中文翻译：

亚洲蟾蜍（Bufo gargarizans）大脑大小随海拔梯度的变化

大脑和大脑区域沿海拔梯度的大小变化提供了对能量消耗和认知能力之间权衡的深入了解。我们研究了亚洲蟾蜍 ( Bufo gargarizans ) 在海拔 700 m 至 3,200 m 之间的大脑大小变化。总共对来自 11 个地点和两个横断面的 325 个人进行了采样。为了减少混杂因素，每条样带内的所有采样点的最大距离都在85公里以内，海拔高度差接近2000米。大脑被解剖，五个区域均被直接测量和 3D CT 扫描测量。相对全脑体积（与口鼻孔长度）和海拔之间存在显着的负相关。此外，视顶盖和小脑的相对体积（相对于全脑体积）也沿着高度梯度减小，而端脑沿着梯度增加其相对体积。因此，我们的结果与昂贵大脑假说和功能约束假说基本一致。我们认为，当前大多数假设并不是相互排斥的，支持一种假设的数据通常与其他假设部分一致。需要更多的机制研究来解释自然群体中大脑大小的演变。

更新日期：2021-04-04

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