Journal
BIOLOGY LETTERS
Volume 2, Issue 4, Pages 557-560Publisher
ROYAL SOC
DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2006.0538
Keywords
mammals; encephalization; basal metabolic rate; cognition
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
In the ongoing discussion about brain evolution in vertebrates, the main interest has shifted from theories focusing on energy balance to theories proposing social or ecological benefits of enhanced intellect. With the availability of a wealth of new data on basal metabolic rate ( BMR) and brain size and with the aid of reliable techniques of comparative analysis, we are able to show that in fact energetics is an issue in the maintenance of a relatively large brain, and that brain size is positively correlated with the BMR in mammals, controlling for body size effects. We conclude that attempts to explain brain size variation in different taxa must consider the ability to sustain the energy costs alongside cognitive benefits.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available