Sol Daniel, Bateman-Neubert Alessandra, Noguer Laura, Taylor Alex H
Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-UPF), 08003 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
Centre for Ecological Research and Applied Forestries (CSIC-CREAF), Bellaterra, Catalonia 08193, Spain.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2025 Jun 26;380(1929):20240123. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2024.0123.
Cognition is widely believed to confer adaptive benefits, yet empirically demonstrating these benefits and understanding their evolutionary origin remains a significant challenge. Individual-based studies in the wild are essential for demonstrating that a cognitive trait is an adaptation. However, such approaches have so far yielded only partial evidence for the adaptive significance of cognition. Building on previous research, we highlight key challenges of individual-based studies that remain underappreciated and warrant further attention. These include the need for precise characterization of functionally relevant cognitive traits, a deeper understanding of heritable variation, more robust assessments of key fitness components across large cohorts and extended timescales, and clearer identification of the fitness benefits and selective pressures involved. We discuss how the lack of such comprehensive information limits our ability to fully evaluate how cognitive traits affect fitness, and to explore their demographic and evolutionary consequences. To bridge the gap between micro- and macroevolutionary processes, we also emphasize the need to better integrate individual-based research with broader population and species comparative analyses. By refining and expanding the approach, individual-based studies can deepen our insight into the evolutionary forces that have given rise to the remarkable diversity of minds across the animal kingdom.This article is part of the Theo Murphy meeting issue 'Selection shapes diverse animal minds'.
人们普遍认为认知具有适应性益处，但要通过实证证明这些益处并理解其进化起源仍然是一项重大挑战。在野外进行的基于个体的研究对于证明认知特征是一种适应性特征至关重要。然而，到目前为止，此类方法仅为认知的适应性意义提供了部分证据。基于先前的研究，我们强调了基于个体的研究中一些尚未得到充分重视且值得进一步关注的关键挑战。这些挑战包括需要精确描述功能相关的认知特征，更深入地理解遗传变异，在大型队列和更长时间尺度上对关键适应性成分进行更有力的评估，以及更清晰地识别所涉及的适应性益处和选择压力。我们讨论了缺乏此类全面信息如何限制我们充分评估认知特征如何影响适应性以及探索其人口统计学和进化后果的能力。为了弥合微观和宏观进化过程之间的差距，我们还强调需要更好地将基于个体的研究与更广泛的种群和物种比较分析相结合。通过完善和扩展这种方法，基于个体的研究可以加深我们对导致动物王国中思维显著多样性的进化力量的理解。本文是西奥·墨菲会议议题“选择塑造了多样的动物思维”的一部分。
