Social competition stimulates cognitive performance in a sex-specific manner
| Autor: | James Rouse, Zak Mitchell, Laurin McDowall, Amanda Bretman, Elizabeth J. Duncan |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2020 |
| Předmět: |
Male
0106 biological sciences Evolution media_common.quotation_subject 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences General Biochemistry Genetics and Molecular Biology Competition (biology) 03 medical and health sciences Cognition Sex Factors Visual memory Memory Animals Effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance Mating Social Behavior Sperm competition 030304 developmental biology General Environmental Science media_common 0303 health sciences General Immunology and Microbiology Reproduction Social environment General Medicine Drosophila melanogaster Phenotype Female Olfactory Learning Sleep General Agricultural and Biological Sciences Psychology Cognitive psychology |
| Zdroj: | Proc Biol Sci |
| ISSN: | 1471-2954 0962-8452 |
| DOI: | 10.1098/rspb.2020.1424 |
| Popis: | Social interactions are thought to be a critical driver in the evolution of cognitive ability. Cooperative interactions, such as pair bonding, rather than competitive interactions have been largely implicated in the evolution of increased cognition. This is despite competition traditionally being a very strong driver of trait evolution. Males of many species track changes in their social environment and alter their reproductive strategies in response to anticipated levels of competition. We predict this to be cognitively challenging. Using a Drosophila melanogaster model, we are able to distinguish between the effects of a competitive environment versus generic social contact by exposing flies to same-sex same-species competition versus different species partners, shown to present non-competitive contacts. Males increase olfactory learning/memory and visual memory after exposure to conspecific males only, a pattern echoed by increased expression of synaptic genes and an increased need for sleep. For females, largely not affected by mating competition, the opposite pattern was seen. The results indicate that specific social contacts dependent on sex, not simply generic social stimulation, may be an important evolutionary driver for cognitive ability in fruit flies. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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