10.5061/DRYAD.M2TJ3
Gonzalez-Voyer, Alejandro
Stockholm University
National Autonomous University of Mexico
González-Suárez, Manuela
University of Reading
Vilà, Carles
Estación Biológica de Doñana
Revilla, Eloy
Estación Biológica de Doñana
Data from: Larger brain size indirectly increases vulnerability to
extinction in mammals
Dryad
dataset
2016
Carnivora
Extinction risk
Mammalia
phylogenetic path analysis
IUCN Red List
Primates
Artiodactyla
2016-04-28T16:25:21Z
2016-04-28T16:25:21Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.12943
152855 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Although previous studies have addressed the question of why large brains
evolved, we have limited understanding of potential beneficial or
detrimental effects of enlarged brain size in the face of current threats.
Using novel phylogenetic path analysis, we evaluated how brain size
directly and indirectly, via its effects on life-history and ecology,
influences vulnerability to extinction across 474 mammalian species. We
found that larger brains, controlling for body size, indirectly increase
vulnerability to extinction by extending the gestation period, increasing
weaning age, and limiting litter sizes. However, we found no evidence of
direct, beneficial or detrimental, effects of brain size on vulnerability
to extinction, even when we explicitly considered the different types of
threats that lead to vulnerability. Order-specific analyses revealed
qualitatively similar patterns for Carnivora and Artiodactyla.
Interestingly, for Primates, we found that larger brain size was directly
(and indirectly) associated with increased vulnerability to extinction.
Our results indicate that under current conditions the constraints on
life-history imposed by large brains outweigh the potential benefits,
undermining the resilience of the studied mammals. Contrary to the
selective forces that have favoured increased brain size throughout
evolutionary history, at present, larger brains have become a burden for
mammals.
Full datasetThis file records all data analysed in the published study,
describing species-level traits including brain
size.Gonzalez-Voyer_et_al_Evolution_Brain_Data.csv
Global