Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/30622
Title: | Brain Size Associated with Foot Preferences in Australian Parrots | Contributor(s): | Kaplan, Gisela (author); Rogers, Lesley J (author) | Publication Date: | 2021-05-12 | Open Access: | Yes | DOI: | 10.3390/sym13050867 | Handle Link: | https://hdl.handle.net/1959.11/30622 | Abstract: | Since foot preference of cockatoos and parrots to hold and manipulate food and other objects has been associated with better ability to perform certain tasks, we predicted that either strength or direction of foot preference would correlate with brain size. Our study of 25 psittacine species of Australia found that species with larger absolute brain mass have stronger foot preferences and that percent left-footedness is correlated positively with brain mass. In a sub-sample of 11 species, we found an association between foot preference and size of the nidopallial region of the telencephalon, an area equivalent to the mammalian cortex and including regions with executive function and other higher-level functions. Our analysis showed that percent left-foot use correlates positively and significantly with size of the nidopallium relative to the whole brain, but not with the relative size of the optic tecta. Psittacine species with stronger left-foot preferences have larger brains, with the nidopallium making up a greater proportion of those brains. Our results are the first to show an association between brain size and asymmetrical limb use by parrots and cockatoos. Our results support the hypothesis that limb preference enhances brain capacity and higher (nidopallial) functioning. | Publication Type: | Journal Article | Source of Publication: | Symmetry, 13(5), p. 1-13 | Publisher: | MDPI AG | Place of Publication: | Switzerland | ISSN: | 2073-8994 | Fields of Research (FoR) 2008: | 060807 Animal Structure and Function | Fields of Research (FoR) 2020: | 310911 Animal structure and function | Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2008: | 970106 Expanding Knowledge in the Biological Sciences | Socio-Economic Objective (SEO) 2020: | 280102 Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences | Peer Reviewed: | Yes | HERDC Category Description: | C1 Refereed Article in a Scholarly Journal |
---|---|
Appears in Collections: | Journal Article School of Science and Technology |
Files in This Item:
File | Description | Size | Format | |
---|---|---|---|---|
openpublished/BrainKaplanRogers2021JournalArticle.pdf | Published version | 979.2 kB | Adobe PDF Download Adobe | View/Open |
SCOPUSTM
Citations
11
checked on Dec 28, 2024
Page view(s)
1,244
checked on Apr 2, 2023
Download(s)
134
checked on Apr 2, 2023
This item is licensed under a Creative Commons License