Brain Size Affects Mammalian Population Density

Brain Size Affects Mammalian Population Density
Brain Size Affects Mammalian Population Density
Anonim

Scientists have shown that mammals with large brains tend to be less numerous in certain areas than animals with small brains.

The study is published in the Journal of Animal Ecology. Ecologists have long noticed that different organisms inhabit the natural environment with different densities, but what specific factors determine this density is still considered one of the unsolved problems in science.

After all, the number of many species varies greatly depending on the area - and even among similar animals that occupy the same ecological niche. Such knowledge is important for the conservation of species, since low populations can lead to their extinction.

An international team of scientists led by specialists from the University of Reading (UK) has for the first time studied the relationship between brain size and population density of land flightless mammals. Using statistical models that scientists applied to 656 species, they concluded that there is a general trend for all mammals: the larger the brain, the lower the population density.

So, this figure for the Berber monkey (magot) living in Gibraltar, with a body weight of 11 kilograms and a 95-gram brain, averages 36 individuals per square kilometer. And in siamangs - primates belonging to the gibbons - with a similar body weight, but a brain of 123 grams, the average population size is almost three times lower: 14 individuals per square kilometer.

This means that this trend is true even for those species that have a similar diet and body weight: those with larger brains are less numerous. According to the researchers, this may be due to the fact that the large brain expends a lot of energy resources, and therefore requires a lot of food.

Of course, brain size isn't the only thing that affects population density. This is influenced by both the environment and the presence of competitors. Therefore, according to experts, further research is needed. However, an overall correlation between brain size and number can be traced even at this stage.

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