The evolution of cerebellum structure correlates with nest complexity

Zachary Jonas Hall, Sally Street, Susan Denise Healy

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Across the brains of different bird species, the cerebellum varies greatly in the amount of surface folding (foliation). The degree of cerebellar foliation is thought to correlate positively with the processing capacity of the cerebellum, supporting complex motor abilities, particularly manipulative skills. Here, we tested this hypothesis by investigating the relationship between cerebellar foliation and species-typical nest structure in birds. Increasing complexity of nest structure is a measure of a bird's ability to manipulate nesting material into the required shape. Consistent with our hypothesis, avian cerebellar foliation increases as the complexity of the nest built increases, setting the scene for the exploration of nest building at the neural level.
Original languageEnglish
Article number20130687
Number of pages4
JournalBiology Letters
Volume9
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 4 Dec 2013

Keywords

  • Nest construction
  • Cerebellar foliation
  • Avian cerebellum

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