Habitat complexity influences neuron number in six species of Puerto Rican < em > Anolis < /em >

In this study, we investigate the relationship between neuron number and habitat complexity in three brain regions across six closely related anole species from Puerto Rico. After controlling for brain mass, we found that the number of neurons increased with habitat complexity across species in the telencephalon and 'rest of the brain,' but not in the cerebellum. Our results demonstrate that habitat complexity has shaped neuroanatomy in the Puerto Rican anole radiation and provide further evidence of the role of habitat complexity in vertebrate brain evolution.PMID:38320619 | PMC:PMC10846941 | DOI:10.1098/rsbl.2023.0419
Source: Biology Letters - Category: Biology Authors: Source Type: research