Evolution of plasticity in brain morphology.

Abstract

Brain morphology is a critical trait influencing animal performance that has been shown to demonstrate phenotypic plasticity in response to a variety of environmental cues. Further, plasticity itself has consistently been recognized as a trait that can be selected upon and evolve. There has been limited research examining how evolution and selection act on plasticity in brain morphology. Here, we review the environmental factors that have been shown to cause plasticity in brain morphology across animal taxa. We further propose a framework for examining the evolution of brain morphology plasticity, including four hypothesized patterns of selection that may cause evolution of plasticity in this critical trait. Finally, we outline potential ways these hypotheses can be tested to build our understanding of the evolution of brain morphology plasticity.