Life History and Sociality Predict Variation in Eye Size across Birds

Abstract

Over evolutionary times, the eye has acquired several adaptations to improve feeding efficiency and reduce predation pressure. Eye size, in particular, represents a target for selection, as it affects light capture and image resolution. Previous research on variation in eye size across species has focused on ecological factors related to light availability and foraging needs. Larger eyes are also thought to allow species to detect distant predators more easily, but this conjecture has not been examined across species. I predicted that risk-averse species or those exposed to high predation risk benefit from relatively larger eyes to enhance predator detection. To test the prediction, I performed a comparative analysis involving 660 species of birds while controlling for phylogeny, body size and other known ecological correlates of eye size. The results show that species at the slow end of the life history continuum, which emphasize survival over reproduction and are expected to be risk-averse, have evolved relatively larger eyes. In addition, solitary species, which cannot rely on others in their groups to decrease predation risk, are also characterized by relatively larger eyes. The results indicate that predation risk, through its association with life history and sociality, is an important ecological factor in the evolution of eye size across species.