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Intraspecific variation in invertebrate cognition: a review

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Abstract

A well-established field of research in vertebrates focuses on the variability of cognitive abilities within species. From mammals to fish, numerous studies have revealed remarkable differences in the cognitive phenotype among individuals, particularly in terms of sex or personality. However, many aspects of the mechanisms, genetics, and selective pressures that underlie individual cognitive variation remain unclear. Surprisingly, intraspecific variability in cognition has received much less attention in invertebrates, despite the increasing evidence of remarkable cognitive abilities in this group and the insights that could be gained from examining simultaneously two distinct taxa, namely vertebrates and invertebrates. In this review, we provide evidence that certain invertebrate species exhibit all the key features of cognitive variation observed in vertebrates, including differences related to sex and personality. In many cases, invertebrate studies have provided insights into the genetic basis, evolvability and response to selection of cognitive variability. Moreover, we highlight evidence for caste differences in eusocial insects, which are linked to task specialisation within the colony. This makes insect eusociality a valuable system for understanding how selection influences cognitive variation. We propose that cognitive variation in invertebrates may be more widespread than currently thought, and that selection may operate in a similar manner on two distantly related cognitive systems (vertebrates and invertebrates). Finally, we suggest that invertebrates hold the potential to serve both as alternative and complementary models to vertebrates, contributing to a deeper understanding of cognitive evolution.

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Funding

TLX was funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.3 - Call for tender No. 341 of 15/03/2022 of Italian Ministry of University and Research funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU Award Number: Project code PE0000006, Concession Decree No. 1553 of 11/10/2022 adopted by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, CUP D93C22000930002, ‘A multiscale integrated approach to the study of the nervous system in health and disease’ (MNESYS). CC was supported by the PRIN projects HYBRIND (2017KLZ3MA ) and PL-ASTICI (20223EETLW), and by the Research project implemented under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.4—call for tender no. 3138 of 16 December 2021, rectified by Decree no. 3175 of 18 December 2021 of the Italian Ministry of University and Research funded by the European Union–Next Generation EU, Project code CN_00000033, Concession Decree no. 1034 of 17 June 2022 adopted by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, CUP J83C22000860007, project title ‘National Biodiversity Future Center—NBFC’. DB is supported by NBFC to University of Florence, Department of Biology, funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, PNRR, Missione 4 Componente 2, ‘Dalla ricerca all’impresa’, Investimento 1.4, Project CN00000033.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy

    Tyrone Lucon-Xiccato

  2. Department of Ecological and Biological Science, Tuscia University, Viterbo, Italy

    Claudio Carere

  3. Department of Biology, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Italy

    David Baracchi

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  1. Tyrone Lucon-Xiccato
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Correspondence to Tyrone Lucon-Xiccato.

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This article is a contribution to the Topical Collection “Toward a Cognitive Ecology of Invertebrates” - Guest Editors: Aurore Avarguès-Weber and Mathieu Lihoreau

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Lucon-Xiccato, T., Carere, C. & Baracchi, D. Intraspecific variation in invertebrate cognition: a review. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 78, 1 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-023-03413-8

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