Several comparative research programs have focused on the cognitive, life history and
ecological traits that account for variation in brain size. We review one of these programs, a …

In recent years, there have been over 50 comparative analyses carried out in which social or
ecological variables have been used to explain variation in whole brain size, or a part …

Behavioural plasticity is believed to reduce species vulnerability to extinction, yet global
evidence supporting this hypothesis is lacking. We address this gap by quantifying the …

A longstanding issue in biology is whether the intelligence of animals can be predicted by
absolute or relative brain size. However, progress has been hampered by an insufficient …

Despite considerable current interest in the evolution of intelligence, the intuitively appealing
notion that brain volume and “intelligence” are linked remains untested. Here, we use …

The widely held hypothesis that enlarged brains have evolved as an adaptation to cope with
novel or altered environmental conditions lacks firm empirical support. Here, we test this …

Behavioural flexibility has long been thought to provide advantages for animals when they
invade novel environments. This hypothesis has recently received empirical support in a …

Aim As urban landscapes expand, shifts in biodiversity are occurring. This is leading
biogeographers and ecologists to consider human‐dominated landscapes in their current …

During the 130-year history of the scientific study of animal behaviour, there have been two
periods of relatively intense interest in the role of social learning in behavioural …

Comparative psychologists interested in the evolution of intelligence have focused their
attention on social primates, whereas birds tend to be used as models of associative …