Battling with neighbors could make animals smarter

Date:
October 6, 2020
Source:
University of Bristol
Summary:
From ants to primates, 'Napoleonic' intelligence has evolved to
help animals contend with the myriad cognitive challenges arising
from interactions with rival outsiders, suggest researchers.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
From ants to primates, 'Napoleonic' intelligence has evolved to help
animals contend with the myriad cognitive challenges arising from
interactions with rival outsiders, suggest researchers at the University
of Bristol in a paper published in Nature Communications today [Tuesday
6 October].


========================================================================== Antagonistic and co-operative social interactions within groups have
long been suggested to drive the evolution of big brains. But animals
from across the social spectrum must constantly juggle threats and opportunities from outsiders too.

Interactions with outsiders have been little considered in the context
of cognitive evolution. Drawing on their varied backgrounds in animal cognition, intergroup conflict and social evolution, the Bristol
scientists have expanded the Social Intelligence Hypothesis to include
this missing social axis.

Dr Ben Ashton, honorary research associate and lead author from the
School of Biological Sciences, said: "Outside threats and opportunities
likely present a range of cognitive challenges. Animals have to defend
their territories, find mates and compete for resources -- we believe negotiating such challenges requires considerable brain power." Andy
Radford, Professor of Behavioural Ecology and senior author, continued:
"A vast amount of time and effort in the animal kingdom is devoted
to gathering information about outsiders, and to avoiding, exploiting
and winning interactions with them. But this aspect of sociality has traditionally been ignored in explanations of animal brain evolution."
Dr Patrick Kennedy, research associate and co-author added: "Biologists
have shown how interactions with groupmates can generate 'Machiavellian' intelligence, the House of Cards-style cunning needed to get ahead
in social politics within groups. We argue that animals also need
'Napoleonic' intelligence, the more Game of Thrones-style sharpness
necessary to triumph in a world packed with rival outsiders." Niccolo` Machiavelli is perhaps best-known for his political treatise The Prince,
a commentary on how to establish and retain power; the term Machiavellian subsequently became synonymous with ruthless realpolitik.

Napoleon Bonaparte is considered one of the greatest military minds in
history; the strategic intelligence underlying the Napoleonic campaigns
is still used as an example in textbook warfare today.

Dr Ashton, now at Macquarie University, Australia, said: "Cognitive
evolution is one of the most hotly debated topics in biology, with
considerable uncertainty remaining over the predominant drivers. Some of
that uncertainty might be because a whole social axis -- interactions
with rival outsiders - - has been largely ignored in both theoretical
and empirical work." Dr Kennedy added: "The possibility that outsiders
have shaped intelligence has been suggested before, in particular by
two of the pioneers of social evolution -- Richard Alexander and William Hamilton. However, these brainy primates were thinking only of our own
species; it is time to expand their insights beyond human cognition."
Professor Radford concluded: "What do big-brained animals have in common
with Napoleon Bonaparte? We suspect that their ancestors possessed
the intelligence to triumph in one of the highest-stakes games of all: outmanoeuvring outsiders."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Bristol. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Benjamin J. Ashton, Patrick Kennedy, Andrew N. Radford. Interactions
with
conspecific outsiders as drivers of cognitive evolution. Nature
Communications, 2020; 11 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18780-3 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/10/201006091231.htm

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