Does is pay to be smart? Cognition and fitness in gray mouse lemurs (Microcebus murinus)

• Applicants: Dr. Claudia Fichtel; Professor Dr. Peter M. Kappeler
• Subject Area: Sensory and Behavioural Biology
• Term: from 2016 to 2021
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 327533476

The fact that neither all species nor all individuals within a given species exhibit the same, unlimited cognitive abilities indicates the existence of proximate constraints and evolutionary trade-offs involving the underlying traits. However, the magnitude and sources of inter-individual variation in cognitive abilities, in particular, remain poorly known; primarily because only a handful of (bird) studies have linked variation in cognitive abilities to micro-evolutionary processes and fitness outcomes. We propose to conduct the first study of cognition-fitness correlates in a wild primate species, the gray mouse lemur (Microcebus murinus) a short-lived, ecological generalist. Such a study would not only yield the first comparative data from a wild mammal, but also from a taxon generally considered to be cognitively sophisticated. Specifically, we plan to link results of experiments testing individuals on a variety of cognitive abilities in different domains with various fitness measures like growth, body condition, reproductive success and long-term survival to analyze potential links between these fundamental traits in a comprehensive manner and in more detail than existing studies on this topic. Thus, this novel, functional approach has the potential to significantly enhance our understanding of the evolution of (primate) cognition and contribute important comparative information to non-primate studies on this topic by revealing whether it pays to be smart in a short-lived, ecological generalist.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants