Brain size matters if you are a bird, according to a study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society. Birds with bigger brains adapted better to the environment and therefore did better, according to scientists from The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Liverpool University and Birmingham University. The study found that populations of birds like grey partridges and corn buntings - all with relatively small brains relative to their size - had dropped sharply. At the same time those with relatively larger brain sizes like blue tits and magpies had fared far better. "Large brains may help birds solve problems and adapt their behaviour as their environments change," said lead author and former RSPB scientist Suzanne Shultz from Liverpool University. "But birds with small brains for their size seem to be declining because they are stuck in their ways."
根据发表于《皇家学会学报》的一篇论文,脑容量对鸟儿来说至关重要。皇家鸟类保护协会、利物浦大学以及伯明翰大学等机构的科学家认为,脑容量较大的鸟类更能适应环境,因此也就活得更好。这篇论文指出,像灰山鹑和黍鹀这样的鸟儿——它们的脑容量与体形之比相对较小——的数目已经急剧下降。与此同时,蓝山雀及喜鹊等相对脑容量较大的鸟儿的生存状况却要好得多。“较大的脑容量也许能帮助鸟儿解决问题,帮助它们根据环境变化来调整自身行为,”论文主笔、利物浦大学的前皇家鸟类保护协会科学家苏珊妮·舒尔茨说。“而相对脑容量较小的鸟儿数目下降似乎是因为它们固守自己的生活方式。” Remarks:死得瞑目了吧?不怪我们破坏环境,是你们自己死脑筋、智商低呀! |