PNAS (Advanced publication) Big brains, enhanced cognition, and
response of birds to novel environments Daniel Sol et al. 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
hypothesis for a major animal group (birds) by examining whether
largebrained species show higher survival than small-brained
species when introduced to nonnative locations. Using a global
database documenting the outcome of >600 introduction events, we
confirm that avian species with larger brains, relative to their
body mass, tend to be more successful at establishing themselves
in novel environments. Moreover, we provide evidence that larger
brains help birds respond to novel conditions by enhancing their
innovation propensity rather than indirectly through
noncognitive mechanisms. These findings provide strong evidence
for the hypothesis that enlarged brains function, and hence may
have evolved, to deal wit