Human cultural traits-behaviors, ideas, and technologies that can be learned from other individuals-can exhibit complex patterns of transmission evolution, researchers have developed theoretical models, both verbal mathematical, to facilitate our understanding these patterns. Many the first quantitative models evolution were modified existing concepts in population genetics because has many parallels with, as well clear differences from, genetic evolution. Furthermore, interact with one...

Environmental changes driven by anthropogenic activities often disrupt animal communication and mating behavior. Consequently, these may force animals to adopt alternative tactics strategies find a mate. The disruption technique is an environmentally friendly tactic used control the pink-bollworm moth population in cotton fields. Though eco-friendly, it represents Human-Induced Rapid Change for targeted moths. Mating involves spreading synthetic version of species-specific sex pheromone...

Archaeological accounts of cultural change reveal a fundamental conflict: Some suggest that is gradual, accelerating over time, whereas others indicate it punctuated, with long periods stasis interspersed by sudden gains or losses multiple traits. Existing models evolution, inspired genetic lend support to the former and do not generate trajectories include large-scale punctuated change. We propose simple model can give rise both exponential patterns gain loss In it, innovation comprises...

In Drosophila, multiple lines of evidence converge in suggesting that beneficial substitutions to the genome may be common. All suffer from confounding factors, however, such interpretation evidence—in particular, conclusions about rate and strength substitutions—remains tentative. Here, we use genome-wide polymorphism data D. simulans sequenced genomes its close relatives construct a readily interpretable characterization effects positive selection: shape average neutral diversity around...

Host-associated microbiomes influence their host's fitness in myriad ways and can be viewed as a source of phenotypic plasticity. This plasticity may allow the host to accommodate novel environmental challenges thus evolutionary adaptation. As with other modalities phenomena such Baldwin effect genetic assimilation, microbiome-mediated adaptation by facilitating accelerating it, slowing it down, or even preventing it. The dynamics involved are likely more complex than those previously...

Abstract Innovations, such as symbolic artifacts, are a product of cognitive abilities but also cultural context. Factors that may determine the emergence and retention an innovation include population's pre-existing repertoire, exposure to relevant ways thinking, invention's utility. Thus, we suggest production artifacts is not guaranteed even in cognitively advanced societies.

Evidence for interactions between populations plays a prominent role in the reconstruction of historical and prehistoric human dynamics; these are usually interpreted to reflect cultural practices or demographic processes. The sharp increase long-distance transportation lithic material Middle Upper Palaeolithic, example, is seen as manifestation revolution that defined transition epochs. Here, we propose population interaction not only reflection change but also potential driver it. We...

One of the most puzzling features prehistoric record hominid stone tools is its apparent punctuation: it consists abrupt bursts dramatic change that separate long periods largely unchanging technology. Within each such period, small punctuated cultural modifications take place. Punctuation on multiple timescales and magnitudes also found in trajectories from historical times. To explain these sharp bursts, researchers invoke external factors as sudden environmental change, rapid cognitive or...

When humans and other animals make cultural innovations, they also change their environment, thereby imposing new selective pressures that can modify biological traits. For example, there is evidence dairy farming by favored alleles for adult lactose tolerance. Similarly, the invention of cooking possibly affected evolution jaw tooth morphology. However, when it comes to cognitive traits learning mechanisms, much more difficult determine whether how was culture or use in transmission. Here...

The skills required for the learning and use of language are focus extensive research, their evolutionary origins widely debated. Using agent-based simulations in a range virtual environments, we demonstrate that challenges foraging food can select cognitive mechanisms supporting complex, hierarchical, sequential learning, need which arises acquisition. Building on previous work, where explored conditions under reinforcement is out-competed by seldom-reinforced continuous constructs network...

In the last decade, we have witnessed a major paradigm shift in life sciences: recognition that microbiome, i.e. set of microorganisms associated with healthy animals (including humans) and plants, plays crucial role sustained health fitness its host. Enabled by rapid advances sequencing technologies analytical methods, substantial been achieved both identifying microbial taxa understanding relationship between microbiome composition host phenotype. These breakthroughs are leading to novel...

Homing behaviour, the tendency to return home from a place outside an individual’s home, requires ability navigate by integrating inputs natural cues. While navigation has been extensively studied, it remains taxonomically biased, mainly focusing on birds. We used ATLAS tracking system test homing behaviour of Balkan pond turtle ( Mauremys rivulata ), semi-aquatic reptile. Thirty-six turtles were displaced up 2.5 km their capture location and tracked for behaviour. Another five individuals...

Abstract Most hypotheses in the heated debate about Neanderthals’ replacement by modern humans highlight role of environmental pressures or attribute demise to competition with humans, who occupied same ecological niche. The latter assume that benefited from some selective advantage over Neanderthals, which led their extinction. Here we show a scenario migration and selectively neutral species drift predicts replacement. Our model offers parsimonious alternative those invoke external factors...

Abstract Neanderthals and modern humans both occupied the Levant for tens of thousands years prior to spread into rest Eurasia their replacement Neanderthals. That inter-species boundary remained geographically localized so long is a puzzle, particularly in light rapidity its subsequent movement. Here, we propose that infectious-disease dynamics can explain localization persistence boundary. We further propose, support with dynamical-systems models, introgression-based transmission alleles...

The transition to specialization of knowledge within populations could have facilitated the accumulation cultural complexity in humans. Specialization allows increase their repertoire without requiring that members population individual capacity accumulate knowledge. However, also means domain-specific can be concentrated small subsets population, making it more susceptible loss. Here, we use a model evolution demonstrate specialized sensitive stochastic loss than subdivision knowledge, and...

Abstract We introduce a set of biologically and computationally motivated design choices for modeling the learning language, or other types sequential, hierarchically structured experience behavior, describe an implemented system that conforms to these is capable unsupervised from raw natural‐language corpora. Given stream linguistic input, our model incrementally learns grammar captures its statistical patterns, which can then be used parse generate new data. The constructed in this manner...

Abstract The production of novel behavioral sequences that gives rise to animal innovation and creativity is one the most intriguing aspects evolution. Numerous studies have recently documented abundance diversity innovative creative behaviors between within species, yet ability innovate or act creatively has mainly been described quantified as a measure animals’ cognitive abilitywithout explicit reference mechanismsthat may account for these behaviors. Here we discuss process from...

Abstract The transition to specialization of knowledge within populations could have facilitated the accumulation cultural complexity in humans. Specialization allows increase their repertoire without requiring that members population individual capacity accumulate knowledge. However, also means domain-specific can be concentrated small subsets population, making it more susceptible loss. Here we use a model evolution demonstrate specialized sensitive stochastic loss than subdivision...

Natural behaviors, such as foraging, tool use, social interaction, birdsong, and language, exhibit branching sequential structure. Such structure should be learnable if it can inferred from the statistics of early experience. We report that juvenile zebra finches learn in song. Song learning has been extensively studied, is generally believed young males acquire song by imitating tutors (Zann, 1996). Variability order elements an individual's mature occurs, but degree to which variation a...