Karin Isler
Biographic Data
| ID | 625196 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Karin Isler |
| GIVEN NAMES | Karin |
| FAMILY NAME | Isler |
| SIGNATURE | ISLER K |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Zurich |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-2391-1523 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 18 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 263 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 18 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2003 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2019 |
| H-INDEX | 8 |
Gross intestinal morphometry and allometry in primates
Although it is generally assumed that among mammals and within mammal groups, those species that rely on diets consisting of greater amounts of plant fiber have larger gastrointestinal tracts (GIT), statistical evidence for this simple claim is largely lacking. We compiled a dataset on the length of the small intestine, caecum, and colon in 42 strepsirrhine, platyrrhine, and catarrhine primate species, using specimens with known body mass (BM). W…
Being fat and smart
Humans stand out among non-aquatic mammals by having both an extremely large brain and a relatively large amount of body fat. To understand the evolution of this human peculiarity we report a phylogenetic comparative study of 120 mammalian species, including 30 primates, using seasonal variation in adult body mass as a proxy of the tendency to store fat. Species that rely on storing fat to survive lean periods are expected to be less active becau…
Life history, cognition and the evolution of complex foraging niches
Are badges of status adaptive in large complex primate groups?
How humans evolved large brains
The human brain is about three times as large as that of our closest living relatives, the great apes. Overall brain size is a good predictor of cognitive performance in a variety of tests in primates. Therefore, hypotheses explaining the evolution of this remarkable difference have attracted much interest. In this review, we give an overview of the current evidence from comparative studies testing these hypotheses. If cognitive benefits are dive…
Brief Communication
New World monkeys exhibit a more pronounced variability in encephalization than other primate taxa. In this comparative study, we tested two current hypotheses on brain size evolution, the Expensive Brain hypothesis and the Cognitive Buffer hypothesis, in a sample of 21 platyrrhine species. A high degree of habitat seasonality may impose an energetic constraint on brain size evolution if it leads to a high variation in caloric intake over time, a…
Grooming and group cohesion in primates
Allomaternal care, life history and brain size evolution in mammals
How to explain the unusually late age at skill competence among humans
How Our Ancestors Broke through the Gray Ceiling
The “expensive brain” framework proposes that the costs of an increase in brain size can be met by any combination of increasing the total energy turnover or reducing energy allocation to other expensive functions, such as maintenance (digestion), locomotion, or production (growth and reproduction). Here, we explore its implications for human evolution. Using both comparative data on extant mammals and life-table simulations from wild extant apes…
Energetics and the evolution of human brain size
The brain is a costly organ to run in terms of energy supply, so how do humans accommodate brains that are so much larger than those of comparable primates without any apparent difficulty? A widely held explanation is the expensive-tissue hypothesis, which proposes a trade-off between brain size and the mass of other energetically expensive organs, especially the digestive tract. Now a survey of 100 mammal species reveals no such trade-off, refut…
The Expensive Brain
Endocranial volumes of primate species
Life history costs and benefits of encephalization
Costs of encephalization
D‐kinematics of vertical climbing in hominoids
Vertical climbing has played an important role in theories about the evolution of habitual bipedalism in early hominids and of locomotor specialization in hominoids. However, empirical data on vertical climbing in nonhuman primates are scarce, especially regarding kinematics. In this paper, the kinematics of flexed‐elbow vertical climbing of four hominoid species are reported: western lowland gorillas ( Gorilla gorilla gorilla ), bonobos ( Pan pa…
D digital mapping of the early hominid site of gladysvale cave, South Africa
Characteristics of vertical climbing in gibbons
Endocranial volumes of primate species
How Our Ancestors Broke through the Gray Ceiling
The “expensive brain” framework proposes that the costs of an increase in brain size can be met by any combination of increasing the total energy turnover or reducing energy allocation to other expensive functions, such as maintenance (digestion), locomotion, or production (growth and reproduction). Here, we explore its implications for human evolution. Using both comparative data on extant mammals and life-table simulations from wild extant apes…
D‐kinematics of vertical climbing in hominoids
Vertical climbing has played an important role in theories about the evolution of habitual bipedalism in early hominids and of locomotor specialization in hominoids. However, empirical data on vertical climbing in nonhuman primates are scarce, especially regarding kinematics. In this paper, the kinematics of flexed‐elbow vertical climbing of four hominoid species are reported: western lowland gorillas ( Gorilla gorilla gorilla ), bonobos ( Pan pa…
Allomaternal care, life history and brain size evolution in mammals
The Expensive Brain
Life history costs and benefits of encephalization
How to explain the unusually late age at skill competence among humans
Costs of encephalization
Brief Communication
New World monkeys exhibit a more pronounced variability in encephalization than other primate taxa. In this comparative study, we tested two current hypotheses on brain size evolution, the Expensive Brain hypothesis and the Cognitive Buffer hypothesis, in a sample of 21 platyrrhine species. A high degree of habitat seasonality may impose an energetic constraint on brain size evolution if it leads to a high variation in caloric intake over time, a…
Life history, cognition and the evolution of complex foraging niches
Being fat and smart
Humans stand out among non-aquatic mammals by having both an extremely large brain and a relatively large amount of body fat. To understand the evolution of this human peculiarity we report a phylogenetic comparative study of 120 mammalian species, including 30 primates, using seasonal variation in adult body mass as a proxy of the tendency to store fat. Species that rely on storing fat to survive lean periods are expected to be less active becau…
D digital mapping of the early hominid site of gladysvale cave, South Africa
Characteristics of vertical climbing in gibbons
D digital mapping of the early hominid site of gladysvale cave, South Africa
D‐kinematics of vertical climbing in hominoids
Vertical climbing has played an important role in theories about the evolution of habitual bipedalism in early hominids and of locomotor specialization in hominoids. However, empirical data on vertical climbing in nonhuman primates are scarce, especially regarding kinematics. In this paper, the kinematics of flexed‐elbow vertical climbing of four hominoid species are reported: western lowland gorillas ( Gorilla gorilla gorilla ), bonobos ( Pan pa…
Costs of encephalization
Endocranial volumes of primate species
Life history costs and benefits of encephalization
The Expensive Brain
Energetics and the evolution of human brain size
The brain is a costly organ to run in terms of energy supply, so how do humans accommodate brains that are so much larger than those of comparable primates without any apparent difficulty? A widely held explanation is the expensive-tissue hypothesis, which proposes a trade-off between brain size and the mass of other energetically expensive organs, especially the digestive tract. Now a survey of 100 mammal species reveals no such trade-off, refut…
Allomaternal care, life history and brain size evolution in mammals
How to explain the unusually late age at skill competence among humans
How Our Ancestors Broke through the Gray Ceiling
The “expensive brain” framework proposes that the costs of an increase in brain size can be met by any combination of increasing the total energy turnover or reducing energy allocation to other expensive functions, such as maintenance (digestion), locomotion, or production (growth and reproduction). Here, we explore its implications for human evolution. Using both comparative data on extant mammals and life-table simulations from wild extant apes…
Grooming and group cohesion in primates
How humans evolved large brains
The human brain is about three times as large as that of our closest living relatives, the great apes. Overall brain size is a good predictor of cognitive performance in a variety of tests in primates. Therefore, hypotheses explaining the evolution of this remarkable difference have attracted much interest. In this review, we give an overview of the current evidence from comparative studies testing these hypotheses. If cognitive benefits are dive…
Brief Communication
New World monkeys exhibit a more pronounced variability in encephalization than other primate taxa. In this comparative study, we tested two current hypotheses on brain size evolution, the Expensive Brain hypothesis and the Cognitive Buffer hypothesis, in a sample of 21 platyrrhine species. A high degree of habitat seasonality may impose an energetic constraint on brain size evolution if it leads to a high variation in caloric intake over time, a…
Are badges of status adaptive in large complex primate groups?
Being fat and smart
Humans stand out among non-aquatic mammals by having both an extremely large brain and a relatively large amount of body fat. To understand the evolution of this human peculiarity we report a phylogenetic comparative study of 120 mammalian species, including 30 primates, using seasonal variation in adult body mass as a proxy of the tendency to store fat. Species that rely on storing fat to survive lean periods are expected to be less active becau…
Life history, cognition and the evolution of complex foraging niches
Gross intestinal morphometry and allometry in primates
Although it is generally assumed that among mammals and within mammal groups, those species that rely on diets consisting of greater amounts of plant fiber have larger gastrointestinal tracts (GIT), statistical evidence for this simple claim is largely lacking. We compiled a dataset on the length of the small intestine, caecum, and colon in 42 strepsirrhine, platyrrhine, and catarrhine primate species, using specimens with known body mass (BM). W…
Primate Behavior and Ecology (15 works) · Biology (14 works) · Ecology (11 works) · Ecology (10 works) · Evolutionary biology (10 works) · Zoology (10 works) · Brain size (9 works) · Encephalization (7 works) · Bat Biology and Ecology Studies (6 works) · Primate (6 works)