Latin America’s biodiversity drives advances in social behavior and cognition

Latinoamérica's rich biodiversity is driving advancements in social behavior and cognition, according to a new report on the state of neuroscience in the region. Hornero birds, electric fish, frogs, and other native fauna are helping neuroscientists pose new research questions in the field. The continent boasts immense biological wealth and a diverse mosaic of ecosystems, providing scientists with unique species that are not found anywhere else.

Researchers take advantage of this biodiversity to study the brain, often working directly in the field rather than in a laboratory setting. While neuroethology is not new to the region, it has grown in popularity over the past decade as independent researchers develop new animal models. Frogs, butterflies, and singing birds from Uruguay, Colombia, and Argentina are contributing to a better understanding of communication, mate selection, and social behavior in their natural environments.

Other studies have identified genes responsible for aggressive behavior in electric fish and explained the neural circuits that govern predation and escape in crabs. Paula Pouso, a senior histology and embryology lecturer at the University of the Republic in Montevideo, notes that Latin America has a vast experimental field station that may not be fully utilized.

"Every time we go into the field, we bring new questions because looking at behavior, what happens, opens up many questions." The region allows for the study of species that would otherwise be inaccessible, often in abundance and at low cost – a necessity in countries where research funding is scarce and unpredictable. South Cone researchers in particular assert that local ecology enables them to form a scientific community close to home.