ABSTRACT
According to the principles discovered by Charles Darwin, organisms adapt to their ecological niches by developing novel behavioural strategies. Improved stimulus sensitivity, differentiated motor control, and the elaboration of more complex mechanisms for selecting appropriate actions (attention, goal-setting, memory) all contribute to the success of behavioural modifications. A new behavioural strategy can monopolize a food source, facilitate predator avoidance, and improve the survival rate of offspring. Although ontogeny does not precisely recapitulate phylogeny, developmental changes in skill share many common features with evolutionary adaptations. The similarities suggest that similar cortical modifications could accompany both evolution and development.
