Thoughts from the forest floor: a review of cognition in the slime mould Physarum polycephalum.
Animal cognition November 2023 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01782-1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Plasmodial slime mould Physarum polycephalum |
| Keywords | Basal cognition Collective behaviour Embodied cognition Extended cognition Minimal cognition Non-neural |
| Key findings | Argues that key cognitive abilities such as sensing, communication, navigation, decision-making, memory, and learning are present in the non-neural organism Physarum polycephalum, and that these abilities evolved long ago in simpler organisms. The author contends that comparisons between neural and non-neural systems are useful but have limitations, and that integrating Physarum and animal cognition research would be mutually beneficial. |
Abstract
Sensing, communication, navigation, decision-making, memory and learning are key components in a standard cognitive tool-kit that enhance an animal's ability to successfully survive and reproduce. However, these tools are not only useful for, or accessible to, animals-they evolved long ago in simpler organisms using mechanisms which may be either unique or widely conserved across diverse taxa. In this article, I review the recent research that demonstrates these key cognitive abilities in the plasmodial slime mould Physarum polycephalum, which has emerged as a model for non-animal cognition. I discuss the benefits and limitations of comparisons drawn between neural and non-neural systems, and the implications of common mechanisms across wide taxonomic divisions. I conclude by discussing future avenues of research that will draw the most benefit from a closer integration of Physarum and animal cognition research.