Biological Reviews最新文献

{"title":"Land birds on atolls: diversity, origin, and function.","authors":"Sebastian Steibl, Alex S Wegmann, Nick D Holmes, Caitlin E Andrews, Gérard Rocamora, Simon Ducatez, James C Russell","doi":"10.1002/brv.70206","DOIUrl":"10.1002/brv.70206","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Oceanic islands are global hotspots of avian biodiversity and endemism. Their isolation and distinct environmental conditions have uniquely shaped the evolutionary trajectories of island birds, while, in turn, land bird communities have become critical providers of ecological functions to island ecosystems. However, these processes and dynamics have been studied almost exclusively on large volcanic islands. Coral atolls - the other principal type of oceanic island - remain largely absent from ecological research on island bird diversity, evolution, and functioning. This omission constitutes a major gap because atoll islands are systems with distinct geo-evolutionary histories and dynamics. Recurrent cycles of emergence and submergence of atolls with glacial sea-level fluctuations have created unique natural experiments that offer novel insights into island assembly and evolution, different to those on volcanic islands. Here, we present the first synthesis of land bird assemblages on atoll islands across the Indo-Pacific. Our quantitative review of land bird records across Indo-Pacific atolls reveals that land birds are widely occurring on atolls throughout this region, often represented by endemic species or subspecies. Building on this macroecological data, we then synthesise the evolutionary pathways of land birds in the context of the atolls' geo-evolutionary dynamics, including refugial persistence on uplifted atolls, rapid divergence following recent colonisation, and relictual persistence of bird lineages extirpated from volcanic islands. Together, this synthesis suggests that atoll islands act as unique evolutionary arenas in which avian colonisation and diversification are repeatedly 'replayed' across successive emergence-submergence cycles. In addition to the unique conditions that atolls provide for land birds, we also review the ecological functions that land birds provide to atoll island ecosystems. Despite typically low species richness, atoll land bird assemblages provide ecological functions including pollination, seed dispersal, seed predation, and insectivory. Extinctions and range contractions have eroded much of this functional spectrum from many atolls but the consequences for atoll ecosystem integrity remain virtually unstudied. By synthesising land bird diversity, evolutionary history, and functional ecology on atolls, we highlight a reciprocal relationship: atolls provide unique evolutionary arenas for land birds, while land birds support ecological functioning on atoll island ecosystems. Together, the generated insights are relevant for domain-specific knowledge of atoll ecosystems, for a more holistic theoretical understanding of island evolution processes in dynamic and young island systems, as well as for conservation and restoration actions aimed at safeguarding both Indo-Pacific avian diversity and the integrity of atoll ecosystems.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":"2920-2942"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13736820/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148786164","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The physiological effects of APOE genotype in healthy young/middle-aged individuals","authors":"Sherida M. de Leeuw,&nbsp;Sheina Emrani,&nbsp;Julian Putter,&nbsp;Tal Nuriel","doi":"10.1002/brv.70187","DOIUrl":"10.1002/brv.70187","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The apolipoprotein E ε4 (<i>APOE4</i>) allele is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and for multiple neurodegenerative diseases, most notably Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, in healthy infants to adults, the encoded apolipoprotein E protein plays a role in many physiological functions, in both the periphery and in the brain, which can help us understand the biological contribution of this protein to disease. This review aims to describe the role of <i>APOE</i> genotype in a wide range of human physiological processes in healthy young/middle-aged individuals, including reproduction, cardiovascular health, inflammation, lipid metabolism, cognition, and brain structure/function, as well as how <i>APOE</i> genotype mediates the effects of external factors in these individuals, such as traumatic brain injury, pollution, lifestyle factors, and viral infections. The research covered in this review demonstrates that a person's <i>APOE</i> genotype affects a wide array of human physiological processes, from infancy to adulthood, with important differences observed in male and female study participants. We also discuss the evolutionary involvement and the ‘antagonistic pleiotropy’ hypothesis of <i>APOE4</i>. Understanding the biology and the mechanisms that are affected by <i>APOE</i> genotype in healthy young/middle-aged individuals is vital for understanding how this common allele contributes to the development of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases, and how these diseases can be prevented.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":"101 6","pages":"2501-2553"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148051374","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The role of appropriate social group size and composition on animal welfare","authors":"Chanakarn Wongsaengchan,&nbsp;Manon K. Schweinfurth","doi":"10.1002/brv.70198","DOIUrl":"10.1002/brv.70198","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Billions of animals worldwide live in captivity across diverse settings, with the vast majority being inherently social species whose welfare fundamentally depends on appropriate social interactions with conspecifics. This review examines the critical role of social environments in captive animal welfare across laboratory, zoo, farm, and companion animal contexts. We first demonstrate how inappropriate group sizes and compositions negatively impacts animal welfare through multiple pathways: impaired physical health and cognitive development, compromised emotional states and altered behavioural expression. Next, we analyse whether current legislative frameworks account sufficiently for social needs. Although regulations acknowledge the danger of overcrowding and the importance of a partner, they predominantly emphasise density requirements without adequately addressing species-specific social structures. Finally, to address these shortcomings, we propose that observations of natural groups are needed to inform a wide variety of sociality characteristics. This should be guided by an established sociality framework to provide a benchmark for social needs in captivity. These should then be refined by preference tests and integrated in flexible management practices. Much progress has been made to improve the physical environment of captive animals yet advances in addressing their social environment have not kept pace. Bridging this gap will be essential if we want to ensure animals in human care can experience lives that meet their needs.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":"101 6","pages":"2735-2755"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148443587","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"RNA-centric world of retroviruses: unravelling the molecular strategies of genomic RNA packaging","authors":"Mohammad Abdullah Jehad,&nbsp;Suresha G. Prabhu,&nbsp;Lizna M. Ali,&nbsp;Vineeta N. Pillai,&nbsp;Farah Mustafa,&nbsp;Tahir A. Rizvi","doi":"10.1002/brv.70188","DOIUrl":"10.1002/brv.70188","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Retroviruses constitute a unique group of RNA viruses that have profoundly influenced both evolutionary trajectories and biomedical research. Their ability to reverse transcribe and integrate into host genomes has shaped genomic architecture across species and contributed to our understanding of oncogenes, gene regulation, and RNA biology. This review provides an in-depth examination of retroviral molecular biology, beginning with the intricacies of their genome organization. We present an in-depth discussion of the complex interplay of <i>cis</i>- and <i>trans</i>-acting RNA elements during retrovirus replication, ending with a focus on genomic RNA packaging as the basis of infectious virion production. Emphasis is placed on how, among the various viral proteins, it is the retroviral Gag (Group-specific antigen) that selectively orchestrates the packaging of the unspliced RNA amid a background of cellular and spliced viral RNAs. This is followed by our current understanding of how this process is affected by the retroviral Gag/Pol (Polymerase) and Gag/Pro (Protease)/Pol precursor proteins in the context to which the actual virion assembly takes place. Next, the review outlines emerging concepts regarding the structural basis of RNA recognition, the pivotal role of unpaired purines and long-range intragenomic interactions (LRIs), in guiding genome selection. It discusses the dynamic processes of RNA dimerization and how it is not just intricately linked but is a pre-requisite for genomic RNA encapsidation. Special attention is given to the new findings on transcription start site heterogeneity, cap sequestration, and epitranscriptomic modifications in shaping the fate of retroviral RNAs between translation and packaging since both these processes are critical for a successful viral life cycle. The review also addresses the involvement of assembly intermediates, and liquid–liquid phase separation in orchestrating efficient genome packaging and virus maturation. By integrating classical discoveries with recent findings, the review underscores the sophistication of retrovirus replication and proposes new avenues of research for therapeutic targeting of genome packaging and steps of viral assembly.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":"101 6","pages":"2471-2500"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/brv.70188","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148025258","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dynamics of biotic resistance to plant invasions","authors":"Christine S. Sheppard,&nbsp;Joshua I. Brian,&nbsp;Wayne Dawson,&nbsp;Petr Dostál,&nbsp;Franz Essl,&nbsp;Michal Gruntman,&nbsp;Tina Heger,&nbsp;Mark van Kleunen,&nbsp;Mialy Razanajatovo,&nbsp;Lena C. Reimann,&nbsp;Frank M. Schurr,&nbsp;Montserrat Vilà,&nbsp;Florencia A. Yannelli,&nbsp;Marina Golivets","doi":"10.1002/brv.70190","DOIUrl":"10.1002/brv.70190","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Biotic resistance, the reduction in invasion success caused by native communities, plays an important role in the long-term dynamics of biological invasions. A large body of empirical research on biotic resistance has accumulated since the last comprehensive review on the subject 20 years ago, enabling us to achieve a refined understanding of biotic resistance and its dynamics. Here, we aim to reshape research on biotic resistance to alien plant invasions by (&lt;i&gt;i&lt;/i&gt;) synthesizing existing evidence on biotic resistance and (&lt;i&gt;ii&lt;/i&gt;) exploring the so far rarely considered interplay between biotic resistance mechanisms (i.e. competition, aboveground and belowground antagonisms, and diversity–invasibility effects) and the potential eco-evolutionary changes in biotic resistance over time. To address the first aspect, we conducted a global meta-analysis of 240 experimental studies to assess the mechanisms by which and the extent to which biotic resistance of native communities affects the performance of alien plant species. We show that competition with native plant species, aboveground antagonism (e.g. herbivores) and diversity–invasibility effects significantly reduced alien plant performance, whereas there was no evidence for consistent effects of belowground antagonism (e.g. soil pathogens). Competition exerted the strongest biotic resistance, followed by aboveground antagonism. However, the strength of biotic resistance also depended on the alien plant performance measure considered (vegetative performance, survival, reproductive performance, or population growth). From the small set of studies that considered more than one biotic resistance mechanism, we did not detect an overall synergistic effect of combined mechanisms. The meta-analysis results also revealed that biotic resistance first decreased with the residence time of the alien plant species but increased again after approximately 200 years. In a subset of studies directly comparing species of different origin, we did not detect a difference in biotic resistance to alien &lt;i&gt;versus&lt;/i&gt; native species. To address the second aspect, we expanded the limited empirical evidence on temporal dynamics by presenting a conceptual causal network and an accompanying mathematical model to explore the eco-evolutionary dynamics of biotic resistance mechanisms. Our conceptual and mathematical models highlight that biotic resistance is determined by both the attributes of the alien species (i.e. invasiveness) and of the recipient community (i.e. invasibility). Both factors can change over time as inter- and/or intraspecific selection cause changes in the composition and overall density of the native community and the alien species. As invaders evolve and the successful ones persist, biotic resistance initially decreases, then increases again due to intra- and interspecific adaptation of the native community. Using the findings from the comprehensive synthesis of empirical studies and our modelling a","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":"101 6","pages":"2554-2578"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/brv.70190","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148154415","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mammalian odour-guided navigation behaviour and neural processing in relation to the odour environment","authors":"Ankita Gumaste,&nbsp;Maggie M. Oumov,&nbsp;Samuel Sutton,&nbsp;Michael Schmuker,&nbsp;Volker Steuber,&nbsp;Justus V. Verhagen","doi":"10.1002/brv.70189","DOIUrl":"10.1002/brv.70189","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Animal survival in the wild is largely dependent on their ability to locate food sources, find mates, and avoid predators – tasks which are all heavily reliant on their sense of smell. However, to be adept at these behaviours, animals must navigate a complex odour landscape where odour can be released in many forms, including odour trails and airborne odour plumes. Odour plumes result when an odour is carried by ambient wind, where its structure changes with distance from the odour source, providing potential navigational cues to searching animals. Odour plumes adopt a variety of structures depending on the odour landscape, such as pulled odour filaments that are interleaved with pockets of air in a turbulent environment. Due to advancements in fluid dynamics technology allowing for the detailed measurement of airborne odour plumes, recent studies have begun to explore how odour plume properties affect olfactory search behaviour in mammals. For example, our own studies have demonstrated that intermittency is an odour plume property that can inform olfactory search, is encoded in early stages of olfactory processing within the olfactory bulb, and is subject to changes in representation based on active sampling strategies. This review summarizes how mammalian odour-based navigation depends on and can be guided by odour plume properties.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":"101 6","pages":"2579-2596"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148136094","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dynamic molecular networks unveil the mechanism behind hypoxia-induced tumour cell dormancy","authors":"Ping Wang,&nbsp;Hao Xuan Li,&nbsp;Yang Shun Lan,&nbsp;Hong Gang Zhang,&nbsp;Chuan Fu Li,&nbsp;Xiao-Peng Zhang,&nbsp;Wei Wang","doi":"10.1002/brv.70195","DOIUrl":"10.1002/brv.70195","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Tumour cell dormancy is a reversible, non-proliferative state in which cancer cells arrest in the G0 phase of the cell cycle. Increasingly recognized as a critical survival strategy, dormancy enables cancer cells to withstand therapeutic insult, escape immune surveillance, and endure hostile microenvironments. Clinically, dormant cells underlie extended asymptomatic intervals following primary treatment and are notably implicated in estrogen receptor-positive (ER⁺) breast cancer, prostate cancer, and clear cell renal cell carcinoma. In this review, we synthesize recent insights into hypoxia-mediated dormancy and, using breast cancer bone metastasis as an archetypal model, delineate how spatiotemporally heterogeneous hypoxia shapes the metastatic cascade. Specifically, we show that graded hypoxia in the primary tumour initiates dormancy traits, while persistent hypoxia within metastatic niches – such as the bone marrow – reinforces and deepens quiescence. These transitions are orchestrated by stage-specific activation of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α) and its dynamic transcriptional outputs. We further argue that a mechanistic understanding of dormancy requires integrative frameworks that bridge single-cell level regulatory programs – including cell-cycle arrest, translational inhibition, and metabolic reprogramming – with systems-level networks capturing the dynamic, multistage nature of metastasis. Such integration may uncover actionable vulnerabilities within dormant cell populations and guide the development of precision therapies targeting minimal residual disease.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":"101 6","pages":"2670-2690"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148300240","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Kin discrimination in plants: overview and implications for population and community ecology","authors":"Akira Yamawo","doi":"10.1002/brv.70194","DOIUrl":"10.1002/brv.70194","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Following the discovery of identity discrimination, particularly self and kin discrimination amongst plant competitors, research on interplant interactions has advanced significantly within plant physiology and evolutionary ecology. This review synthesizes current knowledge on how both self and kin discrimination influence plant growth, resource allocation, defence, and reproduction. I highlight their ecological and evolutionary consequences for population dynamics, community structure, and multi-trophic interactions. A key insight is that, under some circumstances, identity discrimination may shape the maintenance or erosion of genetic diversity by modulating competitive interactions and spatial genetic structure within populations. Finally, I present several open questions, such as how identity discrimination operates across gradients of plant competition and trophic levels, and propose a few testable hypotheses and experimental approaches regarding the role of competitive identity discrimination under natural settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":"101 6","pages":"2656-2669"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/brv.70194","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148275363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evidence for adaptive explanations of semelparity in animals","authors":"Diana O. Fisher,&nbsp;Roberto Salguero-Gómez","doi":"10.1002/brv.70197","DOIUrl":"10.1002/brv.70197","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Semelparity, the reproductive strategy of reproducing once, is widespread but uncommon in animals. Classes of models to explain the evolution of semelparity are based either on age structure and mortality schedules – demographic models in which high post-reproductive mortality risk favours high reproductive effort and semelparity results from survival costs of reproduction – or on optimal allocation of reproductive effort. We review and synthesise evolutionary explanations for the life history strategy of semelparity in animals. We find that semelparity has been reported in around 5000 of the one million named metazoan species (around 0.5%), and, including the 930 cephalopod species, explanations for semelparity have been proposed for around 1020 species, including 30 species with semelparity only in males. Phylogenetic regressions that can test the predictions of competing models to explain semelparity have been applied to four groups of animals: dasyurid and didelphid marsupials, salmonid fish, forficulid insects, and the spider families Nephilidae, Araneidae, Theridiidae, and Dolomedidae. These tests support the demographic model in taxa with semelparous females. The major drivers of post-reproductive mortality risk that are associated with the evolution of semelparity in animals are risky and energetically demanding breeding migration, particularly to the deep ocean, and seasonally harsh climates in which periodic food shortage restricts reproductive opportunities. Species with semelparity only in males share a set of reproductive traits that appear contradictory. They cease sperm production at maturity, yet use fatal forms of mate-guarding for paternity protection that suggest intense sperm competition, such as tearing off body parts to plug the female opening (spiders and insects) or catabolising muscle to fuel prolonged, repeated mating effort (mammals). Comparative tests suggest that post-mating sexual selection under sexual conflict is the driver in animals with male-only semelparity, consistent with reproductive effort models that require no environmental factor to raise post-reproductive mortality. We propose a new explanation for the loss of sperm production ability at maturity in species with male-only semelparity: that this is an adaptation to intense sperm competition associated with extreme reproductive effort in males.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":"101 6","pages":"2716-2734"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/brv.70197","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148395439","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Carrion ecology: concepts, interdisciplinary synthesis, and perspectives","authors":"Marcos Moleón,&nbsp;José A. Sánchez-Zapata,&nbsp;Travis L. DeVault,&nbsp;Wayne M. Getz,&nbsp;Zebensui Morales-Reyes,&nbsp;Daniel Redondo-Gómez,&nbsp;Lara Naves-Alegre,&nbsp;Solange A. Batista-Nunes,&nbsp;Esther Sebastián-González,&nbsp;Juan M. Pérez-García,&nbsp;Kelly A. Waters,&nbsp;Thijs van Overveld,&nbsp;Craig Smith,&nbsp;Nuria Selva,&nbsp;Thomas A. Schlacher,&nbsp;Graeme Ruxton,&nbsp;Jesús Rodríguez,&nbsp;Martina-M. Quaggiotto,&nbsp;Paula L. Perrig,&nbsp;Norman Owen-Smith,&nbsp;Thomas M. Newsome,&nbsp;Isabel Navas,&nbsp;Yoshihiro Nakashima,&nbsp;Ana Mateos,&nbsp;Carlos Martínez-Carrasco,&nbsp;Daniel Martín-Vega,&nbsp;Berta Martín-López,&nbsp;Antoni Margalida,&nbsp;Sergio A. Lambertucci,&nbsp;Adam Kane,&nbsp;Kevin Healy,&nbsp;Akane Hashizume,&nbsp;Antonio J. García-Fernández,&nbsp;José A. Donázar,&nbsp;M. Eric Benbow,&nbsp;James C. Beasley,&nbsp;Philip S. Barton,&nbsp;Kathleen A. Alexander,&nbsp;Eneko Arrondo","doi":"10.1002/brv.70203","DOIUrl":"10.1002/brv.70203","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Carrion is a ubiquitous resource in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, yet it has long been overlooked in ecological research. Over the past two decades, studies on carrion and the many organisms that exploit it have flourished, revealing not only wide-ranging ecological functions but also significance far beyond ecology. This growing body of knowledge underscores the need for the formal recognition and consolidation of carrion ecology as a distinct ecological discipline. In this review, we begin by outlining the ecological features that make carrion a unique resource, provide practical definitions of scavenger and scavenging to reduce persistent ambiguities, describe carcass decomposition by linking stages with insect succession, and position carrion within a broader scientific context. Building on this foundation, we then pursue three main goals. First, we show how incorporating carrion ecology enriches ecological concepts and paradigms across levels of biological organisation, from individuals to ecosystems. Second, we emphasise how expanding knowledge of carrion ecology informs many disciplines beyond ecology. Third, we present a conceptual framework that integrates the diverse ecological functions of carrion across eco-evolutionary timescales and addresses the structured and dynamic connections among the multiple disciplines concerned with carrion. By underscoring the ecological and interdisciplinary relevance of this resource, our framework not only clarifies the components and flows of the carrion system but also highlights opportunities for novel cross-disciplinary collaborations. As carrion ecology continues to mature as a scientific field, we expect that this review and synthesis will consolidate current knowledge, stimulate innovative research across disciplines, and firmly position carrion ecology within the broader ecological and scientific landscape.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":"101 6","pages":"2839-2873"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/brv.70203","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148467916","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}