Biological Reviews最新文献

{"title":"The tandem-random transition of cellular patterning: proposed roles of N-cadherin-based orientational cell adhesions in the development, maintenance, and degeneration of the nucleus pulposus.","authors":"Xiangyun Wei, Nam Vo, Gwendolyn A Sowa","doi":"10.1111/brv.70081","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70081","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) can contribute to lower back and neck pain. In IDD, the most affected component of the intervertebral disc is the nucleus pulposus (NP). Derived from the notochord, where cells are organized into a tandem configuration, young NP cells cluster in three-dimensional (3D) networks embedded in a gelatinous matrix. Here, we review the current understanding of NP development, homeostasis, physiology, and degeneration with a focus on the roles of the cell adhesion molecule N-cadherin in these processes. Based on the literature, we hypothesize that N-cadherin contributes to the architectural transition from the notochord to the NP by mediating a switch in cellular organization from tandem to random orientational cell adhesions (OCAs). We further hypothesize that the 3D clustering of NP cells may facilitate N-cadherin to act as a mechanosensor to modulate NP gene expression under mechanical stresses. We hope these hypotheses promote future research on the etiology of human IDD and the development of measures to prevent and treat IDD. Some open questions on N-cadherin functions in the NP are also discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145084804","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":"Post-fledging ecology of birds: emergent patterns, knowledge gaps, and future frontiers.","authors":"Todd M Jones, Sara A Kaiser, T Scott Sillett","doi":"10.1111/brv.70080","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70080","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The post-fledging period - the time between a juvenile bird leaving its nest and dispersing or migrating from its natal site - is a critical yet challenging aspect of avian ecology to study. Past reviews have advanced our knowledge of the post-fledging period by focusing on a particular topic or taxon but have yet to describe patterns of survival and behaviour across the entire post-fledging literature. Here we review research on the post-fledging ecology of birds across taxa to (i) synthesize emergent patterns, (ii) highlight critical knowledge gaps, and (iii) identify promising future frontiers in research. Our review revealed a general dichotomy in the post-fledging literature, with studies on altricial and precocial birds using different terminology and rarely citing one another. Consequently, we compared the post-fledging ecology of altricial and precocial birds while synthesizing patterns and knowledge gaps in the literature. We showed that altricial and precocial birds share many similarities in their post-fledging behaviour, movement, habitat use, parental care, and survival, despite key differences in their ontogenies (e.g. development in the egg and nestling period length). In particular, altricial and precocial birds showed similar trends in fledgling survival with age (positive association), exhibit similarities in selecting post-fledging habitat (often selecting for denser, more complex vegetation that provides cover), and in movement strategies (moving less at younger age to avoid predator detection). Differences were also apparent, with altricial and precocial birds differing in key traits that carry over from the nesting stage to influence fledgling survival (e.g. mass versus wing development). Nevertheless, differences in descriptions of the post-fledging period have, in part, resulted in studies on altricial and precocial birds being disconnected in the literature, highlighting a need for a unifying, standardized terminology for the period after birds leave the nest. Comparative studies and meta-analyses across the altricial-precocial spectrum are also needed to bridge the two worlds. The post-fledging field has grown steadily over the past few decades, but this life-history stage remains understudied for nearly 90% of avian taxa and important frontiers remain largely unexplored: understudied geographical regions and taxa, brood parasites, ecophysiology, impacts of urbanization and climate-induced environmental change, and impacts of technology used to study this period. Our review emphasizes the importance of the post-fledging period for avian population dynamics and life histories, and highlights the great potential of research into this key developmental stage to advance our understanding of the ecology, evolution, and conservation of birds.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145084847","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":"Unravelling echinoid mass mortalities: a global overview of mechanisms, spatio-temporal trends, and taxonomic insights.","authors":"Lisa-Maria Schmidt, Guillermo Anderson Benaim, Omri Bronstein","doi":"10.1111/brv.70078","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70078","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mass mortality events (MMEs) have been occurring since the dawn of time. However, in contrast to terrestrial events, most marine MMEs remain undetected, largely due to the inaccessibility of many marine environments. One of the most notorious and best-studied marine MMEs in modern times is that of the population collapse of the echinoid Diadema antillarum in the Caribbean Sea during the mid-1980s, which triggered a catastrophic phase shift in local benthic communities from which the region never fully recovered - illustrating the ecological significance of echinoids in maintaining marine habitat stability. In recent years echinoid MMEs have reached an unprecedented scale, affecting populations across multiple ocean basins, climatic regions, and taxonomic range. Most recently, pathogenic-driven mortalities spreading from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean and Red Sea and further expanding into the Indo-Pacific, pose a significant threat to ecological integrity across thousands of kilometres. The apparent intensification of global echinoid MMEs underscores the urgency of elucidating the mechanisms driving these events and their implications for marine conservation. Here we present a comprehensive review of global echinoid MMEs, including scientific literature dating back to 1888. We identify and formulate the five main mechanisms driving echinoid MMEs: (i) pathogens (33%); (ii) catastrophic events (25%); (iii) harmful algal blooms (11%); (iv) extreme temperatures and tides (24%); and (v) human activities (7%). We then explore spatio-temporal trends and the underlying functional morphology traits that drive these events.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145079115","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":"Pollination and plant reproduction in the Cerrado, the world's most biodiverse savanna.","authors":"João C F Cardoso, Renata Trevizan, Pietro K Maruyama, Ana P S Caetano, Rogério V Gonçalves, Yasmine Antonini, Paulo E Oliveira","doi":"10.1111/brv.70073","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70073","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Brazilian Cerrado is a continental-wide biodiversity hotspot and the most species-rich savanna ecosystem in the world. The main aspect characterising this biodiversity is that the landscape is arranged as an intricate mosaic of different plant formations, including grasslands, savannas, and forests, each harbouring distinct but interconnected communities. Seasonality and natural fires are key and ancient natural factors in the biome, with organisms showing many adaptations. The Cerrado is also home to millions of people, and the essential ecosystem services provided for agricultural production make it one of the world's major crop regions. However, it has undergone intense destruction in the last decades, with conservation concerns historically overshadowed by the neighbouring Amazonia and Atlantic Forest biomes. Considering the importance of pollination and plant reproduction for maintaining terrestrial ecosystems, we synthesise the known information for the Cerrado as an illustrative example that could be applied to other megadiverse ecosystems worldwide. Although apomixis (asexual seed formation) and self-pollination mechanisms occur to a lesser extent, most plants in the Cerrado require biotic pollination. For instance, this is the case for some dioecious and monoecious species. However, the majority of plants have bisexual flowers, with the frequency of self-incompatibility increasing towards denser plant formations such as forests, illustrating differences in dependency on pollination across habitats. Many Cerrado plants adopt strategies favouring outcrossing, including distyly, enantiostyly, heteranthery, and dichogamy. Although plant-pollinator interaction networks are mostly generalised, the pollinators are organised into guilds, with bees pollinating most plants and using several resources. Other common guilds include beetles, moths, hummingbirds, and bats. Importantly, flowering phenology peaks across plant formations at different times of the year, creating habitat complementarity across the vegetation mosaic that continuously sustains transiting pollinators. Thus, the interaction between plants and pollinators connects and is sustained by landscape complexity, which should be regarded as essential for ecosystem conservation. In this context, periodic fires that trigger massive flowering and promote biomass reduction are an essential natural disturbance that maintains the diversity of open landscapes. The interdependence of plants and pollinators in the face of the ongoing destruction of the Cerrado adds another challenge for its conservation, and highlights the necessity for conserving complementary habitats at the landscape level. While forest formations are granted protection by law, these alone are insufficient to maintain high pollinator diversity, with potential cascading effects on the ecosystem services they provide and requiring the maintenance of the neglected grasslands and savannas. Thus, the simultaneous conserv","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145074124","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":"Convergent evolution and adaptive diversification of root symbioses.","authors":"Zhenshan Liu, Bin Hu, Emmanouil Flemetakis, Robert Haensch, Philipp Franken, Heinz Rennenberg","doi":"10.1111/brv.70077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70077","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mutualistic symbioses between plants and microorganisms have served as a cornerstone for terrestrial ecosystem establishment since the colonization of land by plants ca. 470 million years ago (Ma). These mutualisms diversified in symbiont partners and ecological functions in response to dynamic environmental shifts, with root-based architectures emerging later as a key adaptive innovation. Phylogenomic analyses reveal a conserved common symbiotic signalling pathway (CSSP) through the mycorrhizal-actinorhizal-rhizobial (MAR) evolutionary trajectory, underscoring convergent evolutionary mechanisms that facilitated the repeated emergence of mutualistic root-microbe interactions. Despite this shared foundation, recent studies highlight lineage-specific adaptations in symbiont recognition, immune evasion, and nutrient exchange, reflecting divergent evolutionary pressures and ecological niches. For instance, actinorhizal symbioses, although understudied compared to legume-rhizobia systems, exhibit unique adaptations in host specificity and nitrogen-fixation efficiency, offering untapped potential for sustainable agriculture and reforestation. This review synthesizes information from different disciplines to elucidate the origin and diversification of root symbioses, emphasizing molecular innovations and ecological drivers that shaped their evolution. We further explore the role of environmental pressures, such as resource availability and climate change, in driving the adaptive diversification of these symbiotic relationships. By integrating evolutionary, molecular, and ecological perspectives, this work advances our understanding of root symbioses as dynamic systems shaped by both conserved mechanisms and context-dependent adaptations.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145062884","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 Weak Worker Hypothesis: a new framework for understanding division of labour in social insects.","authors":"Jacob J Herman, Alexander Walton, Olav Rueppell","doi":"10.1111/brv.70068","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70068","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In social species, group functions often benefit from variation among individual group members. Many highly integrated social insect colonies rely on division of labour among colony members and emergent properties of their collective behaviour and physiology. Response threshold models are a prominent proximate explanation of division of labour, but how variation in response thresholds arise is largely unexplored. We propose the Weak Worker Hypothesis, a novel conceptual framework suggesting that response thresholds are determined by an individual's susceptibility to the stressor that underlies the task. Thus, specific tasks are preferentially performed, or at least initiated, by the individuals that are most susceptible to the corresponding stressor. Consequently, 'weak' workers that are susceptible to a particular stressor play a disproportionate role in the group's defence against this stressor. The response threshold manifests as an internal evaluation of a task-specific stimulus that is influenced by the severity of the physiological perturbation of the individual, which simultaneously determines the susceptibility of this individual to succumb to the external disturbance. As long as individual stress susceptibilities vary among different stressors, this model generates division of labour and thus group stability. The Weak Worker Hypothesis provides a functional explanation for individual-level responses to environmental deviations from optimal conditions. Such a deviation could be directly perceived as stimulus and simultaneously lead to physiological stress, or the physiological stress caused by the deviation could be the stimulus itself. In support of the Weak Worker Hypothesis, we present experimental evidence of a link between individual heat susceptibility and fanning behaviour in honey bees (Apis mellifera L.). We also discuss other possible cases and how to test our idea empirically in other contexts, keeping in mind the important distinction between cause and consequence. Finally, we conclude that the Weak Worker Hypothesis could provide a useful extension of response threshold models for understanding the division of labour in social groups, which might have repercussions for applied social insect science, selective breeding and eradication efforts.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145022466","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":"Correction to \"The magnesium inhibition and arrested phagosome hypotheses: new perspectives on the evolution and ecology of Symbiodinium symbioses\".","authors":"","doi":"10.1111/brv.70072","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70072","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145005634","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 ecology of geographic range limits.","authors":"Tom Radomski","doi":"10.1111/brv.70070","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70070","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Identifying processes underlying species' geographic range limits is currently at the forefront of ecological research, in part due to increasing attention to climate change effects on the distributions of organisms. Our understanding of range limits has benefitted from a rich body of theory, but several influential reviews have insisted that we know little about causes of range limits in nature because there is scant empirical work relative to theoretical. More recent syntheses show mounting support for different hypotheses, although they are not always able to separate different ecological processes. In this review, I recommend a shift in how researchers think about range limits: (i) identifying a first-principles hypothesis of range limits which should structure range limit studies; and (ii) reconsidering the processes that limit geographic distributions, which are relatively few and redundant. First, I argue that estimating the scenopoetic niche (habitat requirements that exclude biotic interactions) allows a first-principles approach to understanding geographic distributions and limits. Some general empirical support for the scenopoetic niche as a primary range-limiting factor has accumulated. Estimates of the scenopoetic niche will structure subsequent tests of range-limiting processes based on how it underpredicts or overpredicts species' distributions. I discuss observational and empirical ways of testing whether the scenopoetic niche is actively limiting species' distributions. Second, I review various theoretical models of geographic range limits; theoretical ecological models only vary a few key parameters, so our understanding of what limits species' geographic distributions might be much better than previously asserted. For instance, predation, competition, and parasitism are all distinct biotic relationships, but they are all antagonistic biotic interactions that can influence range limits in similar ways by reducing the set of conditions under which a species could persist. Several issues complicate causal inferences from static geographic patterns that have remained problematic in empirical work for decades. These issues are related to spatial autocorrelation and interpretation of range overlap. Theoretical metapopulation models have been developed to understand how range limits can form, although metapopulation processes are understood to be consequences of ecological dynamics that are formally modelled in non-metapopulation models (e.g. per capita effects of interspecific interactions, effects of the abiotic environment). I then discuss methods for empirical tests of various range limit hypotheses. Implementation of different methods will depend on tractability with geography and ecology - many researchers cannot survey remote areas, study demography of long-lived organisms, collect large sample sizes for rare species, or conduct field manipulations. However, at least some of the methods showcased will have applicability f","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144937005","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":"Neuroplasticity and brain health: insights from natural torpor.","authors":"Zhe Shi, Xue-Min Wang, Wen-Wen Duan, Yong-Lan Du, Shu-Kuan Ling, Zhe Zhang, Guo-Dong Wang, Di Zhao, Jin-Jun Ding, Ke Zhang, Ang Li, Lan Yan, Yi Zhang, Dan Cheng, Tai-Cheng Huang, Wei-Jie Xie, Li-Mei Lin, Qin-Hui Tuo, Bo-Hou Xia, Ti-Fei Yuan, Ren-Rong Wu, Xiang-Fang Chen","doi":"10.1111/brv.70069","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70069","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Natural torpor is a seasonal adaptation that ensures very low energy expenditure to survive periods of harsh conditions. The brains of hibernating mammals can survive prolonged periods with a low body temperature and low energy supply. Moreover, they exhibit marked changes in neuronal morphology, function, and network connectivity during the torpor-arousal transition. Intriguingly, these changes are fully restored soon after arousal under suitable conditions, with no apparent signs of injury. Their distinct phenotypic plasticity reflects a remarkable capacity for neural regrowth and reorganization. To some extent, the brains of hibernating mammals possess the ability to \"reset\" upon arousal. Their natural advantages and unique neural plasticity traits hold great translational promise and value for various brain health application scenarios. In addition, the brains of hibernating mammals represent ideal model systems for exploring the foundations of memory engrams. However, the exact operating principles involved in the brains of hibernating mammals, and their profound impacts on brain function, remain enigmatic. Thus, dissecting the neurobiological underpinnings of these features of the brains of hibernating mammals and their neural plasticity traits during the torpor-arousal cycle could not only shed light on the mysteries of memory but also facilitate the translation of natural torpor into practical implications for human health. Herein, we focus specifically on this topic, as well as on identifying the possible difficulties and challenges that lie ahead, with the hope of 1 day achieving therapeutic synthetic torpor in humans.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144936877","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":"Biological invasions: a global assessment of geographic distributions, long-term trends, and data gaps.","authors":"Hanno Seebens, Laura A Meyerson, David M Richardson, Bernd Lenzner, Elena Tricarico, Franck Courchamp, Alla Aleksanyan, Emre Keskin, Hanieh Saeedi, Perpetra Akite, Jake M Alexander, Sarah A Bailey, Dino Biancolini, Tim M Blackburn, Hans Juergen Boehmer, Alejandro Bortolus, Marc W Cadotte, César Capinha, James T Carlton, Jo Anne Crouch, Curtis C Daehler, Franz Essl, Llewellyn C Foxcroft, Jason D Fridley, Nicol Fuentes, Mirijam Gaertner, Bella Galil, Emili García-Berthou, Pablo García-Díaz, Sylvia Haider, Liam Heneghan, Kevin A Hughes, Cang Hui, Ekin Kaplan, Andrew M Liebhold, Chunlong Liu, Elizabete Marchante, Hélia Marchante, Alicia Marticorena, David W Minter, Rodrigo A Moreno, Wolfgang Nentwig, Aidin Niamir, Ana Novoa, Ana L Nunes, Aníbal Pauchard, Sebataolo Rahlao, Anthony Ricciardi, James C Russell, K V Sankaran, Anna Schertler, Evangelina Schwindt, Ross T Shackleton, Daniel Simberloff, David L Strayer, Alifereti Tawake, Marco Thines, Cristóbal Villaseñor-Parada, Jean Ricardo Simões Vitule, Viktoria Wagner, Victoria Werenkraut, Karsten Wesche, Demian A Willette, Rafael D Zenni, Petr Pyšek","doi":"10.1111/brv.70058","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70058","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Biological invasions are one of the major drivers of biodiversity decline and have been shown to have far-reaching consequences for society and the economy. Preventing the introduction and spread of alien species represents the most effective solution to reducing their impacts on nature and human well-being. However, implementing effective solutions requires a good understanding of where the species are established and how biological invasions develop over time. Knowledge of the status and trends of biological invasions is thus key for guiding research efforts, informing stakeholders and policymakers, for targeted management efforts, and preparing for the future. However, information about the status and trends of alien species is scattered, patchy, and highly incomplete, making it difficult to assess. Published reports for individual regions and taxonomic groups are available, but large-scale overviews are scarce. A global assessment therefore requires a review of available knowledge with careful consideration of sampling and reporting biases. This paper provides a comprehensive global assessment of the status and trends of alien species for major taxonomic groups [Bacteria, Protozoa, Stramenopila, Alveolata, and Rhizaria (SAR), fungi, plants, and animals] for Intergovernmental Panel of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) regions. The review provides irrefutable evidence that alien species have been introduced to all regions worldwide including Antarctica and have spread to even the most remote islands. The numbers of alien species are increasing within all taxa and across all regions, and are often even accelerating. Large knowledge gaps exist, particularly for taxonomic groups other than vascular plants and vertebrates, for regions in Africa and Central Asia, and for aquatic realms. In fact, for inconspicuous species, such as Bacteria, Protozoa, and to some degree SAR and fungi, we found records for very few species and regions. Observed status and trends are thus highly influenced by research effort. More generally, it is likely that all lists for alien species of any taxonomic group and region are incomplete. The reported species numbers therefore represent minima, and we can expect additions to all lists in the near future. We identified six key challenges which need to be addressed to reduce knowledge gaps and to improve our ability to assess trends and status of biological invasions.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144820247","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}