Biological Reviews最新文献

{"title":"Building phenotypic character matrices for phylogenetic inference: exploration of 35 years of practice","authors":"Melanie J. Hopkins,&nbsp;Mark C. Nikolic,&nbsp;James D. Holmes,&nbsp;Daniela S. Monti,&nbsp;Ernesto E. Vargas-Parra,&nbsp;Russell D.C. Bicknell,&nbsp;Gregory D. Edgecombe,&nbsp;Katherine Jordan-Burmeister,&nbsp;John R. Paterson,&nbsp;Shravya Srivastava-Losey","doi":"10.1002/brv.70183","DOIUrl":"10.1002/brv.70183","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Recent methodological development in phylogenetic inference has focused predominantly on molecular data. However, renewed interest in other data types, particularly morphological data, has followed from the increased recognition of the power of total evidence and tip-dating approaches, including fossil data, for inference of time-scaled trees and rates of evolution. However, attention has largely focused on the improvement of models of morphological evolution and other analytical tools with much less discussion about data acquisition itself. Here we review past and current practice for describing and collecting morphological data for phylogenetic inference. We present a systematic review of 164 phylogenetic analyses conducted over the last 35 years and focused on a diverse group of extinct arthropods: trilobites. Trends in increasing matrix size, data type, and coding strategy are evident. Where present, polymorphic characters have been predominantly derived from discretized continuous characters, although increasingly practitioners are utilizing alternative approaches for the treatment of quantitative characters. Not surprisingly, traditional indices that describe character consistency are highly correlated with matrix size but show surprising variation at different taxonomic scales. More recent attempts to describe data quality using information theory imply that characters can have high information content even if data are missing for many tips, providing support against the exclusion of characters because of missing data. In consideration of this, as well as advances in the study of developmental biology and variational complexity, we identify several avenues for increasing the quality and quantity of morphological data going forward.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":"101 5","pages":"2379-2407"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/brv.70183","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147969040","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":"How wildlife respond to tropical cyclones: short-term tactics and long-term impacts","authors":"Erin L. Koen,&nbsp;Mohamed Khalil Meliane,&nbsp;Zachery B. Holmes,&nbsp;Karl E. Miller,&nbsp;William J. Barichivich,&nbsp;Emilie Dedeban,&nbsp;Alex Furst,&nbsp;Miranda Imeri,&nbsp;Peyton E. Niebanck,&nbsp;Samantha Nunn,&nbsp;Kailee Pearson,&nbsp;Nicole Rita,&nbsp;Brier Ryver,&nbsp;Dakotah Shaffer,&nbsp;Susan C. Walls,&nbsp;E. Hance Ellington","doi":"10.1002/brv.70166","DOIUrl":"10.1002/brv.70166","url":null,"abstract":"<p>From butterflies to lizards and from sharks to seabirds, wildlife exhibit tactics to survive the impacts of tropical cyclones, also known as hurricanes, cyclones, or typhoons depending on where they occur. Some species seek refuge during the storm by moving, some remain in place and ride it out, and others move longer distances, avoiding the main impacts of the storm altogether. Tropical cyclones can have direct impacts on wildlife (e.g. mortality) but can also have indirect effects by altering resources and habitat, with downstream impacts on abundance and recruitment. Using examples from across taxa and ecosystems, we explore the pathways by which tropical cyclones can influence wildlife populations and communities. We describe tactics demonstrated by wildlife that enable them to survive the immediate impacts of the storm, as well as the longer-term impacts after the storm. We give examples of tropical cyclones as a selective pressure and as a facilitator for the introduction of invasive species. We also describe how tropical cyclones may provide a net benefit to some native species. The ecological and evolutionary impacts of tropical cyclones on wildlife can be complex, as they are often intertwined with concurrent pressures from land-use change, human development, and climate change. As the frequency of intense tropical cyclones is predicted to increase globally, identifying the mechanisms by which wildlife cope with such disturbances can aid in understanding and mitigating the impacts of climate change on wildlife.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":"101 5","pages":"2081-2102"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/brv.70166","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147631998","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":"Utterance evolution: the road to generative, combinatorial communicators","authors":"Catherine Crockford,&nbsp;Roman Martin Wittig,&nbsp;Cedric Girard-Buttoz","doi":"10.1002/brv.70185","DOIUrl":"10.1002/brv.70185","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Language has long been considered uniquely complex in the animal kingdom; however, animal research over the last decade has begun to challenge some long-standing premises about exactly which language capacities are uniquely human. The task of resolving why and how complex communication systems evolve, particularly human language, has manifested in a rich multi-disciplinary field, which relies on accurate empirical and comparative assessment of natural animal communicative capacities. For example, comparative models of relevant gene and brain functions will remain limited without cracking the animal communication code. To achieve this, empirical research needs an updated, quantitative and comparative framework that distinguishes combinatorial systems from simpler ones. We offer such a framework by integrating new work, demonstrating diverse meaning-bearing combinatorial signalling strategies in natural animal communication, into cross-disciplinary theoretical frameworks. We detail four major mechanistic transitions which we argue offer both evolutionary and ontogenetic routes from non-combinatorial communicators, that mainly rely on single signal utterances, to generative combinatorial signal users, that mainly rely on combinatorial, meaning-based utterances. These transitions are measurable and predictable: (<i>i</i>) signal combination versatility; (<i>ii</i>) signal combination learning and conventionalization; (<i>iii</i>) message expansion through combinatorial mechanism diversity and versatility; and (<i>iv</i>) message expansion through syntax involving linear or hierarchical rules. We offer testable hypotheses for each transition and propose that species demonstrating combinatorial Transitions (<i>i</i>) and (<i>ii</i>) will be prime candidates for testing Transitions (<i>iii</i>) and (<i>iv</i>), where generativity can emerge. We also point to future methodological tools to assess the meaning of signals and their combinations in signal utterance-to-context mapping analyses. Critically, we argue that simply having research on different species is not enough – testing evolution of language theories requires comparative research across species and ontogeny, based on relatable, quantitative measures. To date, only humans demonstrate meaning-based, generative communication. However, recent discoveries, particularly of combinatorial versatility in chimpanzee (<i>Pan troglodytes</i>) and bonobo (<i>Pan paniscus</i>) vocal sequences, open the possibility of generative communication in other species. Whether such traits are human-unique can no longer be assumed but must be tested.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":"101 5","pages":"2427-2447"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/brv.70185","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147961605","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":"Photoperiod-dependent regulation of secondary growth by auxin flux: how it occurs and how to benefit from it","authors":"Ilya E. Zlobin","doi":"10.1002/brv.70175","DOIUrl":"10.1002/brv.70175","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Photoperiod is a crucial environmental signal that orchestrates the seasonal growth cycle in temperate forest trees. While its role in regulating primary growth through well characterized molecular pathways like the FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT)/TERMINAL FLOWER1 (TFL1) module is established, the mechanisms governing the photoperiodic control of secondary growth – the process responsible for wood formation and the majority of terrestrial carbon sequestration – remain poorly understood. This review synthesizes current evidence to explore the hypothesis that auxin (indole-3-acetic acid) flux, determined by its biosynthesis, transport, and metabolism, serves as an important mechanism through which photoperiod regulates secondary growth. First, I critically evaluate the role of auxin flux in the photoperiodic control of key xylem developmental stages (cell division, enlargement, and maturation). Second, I dissect the relationship between primary and secondary growth under changing day length, arguing that auxin supply is not a passive consequence of photoperiod-dependent apical growth but is independently regulated. Third, I examine emerging molecular mechanisms that could underlie photoperiod-dependent changes in auxin flux, highlighting an abscisic acid-dependent pathway involving Vascular Cambium-related MADS 1 and 2 (VCM1/2) and PIN-FORMED5b (PIN5b) in poplar, and discussing the potential, yet less-defined, roles of FT/TFL1-like and CIRCADIAN CLOCK ASSOCIATED 1 (CCA1)/LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL (LHY)-like factors. Finally, I discuss the potential of manipulating the photoperiod-auxin flux relationship to enhance late-season growth and drought resilience in trees, proposing a synthetic biology approach to engineer photoperiod-insensitive auxin biosynthesis as a strategy to optimize tree performance under rapidly changing climatic conditions.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":"101 5","pages":"2240-2252"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147758064","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":"Oocyte–cumulus cell interaction: a key factor in early embryo development","authors":"Marc Torres-Garrido,&nbsp;Marc Yeste,&nbsp;Yentel Mateo-Otero","doi":"10.1002/brv.70177","DOIUrl":"10.1002/brv.70177","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The evaluation of oocyte competence is a fundamental step in achieving successful outcomes following assisted reproduction techniques (ART). At present, however, conventional oocyte maturation assessment is carried out by morphological observation, which is a subjective method that does not consider molecular features. For this reason, many authors have proposed cumulus cells (CCs) as biomarkers for oocyte quality, mainly due to their role in the modulation of the physiology and competence of the female gamete. This review summarises our current understanding of the influence of CCs on oocyte physiology and also on the first stages of embryo development. Thus, it includes studies carried out in mammalian species evaluating DNA integrity, viability, gene expression, and profiles of the metabolome and proteome in CCs. While previous research has proposed different CC molecules and features as biomarkers of oocyte functionality and competence, data are, in some cases, inconsistent. For instance, contradictory data have been published regarding the impact of DNA fragmentation, mitochondrial DNA content, or apoptosis in CCs on oocyte maturation and embryo development. On the other hand, looking into gene expression profiles in CCs may reflect oocyte quality, as the expression of several transcripts has been positively associated with oocyte growth and embryo development. Finally, we also point out areas in which more research should be carried out, as is the case for proteomics, telomere length, and metabolomics. This review discusses the most relevant findings not only to better understand the existing relationship between cell types but also to pinpoint the most promising characteristics that could be used as biomarkers.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":"101 5","pages":"2265-2278"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/brv.70177","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147808936","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":"Flight of the dragons: a global review of migration in Odonata","authors":"Johanna S.U. Hedlund,&nbsp;Myles Menz,&nbsp;Jason W. Chapman,&nbsp;Alexander Hayward","doi":"10.1002/brv.70170","DOIUrl":"10.1002/brv.70170","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Insects are the most abundant and ecologically important animal migrants. Yet, we know relatively little about the patterns and processes underlying insect migration. Dragonflies (Anisoptera) and damselflies (Zygoptera) comprise the ancient insect order Odonata, whose ancestors were the first organisms to fly on Earth. Several members of Odonata are known to migrate long distances and have considerable impacts on ecosystems through biomass and nutrient transfer, pest control and species interactions. However, most aspects of odonate migration remain unknown and available data have not been fully reviewed from a global perspective in over two decades. This lack of consensus has repercussions on species monitoring, specialised conservation efforts and scientific progress. Here, we review odonate migration ecology, addressing: (&lt;i&gt;i&lt;/i&gt;) what odonate migration is; (&lt;i&gt;ii&lt;/i&gt;) why odonates migrate; and (&lt;i&gt;iii&lt;/i&gt;) which odonate species migrate. We define two types of odonate migration: multi-generational migration, where back-and-forth migratory journeys are completed over several generations, and single-generational migration, where the same individuals leave and return to the original reproductive habitat. We conclude that within single-generational migration, altitudinal migration is currently the only known strategy, and we present the first complete list of species observed to perform this type of migration, where refuge is temporarily sought at high-altitude sites away from the reproductive habitat. In addition, we generate an exhaustive global list of 85 dragonfly and 15 damselfly species for which migration has been confirmed (total = 100 species) and a list of 85 possible migrants (22 damselfly species; 63 dragonfly species). Consideration of phylogeny suggests that migration has evolved multiple times within Odonata, and is present in four extant dragonfly families and two extant damselfly families. Approximately 1.5% of all odonate species are migratory, with the proportion rising to approximately 2.9% if species deemed to be possible migrants are also included. Thus, overall, migration is a relatively uncommon strategy in Odonata. Among dragonflies, the vast majority (73%) of migratory species occur in the Libellulidae with 62 confirmed migratory species, equating to 5.9% of all libellulids, whereas in damselflies, migrants are divided almost equally between Coenagrionidae (&lt;i&gt;N&lt;/i&gt; = 8) and Lestidae (&lt;i&gt;N&lt;/i&gt; = 7), with the genus &lt;i&gt;Ischnura&lt;/i&gt; in Coenagrionidae having the most migrants of all damselfly genera (&lt;i&gt;N&lt;/i&gt; = 5). Biogeographically, the proportion of migratory species is highest in the Palearctic (10.8%), followed by the Nearctic (6.8%), results that may reflect research bias or indicate that migration is an adaptation favoured at high latitudes. Interestingly, most odonate migrants appear to be species of ‘Least Concern’ according to the IUCN &lt;i&gt;Red List&lt;/i&gt; and are potentially resilient to environmental change because ","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":"101 5","pages":"2134-2157"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/brv.70170","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148051367","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":"Hot and cold deserts as eco-evolutionary arenas for understanding plant resistance to multiple abiotic stressors.","authors":"Marc Fradera-Soler, Natasha Barbolini, Anže Žerdoner Čalasan, Marian Schubert, Catarina Rydin, Olwen M Grace, Aelys M Humphreys","doi":"10.1002/brv.70207","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/brv.70207","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>During their long evolutionary history, land plants have evolved a range of adaptations to different abiotic stressors. These help explain present-day diversity and distribution patterns, as well as the potential resilience of natural and agricultural systems to a changing climate. Most previous research has focused on adaptation to individual stressors and much less is known about how plants deal with exposure to multiple abiotic stressors. Consequently, the evolutionary processes leading to abiotic stress polyresistance (i.e. resistance to multiple abiotic stressors) remain poorly understood. Here, we showcase plants in hot and cold deserts as a compelling system for studying evolution of polyresistance. We focus on three abiotic stressors with substantial physiological overlap - drought, frost and salinity - and present six plant groups that occur in both hot and cold deserts, thus being exposed to these stressors in at least parts of their ranges: Gnetales, Amaranthaceae sensu lato, Nitrariaceae, Poaceae, Tamaricaceae-Frankeniaceae and Zygophyllaceae. We examine key questions regarding the sequence and mechanisms underlying abiotic stress polyresistance evolution and summarize the diverse adaptive strategies that allow persistence under multiple environmental pressures. In doing so, we highlight how trade-offs and facilitation among abiotic stress responses may have influenced the evolutionary pathways that lead to present-day polyresistance. Despite limited evidence, broad patterns emerge for the plant groups examined here, with facilitation appearing especially important, at least during early stages of polyresistance evolution. However, fundamental knowledge gaps remain. Macroevolutionary and macroecological approaches, coupled with historical biogeography and palaeoclimatic and palaeoecological reconstructions, can be used to advance understanding of abiotic stress polyresistance evolution in plants. This will pave the way for applied trait-based research to support climate change mitigation, conservation and sustainable crop improvement in a rapidly changing world.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148872303","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":"A global meta-analysis of non-lethal mammal browsing control in forests.","authors":"James B H Grimsdale, Daniel W A Noble, Geoffrey M While, Dean Williams, Julianne O'Reilly-Wapstra","doi":"10.1002/brv.70205","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/brv.70205","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Increasing resource demand, desire to sequester atmospheric carbon, and conservation goals are driving a need for forests to be managed more effectively in the face of numerous challenges. One such challenge is damage perpetrated by browsing mammals, which can cause substantial financial and ecological impacts. Current practices focus on lethal control measures for mitigating mammal browsing damage, however stakeholder pressure is calling for a transition to non-lethal alternatives. Little is known about the relative efficacy of different non-lethal control methods for mitigating browsing damage by mammals other than deer. Using a multilevel meta-analytical framework across 1,908 effect sizes, we investigate the relative efficacy and longevity of different non-lethal control methods implemented against a broad suite of browsing mammals across different spatial scales. We found that tree guards, repellents and exclusion fencing all significantly reduce mammal browsing damage and retain their effect for long periods. There was, however, substantial variation in efficacy within individual control strategies highlighting the importance to forest managers of selecting the correct method from within the broad strategies we identified. We then discuss other factors to consider when implementing non-lethal mammal browsing control so that forest managers are well informed when implementing a control strategy.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148808091","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":"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":"https://doi.org/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":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","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":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The extension of the taxon cycle model to island plants: insights from the Canarian vascular flora.","authors":"José María Fernández-Palacios, Rüdiger Otto, Robert J Whittaker","doi":"10.1002/brv.70165","DOIUrl":"10.1002/brv.70165","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Taxon cycle models describe eco-evolutionary patterns of lineage colonization, diversification, and decline across archipelagos, inferring an important role for competition amongst ecologically similar taxa in driving concurrent niche changes. Hitherto described in detail only for animal taxa (notably ants and land birds), we extend the application of taxon cycle analysis to the flora of the Canary Islands, in the process describing several variants on the classic model. Our analysis is based on the premise that taxon cycle dynamics are driven by interactions within closely related species, represented here by congenerics. We compiled distributional and phylogenetic data for 556 species (59% of the native vascular flora), enabling us to allocate the members of each colonist lineage to one of five taxon cycle distributional stages (colonization and range expansion, diversification, range contraction and further diversification, becoming threatened, and extinction). We then grouped the genera into six models: classic taxon cycle (23% of flora), intra-lineage taxon cycle (39%), spontaneous taxon cycle (22%), incomplete taxon cycle (4%), evolutionary stasis (5%), and no taxon cycle (6%). We discuss the drivers that may be shaping these distributions and evaluate how well they conform to the taxon cycle paradigm. We also highlight the use and limitations of stem and crown ages as a tool to test or refine taxon cycle attributions. Our analyses demonstrate that the taxon cycle provides a plausible framework for the analysis of the flora of an oceanic archipelago, while highlighting that both its general applicability and the mechanisms responsible for it will require further independent verification.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":"2053-2076"},"PeriodicalIF":10.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13326772/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147607492","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}