Biological Reviews最新文献

{"title":"Animal medical systems from Apis to apes: history, recent advances and future perspectives.","authors":"Michelina Pusceddu, Michael A Huffman, Stephane Knoll, Ana Helena Dias Francesconi, Ignazio Floris, Alberto Satta","doi":"10.1111/brv.70060","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70060","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Animal medical systems encompass a wide range of behaviours aimed at maintaining or improving health. It has become clear that these behaviours are not limited to animals treating themselves (self-medication) but also include the treatment of group members, resulting in the adoption of the more inclusive term \"animal medication\". Behaviour with the intent to avoid, reduce the impact, or otherwise treat disease transmission, rather than the use of medicinal substances, can be described as medical behaviours. However, most behaviours described here involve the ingestion or application of items with medicinal properties to oneself or the application of items to others or their temporary or permanent communal living spaces like nests or burrows, hereto named medicinal or medication behaviours. This review begins with a historical overview of the field, showcasing an increasing awareness of the wide diversity of taxa exhibiting animal medication and elucidating the development of criteria used to define and categorise such behaviours across the animal kingdom. A thorough synthesis of recent research is presented, by providing critical reflection that challenges conventional notions and emphasises the significance of sociality and ecological context. To this end, medical systems are explored by using numerous examples, thus highlighting the diverse strategies animals employ to maintain health and improve fitness, ranging from honey bees foraging on antimicrobial resin to control hive disease to apes ingesting small amounts of toxic secondary compounds to control parasite infection. The understanding of how animals maintain their health through medical strategies offers valuable insights into the evolutionary origin and complexity of the drivers behind these behaviours. Evidence suggests that advanced cognition is not necessarily a prerequisite because innate mechanisms are likely involved in the expression of these behaviours across the animal kingdom. By highlighting the importance of life-history traits and ecological context in predicting animal medical systems, we reassess the presumed primary drivers of these adaptations. Finally, this review raises important questions about animal medical systems, including the universality of the mechanisms involved, the evolutionary significance of parasite pressure, and the ecological implications of this suite of behaviours. By addressing these complexities, this review provides a nuanced understanding of animal medical systems and highlights avenues for future research in this field.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144726184","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":"Environmental DNA as a tool for hydropower impact assessments: current status, special considerations, and future integration.","authors":"Kristine N Moody, Steven T Gardner, Line E Sundt-Hansen, Frode Fossøy, Dana N McCoskey, Katherine J Morrice, Brenda M Pracheil","doi":"10.1111/brv.70059","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70059","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Globally there is an urgent need to find sustainable solutions to balance energy production with the protection of vulnerable species and conservation of biodiversity. This is particularly critical for freshwater ecosystems, habitats, and species that may be impacted by hydropower development and operations needed to meet energy grid demands. Reliable and accurate environmental impact assessments (EIAs) that identify the biological, physical, or social impacts of hydropower are key to ensure biodiversity, ecosystem, and societal sustainability. The analysis of environmental DNA (eDNA) has the potential to transform hydropower EIAs, management and mitigation planning, and decision-making procedures. Further, the incorporation of eDNA surveys into EIAs during both hydropower planning and continued operations may streamline regulatory processes by improving our understanding of potentially impacted biota and habitats and evaluating environmental impacts mitigation. Here, we: (i) highlight current understanding and use of eDNA in freshwater environments; (ii) examine critical considerations for eDNA integration into hydropower EIAs and biological monitoring; (iii) identify knowledge gaps in eDNA analysis and applications unique to hydropower-regulated systems; and (iv) discuss future opportunities to bolster the incorporation of eDNA into hydropower research including regulatory acceptance and public engagement. While we acknowledge that there are several factors that may complicate the broad adoption of eDNA as a tool for assessing the impacts of hydropower, we anticipate that growing confidence in eDNA through hydropower-specific protocols, calibrations, and validations will overcome these inherent uncertainties.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.7,"publicationDate":"2025-07-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144726185","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 intricate relationship between stress and animal welfare: from historical perspective to new avenues.","authors":"Feifan Wu, Alan Tilbrook, Shane K Maloney, Dominique Blache","doi":"10.1111/brv.70057","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70057","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We discuss the intricate relationship between the evolution of the concept of stress and the development of the concept of animal welfare. After a brief review of the main concepts of animal welfare, we analyse important steps in the evolution of the concept of stress, starting from the mechanistic approach of the General Adaptation Syndrome to the recent integrative allostatic theory. We show how, over time, each concept of stress has informed the development of the concept of animal welfare. We discuss the role of emotions and affective states in the response of animals to challenges and how psychological stress is integral to the welfare of animals. Lastly, we discuss briefly the potential role of the gut-brain axis in both the concept of stress and the concept of welfare.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144697180","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":"Assessing flexibility in meaning and context in non-human communication.","authors":"Marlen Fröhlich, Juliette Aychet, Peter R Clark, Catherine Crockford, Guillaume Dezecache, Nancy Rebout, Carel P van Schaik, Kirsty E Graham","doi":"10.1111/brv.70054","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70054","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The concept of flexibility in communication is central to reconstructing the evolutionary history of language, and grappling with \"contextual flexibility\" in particular is pivotal to address implications for pragmatics-first accounts of language evolution. Despite significant advances in the field, research is hindered by definitional inconsistencies and methodological gaps across modalities. We build on recent frameworks to propose further, detailed methods for studying contextual and functional variability, incorporating modality-agnostic and standardised terminology to facilitate cross-species comparisons. Our approach includes a detailed classification of communicative contexts and outcomes, offering practical methods to disentangle context from function and meaning. By integrating insights across behavioural ecology and comparative psychology, we aim to enhance the comparability of findings and provide a robust foundation for exploring the evolutionary trajectory of communicative flexibility and pragmatics.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144697179","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":"Plasticity in climate change responses.","authors":"Angelika Stollewerk, Pavel Kratina, Arnaud Sentis, Catalina Chaparro-Pedraza, Ellen Decaestecker, Luc De Meester, Ozge Eyice, Lynn Govaert, John Iwan Jones, Christian Laforsch, Carolina Madeira, Anita Narwani, Vicencio Oostra, Joost A M Raeymaekers, Axel G Rossberg, Matthias Schott, Robby Stoks, Ellen van Velzen, David Boukal","doi":"10.1111/brv.70056","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70056","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Recent research has shown that climate change can both induce and modulate the expression of plastic traits but our understanding of the role of phenotypic plasticity as an adaptive response to climate change is limited. In this review, we dissect the mechanisms and impact of phenotypic plasticity as a response to accumulating climatic pressures on the individual, species and community levels. (i) We discuss how plasticity can affect individuals, populations and community dynamics and how climate change can alter the role of plasticity. We hypothesise that some pathways to phenotypic plasticity such as irreversible and anticipatory organismal responses will be reduced under increasing climate change. (ii) We then propose an integrated conceptual framework for studying phenotypic plasticity to advance our understanding of the feedbacks between the different levels of biological organisation. (iii) By formulating as yet unaddressed research questions within and across levels of biological organisation, we aim to instigate new research on phenotypic plasticity and its role in climate change responses.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144688458","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":"Review of the tetrapod skull-neck boundary: implications for the evolution of the atlas-axis complex.","authors":"Dana E Korneisel, Hillary C Maddin","doi":"10.1111/brv.70053","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70053","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This review describes variation in modern and fossil occiput-atlas-axis complex anatomy of total group Tetrapoda with the aim of documenting the range of structural variation throughout their evolutionary history to establish grounds for comparison of the complex between tetrapod clades. This review reveals that every modern tetrapod has an atlas with morphology unique to its vertebral column that articulates to the skull, composed, typically, of paired neural arch halves and an intercentrum. Maximally complex tetrapod atlantes articulate to paired proatlas halves and are composed of paired neural arch halves, an intercentrum, and a pleurocentrum. The centra may occur as left and right halves but are most often singular elements in adults. Lissamphibians often have an interglenoid tubercle extending anteriorly from their atlas centrum. Stem tetrapods develop a specialised second cervical vertebra, the axis, most often distinguished from its posterior neighbours by an anteriorly oriented odontoid process contributing to the skull-neck joint. An axis is retained in nearly all subsequently diverging tetrapod clades, except for lissamphibians and their closest relatives. Exemplar fossil taxa reveal patterns of atlas-axis evolution throughout the tetrapod lineage. Here, synthesis of osteological data from extinct and extant taxa provides a basis for hypotheses of skull-neck boundary evolution in tetrapods. For example, convergent trends towards fewer separate components in adult tetrapod atlas-axis complexes, except in crocodylians and rhyncocephalians, are illuminated. Further insights into the development of the atlas and axis may help support or refute these hypotheses and will contribute to a more complete understanding of the origin of observed variation.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144688459","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 ecology in the tropical Andes: moving towards a cross-scale approach.","authors":"Cristina Rueda-Uribe, Alexander Chautá, Tamsin L Woodman, Eloisa Lasso, Roxibell C Pelayo, Laura Milena Manrique-Garzón, Marcia C Muñoz, Rebekka Allgayer, Tia-Lynn Ashman, Greta Bocedi, David F R P Burslem, Pedro A Camargo-Martínez, María Ángela Echeverry-Galvis, Catalina González-Arango, Cecile Gubry-Rangin, Lesley T Lancaster, Kara K S Layton, Fabio Manfredini, Carlos Martel, Lia Montti, Alexander S T Papadopulos, Robert A Raguso, Jonathan Ready, Alejandro Rico-Guevara, Camila Rocabado, Justin M J Travis","doi":"10.1111/brv.70049","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70049","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plant-pollinator interactions structure ecological communities and represent a key component of ecosystem functioning. Pollination networks are expected to be more diverse and specialised in the tropics, but pollination ecology in these regions has been understudied in comparison to other areas. We reviewed research on pollination in the tropical Andes, one of the major biodiversity hotspots on Earth, where the uplift of mountains and past climate have resulted in spatiotemporally distinct species interactions. We found 1010 scientific articles on pollination in the Andes, of which 473 included or were carried out in tropical regions. The number of publications on pollination ecology in the tropical Andes has increased exponentially, with Colombia having the most articles, followed by Ecuador and Peru, and with Bolivia and Venezuela having notably fewer studies. More research has been carried out in humid montane forests and agricultural landscapes, and it has predominantly focused on describing diversity of species and interactions while neglecting analyses on the resilience and adaptability of pollinating systems, even though the Andean region is particularly susceptible to the effects of climate change and continues to undergo land conversion and degradation. Remarkably few studies have incorporated local knowledge, thus ignoring connections to human livelihoods and communities. A phytocentric perspective has been predominant, with fewer studies focusing directly on pollinators and a notable lack of articles with a holistic approach to the study of pollination across taxonomic groups at the community or ecosystem level. We propose that future research adopts a cross-scale approach that considers the complexity of the ecological contexts in which plant-pollinator interactions occur, and incorporates long-term monitoring with broader multilayer networks and molecular tools, experiments focused on ecophysiology and behaviour, animal telemetry, process-modelling approaches and participatory science. A stronger field driven by interdisciplinary collaborations will contribute to knowledge about pollination at a global scale, as well as increase our understanding of the diversity and resilience of pollination interactions in this region, thus improving our capacity to predict and avoid ecosystem collapses.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144641320","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":"Nuclear destabilisation - a possible genesis of cancer?","authors":"Daniel D Scott, Francesco Bettariga, Marco Ventin, Chris Bishop, Britta Stordal","doi":"10.1111/brv.70052","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70052","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This review examines the increasingly prominent role of mechanics within cancer formation and progression. The extremely varied and contradictory genetic landscape of cancer is in stark contrast to the seemingly universal mechanical characteristics of cancer cells and their tumour microenvironment, and mechanics may be a principal unifying trait of this disease. The tight regulation of innate cell mechanical properties raises the possibility that destabilisation of the cell drives tumour formation in an attempt to restore cell mechanical homeostasis. With losses in cell stiffness more pronounced at the cell nucleus, we hypothesise that destabilisation occurs within the nucleus, likely within the nucleosome. Beyond the mechanical properties of the cell, this compromise to the chromatin structure holds significant repercussions for both genetic and epigenetic regulation, providing scope for significant genetic dysregulation and mutation. However, the nature of such genetic events will be dependent upon the region of mechanical destabilisation; thus, introducing greater variability and heterogeneity to genetic changes. We conclude with the hypothesis that cancer has a mechanical genesis, in which cell nuclear destabilisation functions as the enabling hallmark of cancer. It is theorised that both genetic and structural dysfunction stem from this nuclear destabilisation, driving disease pathology and progression.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144635791","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":"Research progress on nitrogen-removal characteristics and mechanisms in salt-tolerant microorganisms.","authors":"Jianrui Liu, Tengxia He, Mengping Chen, Chunxia Zheng, Cerong Wang, Manman Zhang, Yafei Tian","doi":"10.1111/brv.70047","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70047","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Nitrogen pollution in wastewater from industrial effluents contains various substances, including salts and organic matter, that pose potential threats to aquatic ecosystems and human health. Denitrification microorganisms therefore play crucial roles in nitrogen bioremediation. This review focuses on salt-tolerant denitrification microorganisms, including their definition and classification. The effects of salinity on three different biological nitrogen-removal processes - nitrification-denitrification, anaerobic ammoxidation, and heterotrophic nitrification-aerobic denitrification - are systematically reviewed from the perspective of microbial communities and their practical applications in wastewater treatment. The salt-tolerance mechanisms of denitrifying microorganisms are clarified based on the relevant genes, synthesis of compatible intracellular solutes, ion transport, and extracellular polymeric substances involved. A comprehensive understanding of the mechanisms underlying salt tolerance in denitrifying microorganisms is essential for accelerating nitrogen-removal rate in saline conditions and could contribute to the development of effective strategies for microbial removal of nitrogen in saline environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144309333","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":"Close encounters of the friendly kind: pacific between-group interactions in primates.","authors":"Cyril C Grueter, Luca Pozzi","doi":"10.1111/brv.70046","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.70046","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>While intergroup conflict features prominently in the behavioural ecology literature, its antonym, intergroup peace, has been a rather neglected phenomenon until recently. Neighbourly relations and affiliative interactions are far from uncommon. We provide a comprehensive synthesis of the empirical evidence of peaceful between-group interactions in primates which take various forms that vary along two continua: intensity and duration. These include intergroup tolerance, intergroup affiliation, visits, mingling, intergroup coalitions and mergers between groups. We propose that an analysis of intergroup peace would benefit from distinguishing between facilitating factors (facilitators), active drivers and stabilizing forces (stabilizers). A prime example of a facilitator is resource heterogeneity in the landscape which can make resource defence logistically impractical and make initially independent groups more interdependent. While this often suffices for tolerant associations to emerge, for full-blown intergroup peace with sporadic or frequent intergroup affiliation and/or cooperation to arise, motivations or adaptive benefits (drivers) need to be present. Some of the adaptive benefits that can trigger a switch from tolerance to peace between groups include dispersal facilitation, information gathering, predation protection, extra-group mating, communal defence, and reciprocal resource access. Lastly, a further mediator of xenophobia and intergroup agonism is the degree of relatedness and familiarity between interacting groups (stabilizers). Finally, we propose several ways to move this research forward. We hope that this review will stimulate empirical and theoretical studies and encourage field researchers to pay more attention to hitherto rather neglected forms of between-group contact. An understanding of the functional correlates of peaceful between-group relationships in primates also holds promise for making inferences about the human social system where intergroup peace has enabled cooperation and cultural diffusion on an unprecedented scale.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.0,"publicationDate":"2025-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144309332","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}