Lilla Lovász, Carolin Sommer-Trembo, Julia M.I. Barth, John D. Scasta, Ralitsa Grancharova-Hill, Rhys T. Lemoine, Viola Kerekes, Léa Merckling, Amos Bouskila, Jens-Christian Svenning, Antoine Fages
{"title":"Rewilded horses in European nature conservation – a genetics, ethics, and welfare perspective","authors":"Lilla Lovász, Carolin Sommer-Trembo, Julia M.I. Barth, John D. Scasta, Ralitsa Grancharova-Hill, Rhys T. Lemoine, Viola Kerekes, Léa Merckling, Amos Bouskila, Jens-Christian Svenning, Antoine Fages","doi":"10.1111/brv.13146","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.13146","url":null,"abstract":"In recent decades, the integration of horses (<i>Equus ferus</i>) in European rewilding initiatives has gained widespread popularity due to their potential for regulating vegetation and restoring natural ecosystems. However, employing horses in conservation efforts presents important challenges, which we here explore and discuss. These challenges encompass the lack of consensus on key terms inherent to conservation and rewilding, the entrenched culture and strong emotions associated with horses, low genetic diversity and high susceptibility to hereditary diseases in animals under human selection, as well as insufficient consideration for the social behaviour of horses in wild-living populations. In addition, management of wild-living horses involves intricate welfare, ethics and legislative dimensions. Anthropocentric population-control initiatives may be detrimental to horse group structures since they tend to prioritise individual welfare over the health of populations and ecosystems. To overcome these challenges, we provide comprehensive recommendations. These involve a systematic acquisition of genetic information, a focus on genetic diversity rather than breed purity and minimal veterinary intervention in wild-living populations. Further, we advise allowing for natural top-down and bottom-up control – or, if impossible, simulating this by culling or non-lethal removal of horses – instead of using fertility control for population management. We advocate for intensified collaboration between conservation biologists and practitioners and enhanced communication with the general public. Decision-making should be informed by a thorough understanding of the genetic makeup, common health issues and dynamics, and social behaviour in wild-living horse populations. Such a holistic approach is essential to reconcile human emotions associated with horses with the implementation of conservation practices that are not only effective but also sustainable for the long-term viability of functional, biodiverse ecosystems, while rehabilitating the horse as a widespread wild-living species in Europe.","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":"23 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142258790","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}
Kobe Buyse, Koen Stein, Ward De Spiegelaere, Pieter Cornillie, Marcus Clauss, Geert P.J. Janssens
{"title":"On the function and origin of the avian renal portal shunt and its potential significance throughout evolution","authors":"Kobe Buyse, Koen Stein, Ward De Spiegelaere, Pieter Cornillie, Marcus Clauss, Geert P.J. Janssens","doi":"10.1111/brv.13144","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.13144","url":null,"abstract":"All birds possess a unique venous architecture surrounding the kidneys known as the renal portal system. In veterinary medicine, this system is well known for causing a first‐pass effect when medication is administered parenterally <jats:italic>via</jats:italic> the leg veins, that is venous blood from the leg is filtered before entering general circulation, thus possibly compromising adequate dosage. Additionally, bilateral valves are present in these veins, and it has been hypothesized that they play a crucial role in regulating flow through the kidneys to protect them against increases in blood pressure. While this hypothesis has been acknowledged, it has not been thoroughly explored. We propose that the function of the renal portal valve extends beyond its significance for kidney function, potentially impacting general hemodynamics. Examining anatomical similarities with extant non‐avian reptiles, which lack the renal portal shunt with valve, could reveal additional functionalities of this system in birds. Given the endothermic metabolism and the energetically expensive locomotor activity of birds, the resistance of the hepatic and renal portal system might constrain the blood flow from splanchnic to non‐splanchnic blood vessels necessary for (sustained) peak performance. Therefore, diverting blood from the renal portal system using the renal portal valve as a regulatory structure might represent a key adaptation to facilitate sustained peak performance. In addition, we hypothesize that this shunt and valve represents a very early adaptation in amniotes, possibly lost in extant non‐avian reptiles but enhanced in birds, with a pivotal role in maintaining hemodynamic homeostasis to support the high metabolic rates characteristic of birds.","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142269490","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}
Annett Schirmer, Ilona Croy, Katja Liebal, Stefan R. Schweinberger
{"title":"Non‐verbal effecting – animal research sheds light on human emotion communication","authors":"Annett Schirmer, Ilona Croy, Katja Liebal, Stefan R. Schweinberger","doi":"10.1111/brv.13140","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.13140","url":null,"abstract":"Cracking the non‐verbal “code” of human emotions has been a chief interest of generations of scientists. Yet, despite much effort, a dictionary that clearly maps non‐verbal behaviours onto <jats:italic>meaning</jats:italic> remains elusive. We suggest this is due to an over‐reliance on language‐related concepts and an under‐appreciation of the evolutionary context in which a given non‐verbal behaviour emerged. Indeed, work in other species emphasizes non‐verbal <jats:italic>effects</jats:italic> (e.g. affiliation) rather than meaning (e.g. happiness) and differentiates between signals, for which communication benefits both sender and receiver, and cues, for which communication does not benefit senders. Against this backdrop, we develop a “non‐verbal effecting” perspective for human research. This perspective extends the typical focus on facial expressions to a broadcasting of multisensory signals and cues that emerge from both social and non‐social emotions. Moreover, it emphasizes the consequences or effects that signals and cues have for individuals and their social interactions. We believe that re‐directing our attention from verbal emotion labels to non‐verbal effects is a necessary step to comprehend scientifically how humans share what they feel.","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":"15 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142193096","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}
Kiara C. Cushway, Juergen Geist, Astrid N. Schwalb
{"title":"Surviving global change: a review of the impacts of drought and dewatering on freshwater mussels","authors":"Kiara C. Cushway, Juergen Geist, Astrid N. Schwalb","doi":"10.1111/brv.13142","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.13142","url":null,"abstract":"The increase in the frequency and intensity of droughts and heatwaves caused by climate change poses a major threat to biodiversity. In aquatic systems, sedentary species such as freshwater mussels are generally considered more vulnerable to changes in habitat conditions than mobile species such as fish. As mussels provide important ecosystem services, understanding the impacts of drought on freshwater mussels is of particular importance for the management of overall functioning of aquatic ecosystems. We used a comprehensive literature search to provide a systematic overview of direct and indirect effects of drought on freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionida) and an evaluation of mitigation strategies. We found that drought studies were concentrated mostly in the USA, with a focus on the Unionidae family. Topics ranged from the physiological effects of high temperatures, emersion, and hypoxia/anoxia to behavioural and reproductive consequences of drought and the implications for biotic interactions and ecosystem services. Studies spanned all levels of biological organization, from individual responses to population‐ and community‐level impacts and ecosystem‐wide effects. We identified several knowledge gaps, including a paucity of trait‐based evaluation of drought consequences, limited understanding of thermal and desiccation tolerance at the species level, and the synergistic effects of multiple drought stressors on mussels. Although we found many studies provided suggestions concerning management of populations, habitat conditions, and anthropogenic water use, a systematic approach and testing of recommended mitigation strategies is largely lacking, creating challenges for managers aiming to conserve freshwater mussel communities and populations in light of climate change.","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142193137","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}
Luke D. Emerson, Heiko U. Wittmer, L. Mark Elbroch, Kristal Kostoglou, Kimberley J. Bannister, Jared J. Psaila, Desley Whisson, Euan G. Ritchie
{"title":"A global assessment of large terrestrial carnivore kill rates","authors":"Luke D. Emerson, Heiko U. Wittmer, L. Mark Elbroch, Kristal Kostoglou, Kimberley J. Bannister, Jared J. Psaila, Desley Whisson, Euan G. Ritchie","doi":"10.1111/brv.13143","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.13143","url":null,"abstract":"Through killing and instilling fear in their prey, large terrestrial carnivores shape the structure and function of ecosystems globally. Most large carnivore species have experienced severe range and population declines due to human activities, and many are now threatened with extinction. Consequently, the impacts of these predators on food webs have been diminished or lost completely from many ecosystems. Kill rates provide a fundamental metric for understanding large carnivore ecology and assessing and comparing predation within and across ecological communities. Our systematic review of large terrestrial mammalian carnivore kill rates reveals significant positive geographic (North America, Europe, and Africa) and taxonomic (grey wolf <jats:italic>Canis lupus</jats:italic>, puma <jats:italic>Puma concolor</jats:italic>, lion <jats:italic>Panthera leo</jats:italic>, and Eurasian lynx <jats:italic>Lynx lynx</jats:italic>) bias, with most studies apparently motivated by human–carnivore conflict over access to ungulate prey and wildlife management objectives. Our current understanding of the behaviour and functional roles of many large carnivore species and populations thus remains limited. By synthesising and comparing kill rates, we show that solitary carnivores (e.g. brown bears <jats:italic>Ursus arctos</jats:italic> and most felids) exhibit higher <jats:italic>per capita</jats:italic> kill rates than social carnivores. However, ungulate predation by bears is typically limited to predation of neonates during a short period. Lower <jats:italic>per capita</jats:italic> kill rates by social carnivores suggests group living significantly reduces energetic demands, or, alternatively, that group‐living carnivores defend and consume a greater proportion of large prey carcasses, or may acquire more food through other means (e.g. scavenging, kleptoparasitism) than solitary hunters. Kill and consumption rates for Canidae – measured as kilograms of prey per kilogram of carnivore per day – are positively correlated with body mass, consistent with increasing energy costs associated with a cursorial hunting strategy. By contrast, ambush predators such as felids show an opposite trend, and thus the potential energetic advantage of an ambush hunting strategy for carnivores as body mass increases. Additionally, ungulate kill rates remain relatively constant across solitary felid body sizes, indicative of energetic constraints and optimal foraging. Kill rate estimates also reveal potential insights into trophic structuring within carnivore guilds, with subordinate carnivores often killing more than their larger counterparts, which may be indicative of having to cope with food losses to scavengers and dominant competitors. Subordinate carnivores may thus serve an important role in provisioning food to other trophic levels within their respective ecosystems. Importantly, kill rates also clarify misconceptions around the predatory behaviour of carnivores (e.g. spot","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":"53 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":10.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142193095","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}
Arianna Crosta, Barbara Valle, Marco Caccianiga, Mauro Gobbi, Francesco Gentile Ficetola, Francesca Pittino, Andrea Franzetti, Roberto Sergio Azzoni, Valeria Lencioni, Antonella Senese, Luca Corlatti, Jakub Buda, Ewa Poniecka, Tereza Novotná Jaroměřská, Krzysztof Zawierucha, Roberto Ambrosini
{"title":"Ecological interactions in glacier environments: a review of studies on a model Alpine glacier.","authors":"Arianna Crosta, Barbara Valle, Marco Caccianiga, Mauro Gobbi, Francesco Gentile Ficetola, Francesca Pittino, Andrea Franzetti, Roberto Sergio Azzoni, Valeria Lencioni, Antonella Senese, Luca Corlatti, Jakub Buda, Ewa Poniecka, Tereza Novotná Jaroměřská, Krzysztof Zawierucha, Roberto Ambrosini","doi":"10.1111/brv.13138","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.13138","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Glaciers host a variety of cold-adapted taxa, many of which have not yet been described. Interactions among glacier organisms are even less clear. Understanding ecological interactions is crucial to unravelling the functioning of glacier ecosystems, particularly in light of current glacier retreat. Through a review of the existing literature, we aim to provide a first overview of the biodiversity, primary production, trophic networks, and matter flow of a glacier ecosystem. We use the Forni Glacier (Central Italian Alps) - one of the best studied alpine glaciers in the world - as a model system for our literature review and integrate additional original data. We reveal the importance of allochthonous organic matter inputs, of Cyanobacteria and eukaryotic green algae in primary production, and the key role of springtails (Vertagopus glacialis) on the glacier surface in sustaining populations of two apex terrestrial predators: Nebria castanea (Coleoptera: Carabidae) and Pardosa saturatior (Araneae: Lycosidae). The cryophilic tardigrade Cryobiotus klebelsbergi is the apex consumer in cryoconite holes. This short food web highlights the fragility of nodes represented by invertebrates, contrasting with structured microbial communities in all glacier habitats. Although further research is necessary to quantify the ecological interactions of glacier organisms, this review summarises and integrates existing knowledge about the ecological processes on alpine glaciers and supports the importance of glacier-adapted organisms in providing ecosystem services.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142152666","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":"Cryptic species conservation: a review.","authors":"Daniel Hending","doi":"10.1111/brv.13139","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.13139","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cryptic species are groups of two or more taxa that were previously classified as single nominal species. Being almost morphologically indistinguishable, cryptic species have historically been hard to detect. Only through modern morphometric, genetic, and molecular analyses has the hidden biodiversity of cryptic species complexes been revealed. Cryptic diversity is now widely acknowledged, but unlike more recognisable, charismatic species, scientists face additional challenges when studying cryptic taxa and protecting their wild populations. Demographical and ecological data are vital to facilitate and inform successful conservation actions, particularly at the individual species level, yet this information is lacking for many cryptic species due to their recent taxonomic description and lack of research attention. The first part of this article summarises cryptic speciation and diversity, and explores the numerous barriers and considerations that conservation biologists must navigate to detect, study and manage cryptic species populations effectively. The second part of the article seeks to address how we can overcome the challenges associated with efficiently and non-invasively detecting cryptic species in-situ, and filling vital knowledge gaps that are currently inhibiting applied conservation. The final section discusses future directions, and suggests that large-scale, holistic, and collaborative approaches that build upon successful existing applications will be vital for cryptic species conservation. This article also acknowledges that sufficient data to implement effective species-specific conservation will be difficult to attain for many cryptic animals, and protected area networks will be vital for their conservation in the short term.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142131346","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}
David E Ausband, Peter F Rebholz, Lindsay Petrillo
{"title":"The effects of human-caused mortality on mammalian cooperative breeders: a synthesis.","authors":"David E Ausband, Peter F Rebholz, Lindsay Petrillo","doi":"10.1111/brv.13133","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.13133","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Human-caused mortality can be pervasive and even highly selective for individuals in groups of cooperative breeders. Many studies of cooperative breeders, however, do not address human-caused mortality. Similarly, studies focused on the effects of human-caused mortality on wildlife populations often do not consider the ecology of cooperative breeders. We searched the literature and identified 58 studies where human-caused mortality affected a group characteristic, vital rate, or population state of a cooperative breeder. Of studies reporting population growth or decline, 80% reported a link between human-caused mortality and population declines in cooperative breeders. Such studies often did not identify the mechanism behind population declines, but 28% identified concurrent declines in adult survival and another 21% reported concurrent declines in recruitment or reproduction. There was little overlap between the cooperative breeding and human-caused mortality literatures, limiting our ability to accrue knowledge. Future work would be beneficial if it (i) identified the vital rate(s) causing population declines, (ii) leveraged management actions such as lethal removal to ask questions about the ecology of group-living in cooperative breeders, and (iii) used insights from cooperative breeding theory to inform management actions and conservation of group-living species.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142102478","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":"Bending the curve of global freshwater biodiversity loss: what are the prospects?","authors":"David Dudgeon, David L Strayer","doi":"10.1111/brv.13137","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.13137","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Freshwater biodiversity conservation has received substantial attention in the scientific literature and is finally being recognized in policy frameworks such as the Global Biodiversity Framework and its associated targets for 2030. This is important progress. Nonetheless, freshwater species continue to be confronted with high levels of imperilment and widespread ecosystem degradation. An Emergency Recovery Plan (ERP) proposed in 2020 comprises six measures intended to \"bend the curve\" of freshwater biodiversity loss, if they are widely adopted and adequately supported. We review evidence suggesting that the combined intensity of persistent and emerging threats to freshwater biodiversity has become so serious that current and projected efforts to preserve, protect and restore inland-water ecosystems may be insufficient to avert substantial biodiversity losses in the coming decades. In particular, climate change, with its complex and harmful impacts, will frustrate attempts to prevent biodiversity losses from freshwater ecosystems already affected by multiple threats. Interactions among these threats will limit recovery of populations and exacerbate declines resulting in local or even global extinctions, especially among low-viability populations in degraded or fragmented ecosystems. In addition to impediments represented by climate change, we identify several other areas where the absolute scarcity of fresh water, inadequate scientific information or predictive capacity, and a widespread failure to mitigate anthropogenic stressors, are liable to set limits on the recovery of freshwater biodiversity. Implementation of the ERP rapidly and at scale through many widely dispersed local actions focused on regions of high freshwater biodiversity and intense threat, together with an intensification of ex-situ conservation efforts, will be necessary to preserve native freshwater biodiversity during an increasingly uncertain climatic future in which poorly understood, emergent and interacting threats have become more influential. But implementation of the ERP must be accompanied by measures that will improve water, energy and food security for humans - without further compromising the condition of freshwater ecosystems. Unfortunately, the inadequate political implementation of policies to arrest widely recognized environmental challenges such as climate change do not inspire confidence about the possible success of the ERP. In many parts of the world, the Anthropocene future seems certain to include extended periods with an absolute scarcity of uncontaminated surface runoff that will inevitably be appropriated by humans. Unless there is a step-change in societal awareness of - and commitment to - the conservation of freshwater biodiversity, together with necessary actions to arrest climate change, implementation of established methods for protecting freshwater biodiversity may not bend the curve enough to prevent continued ecosystem degradation and s","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142102477","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}
Kirsty E Graham, Federico Rossano, Richard T Moore
{"title":"The origin of great ape gestural forms.","authors":"Kirsty E Graham, Federico Rossano, Richard T Moore","doi":"10.1111/brv.13136","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.13136","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Two views claim to account for the origins of great ape gestural forms. On the Leipzig view, gestural forms are ontogenetically ritualised from action sequences between pairs of individuals. On the St Andrews view, gestures are the product of natural selection for shared gestural forms. The Leipzig view predicts within- and between-group differences between gestural forms that arise as a product of learning in ontogeny. The St Andrews view predicts universal gestural forms comprehensible within and between species that arise because gestural forms were a target of natural selection. We reject both accounts and propose an alternative \"recruitment view\" of the origins of great ape gestures. According to the recruitment view, great ape gestures recruit features of their existing behavioural repertoire for communicative purposes. Their gestures inherit their communicative functions from visual (and sometimes tactile) presentations of familiar and easily recognisable action schemas and states and parts of the body. To the extent that great ape species possess similar bodies, this predicts mutual comprehensibility within and between species - but without supposing that gestural forms were themselves targets of natural selection. Additionally, we locate great ape gestural communication within a pragmatic framework that is continuous with human communication, and make testable predications for adjudicating between the three alternative views. We propose that the recruitment view best explains existing data, and does so within a mechanistic framework that emphasises continuity between human and non-human great ape communication.</p>","PeriodicalId":133,"journal":{"name":"Biological Reviews","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":11.0,"publicationDate":"2024-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142078528","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}