Ana Prohaska, Sergey Rosbakh, Rasmus Nielsen, Lucas Czech, Marc Macias-Fauria
{"title":"Plant reproductive palaeobiology: a window into long-term reproductive dynamics.","authors":"Ana Prohaska, Sergey Rosbakh, Rasmus Nielsen, Lucas Czech, Marc Macias-Fauria","doi":"10.1016/j.tree.2026.09.005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2026.09.005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Reproductive dynamics strongly influence genetic diversity and population structure, with important implications for ecological interactions and evolutionary trajectories. However, our understanding of plant reproductive dynamics remains limited due to the scarcity of long-term studies. Here, we propose a conceptual and methodological framework for tracking plant reproductive dynamics over long timescales using pollen, plant spore, and seed records preserved in sedimentary archives. The analysis of counts, morphology, and DNA from fossil propagules enables reconstruction of reproductive patterns over centennial to million-year timescales. When integrated with other palaeoproxies, these records provide insights into environmental drivers and eco-evolutionary consequences of reproductive dynamics. The proposed framework opens new avenues for optimising conservation strategies, safeguarding key ecological functions, and improving predictions of future biotic responses.</p>","PeriodicalId":23274,"journal":{"name":"Trends in ecology & evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":17.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149224764","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}
Gunter A Fischer, Jinlong Zhang, Paul Smith, Stephan W Gale
{"title":"Trees alone do not make forests.","authors":"Gunter A Fischer, Jinlong Zhang, Paul Smith, Stephan W Gale","doi":"10.1016/j.tree.2026.09.010","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2026.09.010","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Forest restoration is often evaluated based on tree cover, while other dimensions of ecosystem recovery remain depleted, simplified, or incompletely reassembled. We define this mismatch as hollow forest syndrome and propose deficit profiles and an adaptive framework to diagnose recovery gaps, identify limiting processes, and guide restoration toward whole-forest recovery.</p>","PeriodicalId":23274,"journal":{"name":"Trends in ecology & evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":17.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149196828","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}
María Natalia Umaña, Natalia Norden, Ana Belén Hurtado-M
{"title":"Back to seedlings: rethinking the slow-fast continuum across tree life stages.","authors":"María Natalia Umaña, Natalia Norden, Ana Belén Hurtado-M","doi":"10.1016/j.tree.2026.09.007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2026.09.007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Forest dynamics have traditionally been interpreted through the lens of adult trees, yet most mortality occurs during the seedling stage, shaping future forests. A central assumption in ecology is that demographic trade-offs, such as the slow-fast continuum, operate consistently across ontogeny. However, increasing evidence challenges this view. Seedlings experience high pest-driven mortality, strong environmental filtering, and stochastic variation in dispersal and microsite conditions, which can decouple early-life performance from adult demography. We synthesize recent developments suggesting that seedling trade-offs may either reflect a scaled-down version of adult dynamics or diverge into alternative axes, such as the recruitment-stature axis. Recognizing these shifts is important, as climate change is likely to further reshape the regeneration process and alter community assembly in future forests.</p>","PeriodicalId":23274,"journal":{"name":"Trends in ecology & evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":17.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149196864","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}
Chevonne Reynolds, Adewale G Awoyemi, Péter Batáry, Andrea De Toni, Sarah J Findlay, Robert J Fletcher, Nanamhla Gwedla, Justice Muvengwi, Seneca Naidoo, Charlie Shackleton, Zander S Venter, Dan Chamberlain
{"title":"Socioeconomics and biodiversity in cities: moving beyond patterns to mechanisms.","authors":"Chevonne Reynolds, Adewale G Awoyemi, Péter Batáry, Andrea De Toni, Sarah J Findlay, Robert J Fletcher, Nanamhla Gwedla, Justice Muvengwi, Seneca Naidoo, Charlie Shackleton, Zander S Venter, Dan Chamberlain","doi":"10.1016/j.tree.2026.09.009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2026.09.009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Socioeconomic status-biodiversity associations are widely reported in cities. However, most studies remain correlational and cannot distinguish whether socioeconomic status drives biodiversity change, biodiversity shapes socioeconomic outcomes, or whether observed patterns reflect biodiversity gains versus losses. We propose a unifying framework organizing established mechanisms from diverse urban research into four hypothesized causal pathways: (A) investment-driven biodiversity enhancement, (B) disinvestment-driven biodiversity degradation, (C) biodiversity-driven socioeconomic improvement, and (D) biodiversity loss reinforcing socioeconomic decline. This framework supports pathway-specific study designs and helps practitioners anticipate whether biodiversity interventions will reduce or exacerbate inequality. Shifting from pattern description to mechanism identification is essential for credible inference and for informing urban planning and governance interventions aimed at reducing environmental inequality.</p>","PeriodicalId":23274,"journal":{"name":"Trends in ecology & evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":17.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149196844","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":"From 'magic traits' to diversification mechanisms.","authors":"Yunyun Wang, Robert P Freckleton","doi":"10.1016/j.tree.2026.09.006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2026.09.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Species richness is markedly uneven across the tree of life, and traits have long been invoked to explain this pattern. Expanding phylogenetic and trait datasets enable broader comparisons, but trait-diversity associations alone do not reveal how differences in richness arose. We argue that such associations should be reframed as process hypotheses about three non-exclusive processes: lineage origin, access to ecological or geographic opportunity, and persistence. Mixed trait-diversity associations are expected when the same trait influences multiple processes whose relative contributions vary across contexts. This process-based framework makes alternative diversification histories explicit and specifies contrasting temporal predictions that can be evaluated with complementary evidence. It clarifies what findings would weaken each hypothesis and when available data leave alternative histories unresolved.</p>","PeriodicalId":23274,"journal":{"name":"Trends in ecology & evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":17.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149183974","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}
Natasha de Manincor, Alessandro Fisogni, Nicole E Rafferty
{"title":"Precipitation timing matters for flowering communities.","authors":"Natasha de Manincor, Alessandro Fisogni, Nicole E Rafferty","doi":"10.1016/j.tree.2026.09.011","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2026.09.011","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Flowering times have long been a harbinger of the changing seasons and, more recently, of a changing climate. Among the cues that trigger flowering, precipitation timing has been relatively little-studied. Tsafon et al. show that the timing of precipitation shapes flowering in complex ways. Much work remains to disentangle this complexity.</p>","PeriodicalId":23274,"journal":{"name":"Trends in ecology & evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":17.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149183936","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":"From species richness to interaction architecture.","authors":"Nico Eisenhauer, Huimin Yi, Benjamin Wildermuth","doi":"10.1016/j.tree.2026.09.008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2026.09.008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Biodiversity research has long focused on the number and identity of species, but recent advances suggest that ecosystem functioning depends on how species are connected. Predicting the consequences of biodiversity loss in the Anthropocene will therefore require moving beyond inventories of species toward a predictive ecology of interaction networks.</p>","PeriodicalId":23274,"journal":{"name":"Trends in ecology & evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":17.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149170339","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}
Julian Schrader, Johannes J Le Roux, David L Field, Sarah-Sophie Weil, Katarina C Stuart, Hanlun Liu, Victor P Zwiener, Melinda Pickup, Marcos B Carlucci
{"title":"Trait-based inference of fragmentation-driven extinction risk.","authors":"Julian Schrader, Johannes J Le Roux, David L Field, Sarah-Sophie Weil, Katarina C Stuart, Hanlun Liu, Victor P Zwiener, Melinda Pickup, Marcos B Carlucci","doi":"10.1016/j.tree.2026.09.001","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tree.2026.09.001","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Habitat fragmentation is a leading cause of plant extinctions, yet predicting which species are most vulnerable remains a key challenge. We propose that population connectivity, and thus gene flow via pollination and seed dispersal, can be inferred from plant traits. We integrate these traits into a connectivity-trait dimension, which, together with breeding system, life-history traits, and landscape context, ranks species at risk of genetic erosion and local extinction, providing an early-warning triage tool. By linking traits to gene flow mechanisms, the framework helps prioritise investment in detailed population genetic analyses and provides a scalable tool to identify species most at risk of genetic inbreeding and extinction in fragmented landscapes.</p>","PeriodicalId":23274,"journal":{"name":"Trends in ecology & evolution","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":17.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149148623","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}
Vittoria Elliott, Ngaio Beausoleil, Heather Browning, María Díez-León, Pete Goddard, Mal Graham, Daniel Ramp, Jeff Sebo, Asher Soryl, Miriam A Zemanova
{"title":"The emerging field of wild animal welfare science.","authors":"Vittoria Elliott, Ngaio Beausoleil, Heather Browning, María Díez-León, Pete Goddard, Mal Graham, Daniel Ramp, Jeff Sebo, Asher Soryl, Miriam A Zemanova","doi":"10.1016/j.tree.2026.06.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tree.2026.06.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The emerging interdisciplinary field of wild animal welfare science (WAWS) explicitly expands the study of welfare to animals in the wild. It has applied value in informing how to improve the welfare of wild animals, ensuring they can thrive as well as survive in the face of the challenges of the Anthropocene. It also has intellectual value by generating new knowledge and insights about the affective states of wildlife. We aim to help scientists and practitioners understand how WAWS can support their work. To facilitate engagement in the field, we articulate core principles and key characteristics, and explore opportunities and challenges. We encourage those with relevant interests to engage in the field's development and application.</p>","PeriodicalId":23274,"journal":{"name":"Trends in ecology & evolution","volume":" ","pages":"912-923"},"PeriodicalIF":17.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148340318","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 overlooked role of epigenetics in fisheries-induced evolution.","authors":"M Barcelo-Serra, K van Oers, J Alós","doi":"10.1016/j.tree.2026.07.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tree.2026.07.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fisheries-induced evolution (FIE) is typically framed in terms of genetic change, yet epigenetic processes linking environmental variation to phenotype remain overlooked. We propose that selective harvesting, by restructuring demographic and ecological conditions, can shape epigenetically mediated phenotypic responses in exploited populations, with important implications for FIE research and fisheries management.</p>","PeriodicalId":23274,"journal":{"name":"Trends in ecology & evolution","volume":" ","pages":"899-903"},"PeriodicalIF":17.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148670382","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}