The Science of Nature最新文献

{"title":"Urban nature-based solutions as public-health infrastructure: a scoping review of implemented interventions","authors":"Damianos Kalpakidis,&nbsp;Georgios Efthimiou,&nbsp;Constantina Skanavis,&nbsp;Ioannis Τ. Papadas","doi":"10.1007/s00114-026-02139-7","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00114-026-02139-7","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Urban nature-based solutions (NBS) are increasingly promoted as tools to make cities healthier, more climate-resilient and more equitable, but most reviews still rely on observational studies of greener versus less green neighbourhoods. This scoping review examined implemented urban NBS and blue-green infrastructure (BGI) (such as parks, greenways, blue-green corridors, vegetated barriers and wetlands) that were evaluated using quantitative designs measuring either health outcomes or health-relevant environmental exposures. Findings were organised using the three-pathway model of Markevych et al. (2017): restoration, instoration or behavioural activation, and mitigation of environmental exposures. Primary studies with evaluative or quasi-experimental design were searched in PubMed, including randomized trials, controlled before-after, difference-in-differences, and controlled field measurement. Eleven studies were included, results were summarized narratively, and risk of bias was assessed qualitatively using design-specific domains. Evidence from recent field and quasi-experimental studies reveals three complementary pathways through which NBS influence health. First, structured exposure programs in urban forests and parks produced consistent improvements in stress, mood, anxiety and, in some cases, sleep. Second, landscape-scale interventions such as greenways, canal restorations and large new parks were associated with increases in walking and cycling, better perceived safety and, at city level, narrower mortality or childhood overweight gaps between areas. Third, NBS designed for environmental protection reduced heat, airborne pollutants and potentially pathogenic microbial loads, demonstrating a protective function. Τhese findings indicate that urban NBS can operate as active public-health infrastructure. However, the evidence base remains small, with limited long-term follow-up and few studies linking environmental change directly to clinical outcomes. Future work should integrate health monitoring into NBS design to support evidence-based urban policy. Limitations include restriction of the search to PubMed and the absence of direct clinical outcome measurement in four included studies.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":794,"journal":{"name":"The Science of Nature","volume":"113 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00114-026-02139-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148652228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of functional trait variation in arid-zone plant families to evaluate indicator species for rehabilitation of degraded landscapes","authors":"Eisha Kanwal,&nbsp;Farooq Ahmad,&nbsp;Ansa Asghar,&nbsp;Ummar Iqbal,&nbsp;Anum Javaid,&nbsp;Mansoor Hameed,&nbsp;Muhammad Sajid Aqeel Ahmad,&nbsp;Saba Gul,&nbsp;Muhammad Irshad,&nbsp;Khawaja Shafique Ahmad","doi":"10.1007/s00114-026-02138-8","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00114-026-02138-8","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Arid-zone plant species persist under fluctuating environmental conditions through adjustments in structural and functional traits, making them valuable ecological indicators. This study aimed to identify key determinants of ecological dominance among representative taxa from diverse families inhabiting diverse arid habitats of Punjab, Pakistan. Morphological, anatomical, and physiological traits were quantified using standard microscopy and biochemical assays. Comparative analyses were conducted among species of Amaranthaceae (<i>Suaeda fruticosa, Chenopodium album, Chenopodium murale</i>), Tamaricaceae (<i>Tamarix aphylla</i>), Cyperaceae (<i>Cyperus rotundus</i>), and Poaceae (<i>Dichanthium annulatum, Cenchrus ciliaris, Cynodon dactylon, Panicum antidotale</i>) to determine adaptive trait syndromes associated with environmental stress tolerance. Marked interspecific variation reflected contrasting ecological strategies. Amaranthaceae species exhibited pronounced physiological plasticity. <i>Chenopodium murale</i> showed the highest catalase, peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase activities, together with thicker root and stem tissues and enlarged cortical cells, indicating strong osmotic regulation, antioxidant defense, and mechanical support. <i>Chenopodium album</i> displayed greater midrib thickness and phloem area, suggesting enhanced photosynthetic efficiency and assimilate transport, whereas <i>Suaeda fruticosa</i> possessed traits linked to salt exclusion and improved water-use efficiency. Within Poaceae, <i>Panicum antidotale</i> attained maximum shoot length, vascular bundle area, and enzymatic activity, reflecting superior hydraulic conductance and stress resilience, while <i>Cynodon dactylon</i> showed reduced shoot and root growth under elevated Na⁺ soils, indicating ionic stress sensitivity. <i>Tamarix aphylla</i> expressed distinct antioxidant responses under highly alkaline conditions, and <i>Cyperus rotundus</i> developed extensive metaxylem vessels facilitating water transport in semi-arid soils. These adaptations help identify indicator species for saline land restoration and sustainable arid ecosystem management.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":794,"journal":{"name":"The Science of Nature","volume":"113 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148560436","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Predicting the absence of World Health Organization fungal priority pathogens in agricultural soils using machine learning and ITS metabarcoding","authors":"Syahriar Nur Maulana Malik Ibrahim,&nbsp;Chayawan Jaikla,&nbsp;Nuttapon Pombubpa","doi":"10.1007/s00114-026-02134-y","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00114-026-02134-y","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Environmental fungal pathogens relevant to human and animal health pose significant risks, particularly in regions with intensive farming and climate variability. Several taxa detected in Thailand’s clinical and environmental samples, such as <i>Candida tropicalis</i>, <i>Talaromyces marneffei</i>, and <i>Mucor</i> spp., are listed in the World Health Organization (WHO) Fungal Priority Pathogen List (FPPL). This study integrated next-generation sequencing (NGS) metabarcoding and decision tree models to characterize fungal communities and identify environmental conditions associated with pathogen absence across 18 provinces of Northeast Thailand. Soil samples (<i>n</i> = 121) from rice, cassava, sugarcane, and rubber tree fields were collected in 2022 and analyzed for eight environmental parameters: drought level, soil water content, organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, soil temperature, and soil pH. Decision tree models were trained on these samples to derive absence conditions for nine WHO FPPL taxa, which were validated using an independent test dataset (<i>n</i> = 12) collected in 2025. Absence conditions for <i>Falciformispora senegalensis</i>, <i>Mucor</i> spp., and <i>Talaromyces marneffei</i> achieved perfect precision and recall in the test dataset. Precision is the proportion of samples predicted as absent that are truly absent, and recall is the proportion of truly absent samples correctly identified by the condition. <i>Candida tropicalis</i>, <i>Curvularia lunata</i>, and <i>Lichtheimia</i> spp. showed perfect precision but moderate recall (0.42–0.75). Conditions for <i>Scedosporium</i> spp. and <i>Acremonium</i> spp. did not generalize due to limited representation in the training data. Over three years, the fungal community became less diverse and more taxonomically consolidated, coinciding with drought intensification and nutrient shifts. Overall, combining metabarcoding with decision tree models provides a practical framework for identifying low-risk soils and supporting agricultural practices and public health surveillance.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":794,"journal":{"name":"The Science of Nature","volume":"113 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148534854","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Carbohydrate resources drive increased ant recruitment in a saline coastal ecosystem","authors":"Lucas Gütler,&nbsp;Jefferson Bruno Bretas de Souza Oliveira,&nbsp;Tathiana Guerra Sobrinho,&nbsp;Vanessa Soares Ribeiro,&nbsp;Lucas Navarro Paolucci","doi":"10.1007/s00114-026-02136-w","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00114-026-02136-w","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Maintaining a physiological stoichiometric balance is a fundamental driver of foraging behaviour; yet, resource availability varies across trophic levels and vegetation strata. Therefore, primary consumers and predators may experience distinct nutritional opportunities between epigaeic and arboreal habitats. We investigated how ant communities respond to carbohydrates availability in the Brazilian Restinga – a coastal ecosystem characterized by sodium saturation and low carbohydrate availability. For that, we experimentally supplied carbohydrates (C₁₂H₂₂O₁₁, 20%), salt (NaCl, 1%) and water in both epigeic and arboreal strata to assess recruitment responses across the overall ant community as well as predominantly primary consumers and predominantly predatory ants separately. Carbohydrates were more attractive to the overall ant community, attracting eight times more species and 15 times more ant individuals than salt. This higher recruitment was consistent across feeding guilds, with primary consumers and predators exhibiting 17-fold and 42-fold increases in individual recruitment to carbohydrates as many as salt baits. Although primary consumers were recruited more in the arboreal stratum and predators in the epigeic stratum, recruitment to carbohydrate baits was consistent across vegetation strata for both the overall ant community and the feeding guilds. In conclusion, our findings show that carbohydrates in a saline coastal ecosystem strongly act as an important resource influencing ants’ foraging behaviour across vegetation strata. These results highlight how stoichiometric imbalances dictate foraging decisions and community dynamics and provide insights into how resource availability influences ant-mediated ecological functions in saline environments.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":794,"journal":{"name":"The Science of Nature","volume":"113 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13385417/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148519755","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Quantitative indices reveal the importance of medicinal plants in traditional healthcare from rural arid region","authors":"Amna Bibi,&nbsp;Sheikh Zain Ul Abidin,&nbsp;Salman Majeed,&nbsp;Raees Khan,&nbsp;Iman Zaffar,&nbsp;Shehla Nawaz,&nbsp;Naimat Ullah,&nbsp;Khuzin Dinislam","doi":"10.1007/s00114-026-02131-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00114-026-02131-1","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In the present study, quantitative ethnobotanical knowledge of medicinal plants utilized by the local communities for treating different human ailments in selected rural villages of Punjab, Pakistan has been documented. Semi-structured interviews and field surveys were employed to conduct field investigations from March 2024 to April 2025, with a total of 105 informants aged 18–70 years. The total number of plant species recorded and reported for the cure of 14 human ailments was 50 belonging to 25 families. Fabaceae was the dominant family with 6 species, among the documented families. The most abundant life form was herbs (26 species) and the most common part used was leaves (16 species). The highest Relative Frequency of Citation (RFC = 0.34) was found in <i>Bombax ceiba</i>,<i> Cenchrus echinatus</i> and <i>Sonchus oleraceus</i>. <i>Spinacia oleracea</i> had the highest Use Value (UV = 0.08) while the lowest UV was 0.03. <i>Mentha canadensis</i> recorded the highest Fidelity Level (FL = 93%) for the treatment of hyperacidity and diarrhea whereas <i>Azadirachta indica</i> recorded the lowest FL (69%) in the treatment of scabies and pimples. Three species recorded the highest FC (36) while three other species recorded the lowest FC (24). The results showed a high diversity of medicinal plants in the study area and significant traditional ethnobotanical knowledge. There were not enough up-to-date health care facilities in rural areas, so local residents heavily depended on the use of medicinal plants for basic health care. The study emphasized the need to maintain the knowledge of the indigenous people and conserve medicinal plants resources for sustainable use and future exploration in medicine.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":794,"journal":{"name":"The Science of Nature","volume":"113 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148519827","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The maxillary canal in Cynognathus and Diademodon (Cynodontia, Cynognathia)","authors":"Julien Benoit,&nbsp;Valentin Buffa,&nbsp;Michael O. Day","doi":"10.1007/s00114-026-02133-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00114-026-02133-z","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The maxillary canal system in <i>Cynognathus</i> and <i>Diademodon</i> is described. The hypothesis that expansion of the maxillary sinus represents a synapomorphy of the clade Cynognathia is supported. A trend towards the reduction of the inferior palpebral ramus is proposed.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":794,"journal":{"name":"The Science of Nature","volume":"113 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00114-026-02133-z.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148466566","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in Pakistan: a decadal synthesis of biogeographical distribution, ecological determinants, and vectorial implications (2015–2025)","authors":"Wasia Ullah,&nbsp;Rabia Rabia","doi":"10.1007/s00114-026-02137-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00114-026-02137-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p><i>Leishmania</i> parasites, which cause leishmaniasis—an extensive and growing public health concern in Pakistan—are only transmitted to humans by phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae). This systematic literature review provides an overview of existing entomological surveillance conducted from 2015 to 2025, using rigorous biogeographical and ecological methodologies to describe patterns of species distributions, habitat associations and vector dynamics across Pakistan's diverse landscapes. Our synthesis of data from 73 studies shows that 32 species have been recorded from both the <i>Phlebotomus</i> and <i>Sergentomyia</i> genera. Of these, <i>Phlebotomus papatasi</i> Scopoli and <i>Phlebotomus sergenti</i> Parrot represent successful hematophagous phlebotomine vectors with potential for significant biogeographical expansion due to human-induced landscape alterations or changes caused by climate change. There are clear deficits in the number of entomological studies available in Gilgit-Baltistan, Southern Punjab and Eastern Balochistan compared to the hyperendemic districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (χ² = 24.7, <i>p</i> &lt; 0.001). Cryptic speciation of the <i>Phlebotomus sergenti</i> complex has been resolved via molecular phylogenetics, whereas ecological niche modelling suggests northward contractions under RCP climatic scenarios. The paper discusses important gaps in our understanding of the ecology of larval habitats, insecticide resistance monitoring, and thorough studies of vector incrimination beyond primary sites. We suggest that the biogeography of the sand fly vectors that transmit leishmaniasis in Pakistan is driven by their dynamic and climate-sensitive nature and, as such, should be a fundamental component of any strategy to control the disease. To this end, we propose a strategic framework that promotes an integrated and One Health-aligned national surveillance program to support evidence-based vector control and reduce the impact of disease using standardized molecular diagnostic tools, longitudinal monitoring techniques, and predictive spatial modelling.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":794,"journal":{"name":"The Science of Nature","volume":"113 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148466565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Amphisbaenians facultatively oviposit in ant and termite nests","authors":"Henrique Bartolomeu Braz,&nbsp;Lívia Cristina Santos,&nbsp;Selma Maria Almeida-Santos","doi":"10.1007/s00114-026-02132-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00114-026-02132-0","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Oviposition-site selection is a key maternal decision in oviparous animals, involving trade-offs among incubation conditions, offspring performance, and maternal constraints. In amphisbaenians (worm lizards), a clade of highly specialized fossorial reptiles, oviposition has long been assumed to occur obligatorily in ant and termite nests, implying strong ecological specialization. Here, we re-evaluate this assumption using new field observations and a critical synthesis of published records. We describe a natural oviposition site of the smallhead worm lizard (<i>Leposternon microcephalum</i>) located in a soil cavity with no evidence of ants or termites and review 18 records from nine amphisbaenian species. Across species, eggs occur not only in ant and termite nests but also in subterranean cavities and decaying logs, indicating facultative rather than exclusive use of social-insect nests. A field inspection of 31 active ant nests during the reported oviposition season yielded no eggs or amphisbaenians. Additional evidence suggests some species excavate or modify underground chambers and that at least one species oviposits communally. These findings challenge the view of strict dependence on ant and termite nests and instead support oviposition-site choice in amphisbaenians as a flexible, context-dependent maternal behavior shaped by ecological trade-offs rather than rigid specialization. Standardized surveys across microhabitats and experimental tests of incubation environments are needed to clarify how availability, costs, and benefits interact to shape nesting decisions in fossorial reptiles.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":794,"journal":{"name":"The Science of Nature","volume":"113 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00114-026-02132-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148466134","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Gone with the wind: wind-induced web movement reduces kleptoparasite abundance in a golden orbweaver spider","authors":"Ingi Agnarsson,&nbsp;Ólafur Tómas Ólafsson,&nbsp;Gabríel Máni Martinsson,&nbsp;Ingvar Þorsteinsson,&nbsp;Magdalena Arinbjörnsdóttir,&nbsp;Matjaž Gregorič","doi":"10.1007/s00114-026-02129-9","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00114-026-02129-9","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Obligate kleptoparasitic spiders (Argyrodinae, Theridiidae) live as thieves in the webs of larger hosts. Web size has long stood above all other variables in predicting how many kleptoparasites occupy a given web, best documented in the large orb webs of golden orb-weavers (Nephilidae). Yet no study has asked whether wind—a ubiquitous force acting on every aerial web—also influences kleptoparasite abundance. Prompted by the observation that exposed, wind-buffeted webs of <i>Trichonephila inaurata</i> in the spiny forest of Ifaty, southwestern Madagascar, appeared to carry fewer kleptoparasites than sheltered webs of similar size, we conducted a rapid, intensive survey of 60 webs along two transects in a single afternoon. We quantified wind effect as the maximum lateral sway of the web hub over one minute, controlling for web area. We found a strong negative effect of wind-induced web movement on kleptoparasite number; trumping the positive effect of web size. Wind effect thus emerges as a previously unrecognized axis structuring the distribution of spider kleptoparasites.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":794,"journal":{"name":"The Science of Nature","volume":"113 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148403293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A survey of Eocene stomach contents illuminates the origins of frugivory and seed dispersal in neornithine (crown group) birds","authors":"Gerald Mayr,&nbsp;Margaret E. Collinson","doi":"10.1007/s00114-026-02130-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s00114-026-02130-2","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Stomach contents with seeds in avian fossils from the latest early/earliest middle Eocene Messel oil shale (Germany) are surveyed. 20 bird specimens belonging to 10 species with seeds produced by at least 13 different plant species are reported. The fossils provide the earliest direct evidence for avian frugivory and suggest that seed dispersal by neornithine (crown group) birds occurred earlier and was more extensive than currently thought. For the first time, we report seeds in the stomach content of stem group Trogoniformes, which today are important seed dispersers in the New World tropics. Other birds belong to the Galliformes, Gruiformes (Messelornithidae), Coliiformes, Coraciiformes, and the extinct taxa Halcyornithidae and Zygodactylidae. Extant Coraciiformes are predominantly carnivorous, whereas some Galliformes and Gruiformes as well as the Coliiformes today also consume fruits. All reasonably well-preserved seeds appear to be from angiosperms, including specimens identified as Rutaceae, Mastixiaceae, and Vitaceae. Unidentified seeds represent various other plant groups. Several of the arboreal birds ingested seeds of the Vitaceae. This plant family already evolved in the Late Cretaceous, whereas arboreal Neornithes did not radiate before the early Cenozoic. As such, and at least concerning arboreal birds, these fossils provide evidence for the “recruitment hypothesis”, which suggests that early Cenozoic seed dispersers exploited an existing diversity of edible fruits.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":794,"journal":{"name":"The Science of Nature","volume":"113 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2026-07-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/s00114-026-02130-2.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148389742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}