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Functional specialisation and coordination of myonuclei Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-03-13 Amaury Korb, Shahragim Tajbakhsh, Glenda E. Comai
Myofibres serve as the functional unit for locomotion, with the sarcomere as fundamental subunit. Running the entire length of this structure are hundreds of myonuclei, located at the periphery of the myofibre, juxtaposed to the plasma membrane. Myonuclear specialisation and clustering at the centre and ends of the fibre are known to be essential for muscle contraction, yet the molecular basis of this
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Overcoming confusion and stigma in habitat fragmentation research Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-03-13 Federico Riva, Nicola Koper, Lenore Fahrig
Anthropogenic habitat loss is widely recognized as a primary environmental concern. By contrast, debates on the effects of habitat fragmentation persist. To facilitate overcoming these debates, here we: (i) review the state of the literature on habitat fragmentation, finding widespread confusion and stigma; (ii) identify consequences of this for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management; and
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Diversity and function of fluorescent molecules in marine animals Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-03-12 Lars H. Poding, Peter Jägers, Stefan Herlitze, Mareike Huhn
Fluorescence in marine animals has mainly been studied in Cnidaria but is found in many different phyla such as Annelida, Crustacea, Mollusca, and Chordata. While many fluorescent proteins and molecules have been identified, very little information is available about the biological functions of fluorescence. In this review, we focus on describing the occurrence of fluorescence in marine animals and
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Social life results in social stress protection: a novel concept to explain individual life‐history patterns in social insects Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-03-12 Alexander Walton, Jacob J. Herman, Olav Rueppell
Resistance to and avoidance of stress slow aging and confer increased longevity in numerous organisms. Honey bees and other superorganismal social insects have two main advantages over solitary species to avoid or resist stress: individuals can directly help each other by resource or information transfer, and they can cooperatively control their environment. These benefits have been recognised in the
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Animal migration in the Anthropocene: threats and mitigation options Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-03-04 Steven J. Cooke, Morgan L. Piczak, Navinder J. Singh, Susanne Åkesson, Adam T. Ford, Shawan Chowdhury, Greg W. Mitchell, D. Ryan Norris, Molly Hardesty‐Moore, Douglas McCauley, Neil Hammerschlag, Marlee A. Tucker, Joshua J. Horns, Ryan R. Reisinger, Vojtěch Kubelka, Robert J. Lennox
Animal migration has fascinated scientists and the public alike for centuries, yet migratory animals are facing diverse threats that could lead to their demise. The Anthropocene is characterised by the reality that humans are the dominant force on Earth, having manifold negative effects on biodiversity and ecosystem function. Considerable research focus has been given to assessing anthropogenic impacts
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Freshwater megafauna shape ecosystems and facilitate restoration Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-02-27 Fengzhi He, Jens‐Christian Svenning, Xing Chen, Klement Tockner, Tobias Kuemmerle, Elizabeth le Roux, Marcos Moleón, Jörn Gessner, Sonja C. Jähnig
Freshwater megafauna, such as sturgeons, giant catfishes, river dolphins, hippopotami, crocodylians, large turtles, and giant salamanders, have experienced severe population declines and range contractions worldwide. Although there is an increasing number of studies investigating the causes of megafauna losses in fresh waters, little attention has been paid to synthesising the impacts of megafauna
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Demographic and evolutionary consequences of hunting of wild birds Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-02-27 Emilienne Grzegorczyk, Alain Caizergues, Cyril Eraud, Charlotte Francesiaz, Kévin Le Rest, Matthieu Guillemain
Hunting has a long tradition in human evolutionary history and remains a common leisure activity or an important source of food. Herein, we first briefly review the literature on the demographic consequences of hunting and associated analytical methods. We then address the question of potential selective hunting and its possible genetic/evolutionary consequences. Birds have historically been popular
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Plant periderm as a continuum in structural organisation: a tracheophyte-wide survey and hypotheses on evolution Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-02-15 Madison A. K. Lalica, Alexandru M. F. Tomescu
Periderm is a well-known structural feature with vital roles in protection of inner plant tissues and wound healing. Despite its importance to plant survival, knowledge of periderm occurrences outside the seed plants is limited and the evolutionary origins of periderm remain poorly explored. Here, we review the current knowledge of the taxonomic distribution of periderm in its two main forms – canonical
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The global genetic diversity of planktonic foraminifera reveals the structure of cryptic speciation in plankton Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-02-13 Raphaël Morard, Kate F. Darling, Agnes K. M. Weiner, Christiane Hassenrück, Chiara Vanni, Tristan Cordier, Nicolas Henry, Mattia Greco, Nele M. Vollmar, Tamara Milivojevic, Shirin Nurshan Rahman, Michael Siccha, Julie Meilland, Lukas Jonkers, Frédéric Quillévéré, Gilles Escarguel, Christophe J. Douady, Thibault de Garidel-Thoron, Colomban de Vargas, Michal Kucera
The nature and extent of diversity in the plankton has fascinated scientists for over a century. Initially, the discovery of many new species in the remarkably uniform and unstructured pelagic environment appeared to challenge the concept of ecological niches. Later, it became obvious that only a fraction of plankton diversity had been formally described, because plankton assemblages are dominated
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Ecological restoration and rewilding: two approaches with complementary goals? Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-02-12 Clémentine Mutillod, Élise Buisson, Gregory Mahy, Renaud Jaunatre, James M. Bullock, Laurent Tatin, Thierry Dutoit
As we enter the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030) and address the urgent need to protect and restore ecosystems and their ecological functions at large scales, rewilding has been brought into the limelight. Interest in this discipline is thus increasing, with a large number of conceptual scientific papers published in recent years. Increasing enthusiasm has led to discussions and debates
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A review of the role played by cilia in medusozoan feeding mechanics Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-02-02 Mayara de A. Jordano, Renato M. Nagata, André C. Morandini
Cilia are widely present in metazoans and have various sensory and motor functions, including collection of particles through feeding currents in suspensivorous animals. Suspended particles occur at low densities and are too small to be captured individually, and therefore must be concentrated. Animals that feed on these particles have developed different mechanisms to encounter and capture their food
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A global synthesis of predation on bivalves Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-31 Alexandra Meira, James E. Byers, Ronaldo Sousa
Predation is a dominant structuring force in ecological communities. In aquatic environments, predation on bivalves has long been an important focal interaction for ecological study because bivalves have central roles as ecosystem engineers, basal components of food webs, and commercial commodities. Studies of bivalves are common, not only because of bivalves' central roles, but also due to the relative
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Multifunctionality of angiosperm floral bracts: a review Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-30 Bo Song, Jiaqi Chen, Simcha Lev-Yadun, Yang Niu, Yongqian Gao, Rong Ma, W. Scott Armbruster, Hang Sun
Floral bracts (bracteoles, cataphylls) are leaf-like organs that subtend flowers or inflorescences but are of non-floral origin; they occur in a wide diversity of species, representing multiple independent origins, and exhibit great variation in form and function. Although much attention has been paid to bracts over the past 150 years, our understanding of their adaptive significance remains remarkably
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A transdisciplinary view on curiosity beyond linguistic humans: animals, infants, and artificial intelligence Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-29 Sofia Forss, Alejandra Ciria, Fay Clark, Cristina-loana Galusca, David Harrison, Saein Lee
Curiosity is a core driver for life-long learning, problem-solving and decision-making. In a broad sense, curiosity is defined as the intrinsically motivated acquisition of novel information. Despite a decades-long history of curiosity research and the earliest human theories arising from studies of laboratory rodents, curiosity has mainly been considered in two camps: ‘linguistic human’ and ‘other’
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Monitoring the phenology of plant pathogenic fungi: why and how? Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-29 Chloé E. L. Delmas, Marie-Odile Bancal, Christel Leyronas, Marie-Hélène Robin, Tiphaine Vidal, Marie Launay
Phenology is a key adaptive trait of organisms, shaping biotic interactions in response to the environment. It has emerged as a critical topic with implications for societal and economic concerns due to the effects of climate change on species' phenological patterns. Fungi play essential roles in ecosystems, and plant pathogenic fungi have significant impacts on global food security. However, the phenology
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Heterotrophy in marine animal forests in an era of climate change Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-29 Vianney Denis, Christine Ferrier-Pagès, Nadine Schubert, Martina Coppari, David M. Baker, Emma F. Camp, Andrea Gori, Andréa G. Grottoli, Fanny Houlbrèque, Sandra R. Maier, Giorgio Mancinelli, Stephane Martinez, Şükran Yalçın Özdilek, Veronica Z. Radice, Marta Ribes, Claudio Richter, Nuria Viladrich, Sergio Rossi
Marine animal forests (MAFs) are benthic ecosystems characterised by biogenic three-dimensional structures formed by suspension feeders such as corals, gorgonians, sponges and bivalves. They comprise highly diversified communities among the most productive in the world's oceans. However, MAFs are in decline due to global and local stressors that threaten the survival and growth of their foundational
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Species diversity and interspecific information flow Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-27 Eben Goodale, Robert D. Magrath
Interspecific information flow is known to affect individual fitness, population dynamics and community assembly, but there has been less study of how species diversity affects information flow and thereby ecosystem functioning and services. We address this question by first examining differences among species in the sensitivity, accuracy, transmissibility, detectability and value of the cues and signals
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Feedback loops drive ecological succession: towards a unified conceptual framework Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-16 Michiel van Breugel, Frans Bongers, Natalia Norden, Jorge A. Meave, Lucy Amissah, Wirong Chanthorn, Robin Chazdon, Dylan Craven, Caroline Farrior, Jefferson S. Hall, Bruno Hérault, Catarina Jakovac, Edwin Lebrija-Trejos, Miguel Martínez-Ramos, Rodrigo Muñoz, Lourens Poorter, Nadja Rüger, Masha van der Sande, Daisy H. Dent
The core principle shared by most theories and models of succession is that, following a major disturbance, plant–environment feedback dynamics drive a directional change in the plant community. The most commonly studied feedback loops are those in which the regrowth of the plant community causes changes to the abiotic (e.g. soil nutrients) or biotic (e.g. dispersers) environment, which differentially
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Triggers, cascades, and endpoints: connecting the dots of coral bleaching mechanisms Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-12 Joshua Helgoe, Simon K. Davy, Virginia M. Weis, Mauricio Rodriguez-Lanetty
The intracellular coral–dinoflagellate symbiosis is the engine that underpins the success of coral reefs, one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. However, the breakdown of the symbiosis and the loss of the microalgal symbiont (i.e. coral bleaching) due to environmental changes are resulting in the rapid degradation of coral reefs globally. There is an urgent need to understand the cellular
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Sensing for survival: specialised regulatory mechanisms of Type III secretion systems in Gram-negative pathogens Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-12 Yadav Manisha, Mahalashmi Srinivasan, Chacko Jobichen, Ilan Rosenshine, J. Sivaraman
For centuries, Gram-negative pathogens have infected the human population and been responsible for numerous diseases in animals and plants. Despite advancements in therapeutics, Gram-negative pathogens continue to evolve, with some having developed multi-drug resistant phenotypes. For the successful control of infections caused by these bacteria, we need to widen our understanding of the mechanisms
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Biogeography of Greater Antillean freshwater fishes, with a review of competing hypotheses Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-11 Yibril Massip-Veloso, Christopher W. Hoagstrom, Caleb D. McMahan, Wilfredo A. Matamoros
In biogeography, vicariance and long-distance dispersal are often characterised as competing scenarios. However, they are related concepts, both relying on collective geological, ecological, and phylogenetic evidence. This is illustrated by freshwater fishes, which may immigrate to islands either when freshwater connections are temporarily present and later severed (vicariance), or by unusual means
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Specific regulation of epigenome landscape by metabolic enzymes and metabolites Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-04 Xilan Yu, Shanshan Li
Metabolism includes anabolism and catabolism, which play an essential role in many biological processes. Chromatin modifications are post-translational modifications of histones and nucleic acids that play important roles in regulating chromatin-associated processes such as gene transcription. There is a tight connection between metabolism and chromatin modifications. Many metabolic enzymes and metabolites
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Antipredator defences in motion: animals reduce predation risks by concealing or misleading motion signals Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-04 Min Tan, Shichang Zhang, Martin Stevens, Daiqin Li, Eunice J. Tan
Motion is a crucial part of the natural world, yet our understanding of how animals avoid predation whilst moving remains rather limited. Although several theories have been proposed for how antipredator defence may be facilitated during motion, there is often a lack of supporting empirical evidence, or conflicting findings. Furthermore, many studies have shown that motion often ‘breaks’ camouflage
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Unveiling the resistance of native weed communities: insights for managing invasive weed species in disturbed environments Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2024-01-04 Wajid Ali Khattak, Jianfan Sun, Rashida Hameed, Fawad Zaman, Adeel Abbas, Khalid Ali Khan, Noureddine Elboughdiri, Rasheed Akbar, Feng He, Muhammad Wajid Ullah, Abeer Al-Andal, Daolin Du
Weed communities influence the dynamics of ecosystems, particularly in disturbed environments where anthropogenic activities often result in higher pollution. Understanding the dynamics existing between native weed communities and invasive species in disturbed environments is crucial for effective management and normal ecosystem functioning. Recognising the potential resistance of native weed communities
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Continuous tooth replacement: what can teleost fish teach us? Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-12-27 Ann Huysseune, P. Eckhard Witten
Most tooth-bearing non-mammalian vertebrates have the capacity to replace their teeth throughout life. This capacity was lost in mammals, which replace their teeth only once at most. Not surprisingly, continuous tooth replacement has attracted much attention. Classical morphological studies (e.g. to analyse patterns of replacement) are now being complemented by molecular studies that investigate the
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Neutrophil microRNAs Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-12-26 Marzena Garley, Karolina Nowak, Ewa Jabłońska
Neutrophils are considered ‘first-line defence’ cells as they can be rapidly recruited to the site of the immune response. As key components of non-specific immune mechanisms, neutrophils use phagocytosis, degranulation, and formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) to fight pathogens. Recently, immunoregulatory abilities of neutrophils associated with the secretion of several mediators, including
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Scavenging with invasive species Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-12-26 Thomas Newsome, Rhys Cairncross, Calum X. Cunningham, Emma E. Spencer, Philip S. Barton, William J. Ripple, Aaron J. Wirsing
Carrion acts as a hotspot of animal activity within many ecosystems globally, attracting scavengers that rely on this food source. However, many scavengers are invasive species whose impacts on scavenging food webs and ecosystem processes linked to decomposition are poorly understood. Here, we use Australia as a case study to review the extent of scavenging by invasive species that have colonised the
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Identifying and managing disturbance-stimulated flammability in woody ecosystems Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-12-17 David Lindenmayer, Phil Zylstra
Many forest types globally have been subject to an increase in the frequency of, and area burnt by, high-severity wildfire. Here we explore the role that previous disturbance has played in increasing the extent and severity of subsequent forest fires. We summarise evidence documenting and explaining the mechanisms underpinning a pulse of flammability that may follow disturbances such as fire, logging
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Pollinator-mediated effects of landscape-scale land use on grassland plant community composition and ecosystem functioning – seven hypotheses Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-12-20 Veronica Hederström, Johan Ekroos, Magne Friberg, Theresia Krausl, Øystein H. Opedal, Anna S. Persson, Hampus Petrén, Yuanyuan Quan, Henrik G. Smith, Yann Clough
Environmental change is disrupting mutualisms between organisms worldwide. Reported declines in insect populations and changes in pollinator community compositions in response to land use and other environmental drivers have put the spotlight on the need to conserve pollinators. While this is often motivated by their role in supporting crop yields, the role of pollinators for reproduction and resulting
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Protist symbionts of termites: diversity, distribution, and coevolution Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-12-17 Gillian H. Gile
The symbiosis between termites and their hindgut protists is mutually obligate and vertically inherited. It was established by the late Jurassic in the cockroach ancestors of termites as they transitioned to wood feeding. Since then, protist symbionts have been transmitted from host generation to host generation by proctodeal trophallaxis (anal feeding). The protists belong to multiple lineages within
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The interplay between leptin, glucocorticoids, and GLP1 regulates food intake and feeding behaviour Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-12-10 Claudio Perez-Leighton, Bredford Kerr, Philipp E. Scherer, René Baudrand, Víctor Cortés
Nutritional, endocrine, and neurological signals converge in multiple brain centres to control feeding behaviour and food intake as part of the allostatic regulation of energy balance. Among the several neuroendocrine systems involved, the leptin, glucocorticoid, and glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1) systems have been extensively researched. Leptin is at the top hierarchical level since its complete absence
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Patterns of variation in fleshy diaspore size and abundance from Late Triassic–Oligocene Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-12-11 Duhita Naware, Roger Benson
Vertebrate-mediated seed dispersal is a common attribute of many living plants, and variation in the size and abundance of fleshy diaspores is influenced by regional climate and by the nature of vertebrate seed dispersers among present-day floras. However, potential drivers of large-scale variation in the abundance and size distributions of fleshy diaspores through geological time, and the importance
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Impacts of coprophagic foraging behaviour on the avian gut microbiome Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-12-08 Alice Dunbar, Barbara Drigo, Steven P. Djordjevic, Erica Donner, Bethany J. Hoye
Avian gut microbial communities are complex and play a fundamental role in regulating biological functions within an individual. Although it is well established that diet can influence the structure and composition of the gut microbiota, foraging behaviour may also play a critical, yet unexplored role in shaping the composition, dynamics, and adaptive potential of avian gut microbiota. In this review
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Ecological responses of squamate reptiles to nocturnal warming Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-12-07 Alexis Rutschmann, Constant Perry, Jean-François Le Galliard, Andréaz Dupoué, Olivier Lourdais, Michaël Guillon, George Brusch, Julien Cote, Murielle Richard, Jean Clobert, Donald B. Miles
Nocturnal temperatures are increasing at a pace exceeding diurnal temperatures in most parts of the world. The role of warmer nocturnal temperatures in animal ecology has received scant attention and most studies focus on diurnal or daily descriptors of thermal environments' temporal trends. Yet, available evidence from plant and insect studies suggests that organisms can exhibit contrasting physiological
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Scientific history, biogeography, and biological traits predict presence of cryptic or overlooked species Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-12-04 Abigail E. Cahill, Emese Meglécz, Anne Chenuil
Genetic data show that many nominal species are composed of more than one biological species, and thus contain cryptic species in the broad sense (including overlooked species). When ignored, cryptic species generate confusion which, beyond biodiversity or vulnerability underestimation, blurs our understanding of ecological and evolutionary processes and may impact the soundness of decisions in conservation
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Facing the facts: adaptive trade-offs along body size ranges determine mammalian craniofacial scaling Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-11-29 D. Rex Mitchell, Emma Sherratt, Vera Weisbecker
The mammalian cranium (skull without lower jaw) is representative of mammalian diversity and is thus of particular interest to mammalian biologists across disciplines. One widely retrieved pattern accompanying mammalian cranial diversification is referred to as ‘craniofacial evolutionary allometry’ (CREA). This posits that adults of larger species, in a group of closely related mammals, tend to have
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Convergent and divergent evolution of microRNA-mediated regulation in metazoans Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-11-21 Yirong Wang, Xiaolu Tang, Jian Lu
The evolution of microRNAs (miRNAs) has been studied extensively to understand their roles in gene regulation and evolutionary processes. This review focuses on how miRNA-mediated regulation has evolved in bilaterian animals, highlighting both convergent and divergent evolution. Since animals and plants display significant differences in miRNA biogenesis and target recognition, the ‘independent origin’
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A critical review of risk-sensitive foraging Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-11-21 Alasdair I. Houston, Tom H. Rosenström
Foraging is risk sensitive if choices depend on the variability of returns from the options as well as their mean return. Risk-sensitive foraging is important in behavioural ecology, psychology and neurophysiology. It has been explained both in terms of mechanisms and in terms of evolutionary advantage. We provide a critical review, evaluating both mechanistic and evolutionary accounts. Some derivations
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Integrating microbiome science and evolutionary medicine into animal health and conservation Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-11-13 Sally L. Bornbusch, Michael L. Power, Jay Schulkin, Christine M. Drea, Michael T. Maslanka, Carly R. Muletz-Wolz
Microbiome science has provided groundbreaking insights into human and animal health. Similarly, evolutionary medicine – the incorporation of eco-evolutionary concepts into primarily human medical theory and practice – is increasingly recognised for its novel perspectives on modern diseases. Studies of host–microbe relationships have been expanded beyond humans to include a wide range of animal taxa
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How seasonality influences the thermal biology of lizards with different thermoregulatory strategies: a meta-analysis Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-10-23 Danilo Giacometti, Alexandre V. Palaoro, Laura C. Leal, Fábio C. de Barros
Ectotherms that maintain thermal balance in the face of varying climates should be able to colonise a wide range of habitats. In lizards, thermoregulation usually appears as a variety of behaviours that buffer external influences over physiology. Basking species rely on solar radiation to raise body temperatures and usually show high thermoregulatory precision. By contrast, species that do not bask
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Evolutionary plant–pollinator responses to anthropogenic land-use change: impacts on ecosystem services Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-10-22 Mikael Pontarp, Anna Runemark, Magne Friberg, Øystein H. Opedal, Anna S. Persson, Lingzi Wang, Henrik G. Smith
Agricultural intensification at field and landscape scales, including increased use of agrochemicals and loss of semi-natural habitats, is a major driver of insect declines and other community changes. Efforts to understand and mitigate these effects have traditionally focused on ecological responses. At the same time, adaptations to pesticide use and habitat fragmentation in both insects and flowering
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Interactions between stoneworts (Charales) and waterbirds Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-10-22 Anthony D. Fox, Antra Stīpniece
Stoneworts (Charales) are green algae that represent an important food resource for many waterbird species in Europe and elsewhere. Browsing avian herbivores (e.g. swan, goose, duck and coot species) consume Charales plant vegetative parts, by head-dipping, up-ending or diving. A lower fibre content and longer growing season may make Charales as attractive to such herbivores as sympatric submerged
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The fitness consequences of wildlife conservation translocations: a meta-analysis Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-10-16 Iwo P. Gross, Alan E. Wilson, Matthew E. Wolak
Conservation translocation is a common strategy to offset mounting rates of population declines through the transfer of captive- or wild-origin organisms into areas where conspecific populations are imperilled or completely extirpated. Translocations that supplement existing populations are referred to as reinforcements and can be conducted using captive-origin animals [ex situ reinforcement (ESR)]
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Uncertainty about predation risk: a conceptual review Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-10-15 Adam L. Crane, Laurence E. A. Feyten, Alexyz A. Preagola, Maud C. O. Ferrari, Grant E. Brown
Uncertainty has long been of interest to economists and psychologists and has more recently gained attention among ecologists. In the ecological world, animals must regularly make decisions related to finding resources and avoiding threats. Here, we describe uncertainty as a perceptual phenomenon of decision-makers, and we focus specifically on the functional ecology of such uncertainty regarding predation
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Cathemerality: a key temporal niche Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-10-15 Daniel T. C. Cox, Kevin J. Gaston
Given the marked variation in abiotic and biotic conditions between day and night, many species specialise their physical activity to being diurnal or nocturnal, and it was long thought that these strategies were commonly fairly fixed and invariant. The term ‘cathemeral’, was coined in 1987, when Tattersall noted activity in a Madagascan primate during the hours of both daylight and darkness. Initially
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Small rodent population cycles and plants – after 70 years, where do we go? Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-10-12 Eeva M. Soininen, Magne Neby
Small rodent population cycles characterise northern ecosystems, and the cause of these cycles has been a long-lasting central topic in ecology, with trophic interactions currently considered the most plausible cause. While some researchers have rejected plant–herbivore interactions as a cause of rodent cycles, others have continued to research their potential roles. Here, we present an overview of
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Beyond compliance: harmonising research and husbandry practices to improve experimental reproducibility using fish models Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-10-10 Gregory C. Paull, Carole J. Lee, Charles R. Tyler
Reproducibility in animal research is impacted by the environment, by husbandry practices in the laboratory and by the animals' provenance. These factors, however, are often not adequately considered by researchers. A disconnect between researchers and animal care staff can result in inappropriate housing and husbandry decisions for scientific studies with those animals. This is especially the case
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Finding navigation cues near fishways Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-10-09 Jelger Elings, Stijn Bruneel, Ine S. Pauwels, Matthias Schneider, Ianina Kopecki, Johan Coeck, Rachel Mawer, Peter L. M. Goethals
Many fish species depend on migration for various parts of their life cycle. Well-known examples include diadromous fish such as salmon and eels that need both fresh water and salt water to complete their life cycle. Migration also occurs within species that depend only on fresh water. In recent decades, anthropogenic pressures on freshwater systems have increased greatly, and have resulted, among
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Convergence and divergence in science and practice of urban and rural forest restoration Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-10-09 João P. Romanelli, Max R. Piana, Valentin H. Klaus, Pedro H. S. Brancalion, Carolina Murcia, Françoise Cardou, Kiri Joy Wallace, Cristina Adams, Philip A. Martin, Philip J. Burton, Heida L. Diefenderfer, Elise S. Gornish, John Stanturf, Menilek Beyene, João Paulo Bispo Santos, Ricardo R. Rodrigues, Marc W. Cadotte
Forest restoration has never been higher on policymakers' agendas. Complex and multi-dimensional arrangements across the urban–rural continuum challenge restorationists and require integrative approaches to strengthen environmental protection and increase restoration outcomes. It remains unclear if urban and rural forest restoration are moving towards or away from each other in practice and research
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The importance of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids as high-quality food in freshwater ecosystems with implications of global change Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-09-19 Keheng Yan, Fen Guo, Martin J. Kainz, Feilong Li, Wei Gao, Stuart E. Bunn, Yuan Zhang
Traditionally, trophic ecology research on aquatic ecosystems has focused more on the quantity of dietary energy flow within food webs rather than food quality and its effects on organisms at various trophic levels. Recent studies emphasize that food quality is central to consumer growth and reproduction, and the importance of food quality for aquatic ecosystems has become increasingly well recognized
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Understanding the joint evolution of dispersal and host specialisation using phytophagous arthropods as a model group Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-09-19 Virginie Ravigné, Leonor R. Rodrigues, Maud Charlery de la Masselière, Benoît Facon, Lechosław Kuczyński, Jacek Radwan, Anna Skoracka, Sara Magalhães
Theory generally predicts that host specialisation and dispersal should evolve jointly. Indeed, many models predict that specialists should be poor dispersers to avoid landing on unsuitable hosts while generalists will have high dispersal abilities. Phytophagous arthropods are an excellent group to test this prediction, given extensive variation in their host range and dispersal abilities. Here, we
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A broad-taxa approach as an important concept in ecotoxicological studies and pollution monitoring Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-09-12 Amalia Rosner, Loriano Ballarin, Stéphanie Barnay-Verdier, Ilya Borisenko, Laura Drago, Damjana Drobne, Maria Concetta Eliso, Zoya Harbuzov, Annalisa Grimaldi, Tamar Guy-Haim, Arzu Karahan, Iseult Lynch, Maria Giulia Lionetto, Pedro Martinez, Kahina Mehennaoui, Elif Oruc Ozcan, Annalisa Pinsino, Guy Paz, Baruch Rinkevich, Antonietta Spagnuolo, Michela Sugni, Sébastien Cambier
Aquatic invertebrates play a pivotal role in (eco)toxicological assessments because they offer ethical, cost-effective and repeatable testing options. Additionally, their significance in the food chain and their ability to represent diverse aquatic ecosystems make them valuable subjects for (eco)toxicological studies. To ensure consistency and comparability across studies, international (eco)toxicology
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Defence against the intergenerational cost of reproduction in males: oxidative shielding of the germline Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-09-12 Graham Birch, Magali Meniri, Michael A. Cant, Jonathan D. Blount
Reproduction is expected to carry an oxidative cost, yet in many species breeders appear to sustain lower levels of oxidative damage compared to non-breeders. This paradox may be explained by considering the intergenerational costs of reproduction. Specifically, a reduction in oxidative damage upon transitioning to a reproductive state may represent a pre-emptive shielding strategy to protect the next
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The fossil record of freshwater Gastropoda – a global review Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-09-12 Thomas A. Neubauer
Gastropoda are an exceptionally successful group with a rich and diverse fossil record. They have conquered land and freshwater habitats multiple times independently and have dispersed across the entire globe. Since they are important constituents of fossil assemblages, they are often used for palaeoecological reconstruction, biostratigraphic correlations, and as model groups to study morphological
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Decline and fall of the Ediacarans: late-Neoproterozoic extinctions and the rise of the modern biosphere Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-09-04 Giovanni Mussini, Frances S. Dunn
The end-Neoproterozoic transition marked a gradual but permanent shift between distinct configurations of Earth's biosphere. This interval witnessed the demise of the enigmatic Ediacaran Biota, ushering in the structured trophic webs and disparate animal body plans of Phanerozoic ecosystems. However, little consensus exists on the reality, drivers, and macroevolutionary implications of end-Neoproterozoic
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Is there a massive glacial–Holocene flora continuity in Central Europe? Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-08-30 Ábel Péter Molnár, László Demeter, Marianna Biró, Milan Chytrý, Sándor Bartha, Batdelger Gantuya, Zsolt Molnár
The prevailing paradigm about the Quaternary ecological and evolutionary history of Central European ecosystems is that they were repeatedly impoverished by regional extinctions of most species during the glacial periods, followed by massive recolonizations from southern and eastern refugia during interglacial periods. Recent literature partially contradicts this view and provides evidence to re-evaluate
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Capturing wild animal welfare: a physiological perspective Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-08-27 Michaël Beaulieu
Affective states, such as emotions, are presumably widespread across the animal kingdom because of the adaptive advantages they are supposed to confer. However, the study of the affective states of animals has thus far been largely restricted to enhancing the welfare of animals managed by humans in non-natural contexts. Given the diversity of wild animals and the variable conditions they can experience
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Moderating the neutralist–selectionist debate: exactly which propositions are we debating, and which arguments are valid? Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-08-24 Menno J. de Jong, Cock van Oosterhout, A. Rus Hoelzel, Axel Janke
Half a century after its foundation, the neutral theory of molecular evolution continues to attract controversy. The debate has been hampered by the coexistence of different interpretations of the core proposition of the neutral theory, the ‘neutral mutation–random drift’ hypothesis. In this review, we trace the origins of these ambiguities and suggest potential solutions. We highlight the difference
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An integrative approach to assess the impact of disturbance on native fish in lakes Biol. Rev. (IF 10.0) Pub Date : 2023-08-24 Georgia Thomson-Laing, Lena Schallenberg, David Kelly, Jamie D. Howarth, Susanna A. Wood
Freshwater fish are in a perilous state with more than 30% of species considered critically endangered. Yet significant ecological and methodological complexities constrain our ability to determine how disturbances are impacting native fish communities. We review current methods used to assess the responses of fish communities, especially native fish, to disturbances, with a focus on lakes. These methods