Biological Reviews最新文献

Plant pollination by insects represents one of the most transformative and iconic ecological relationships in the natural world. Despite tens of thousands of papers, as well as numerous books, on pollination biology published over the past 200 years, most studies focused on the fossil record of pollinating insects have only been published in the last few decades, and this field is still undergoing major developments. Current palaeontological evidence indicates that pollinating insects were diverse and participated in the reproduction of different gymnosperm lineages long before their association with flowering plants (angiosperms). However, since much of this literature remains unfamiliar to many scientists working on extant plant-pollinator interactions, as well as the wider public, the notion that insect pollination began with the origin of angiosperms is still widespread. Herein we highlight how all the known insect orders with extant and/or extinct pollinator representatives radiated long before the evolution of flowering plants. We also illustrate the changing composition of the insect pollinator fauna through time, reflecting the different nature of these communities compared to those existing today. Addressing plant pollination by insects from a perspective skewed towards present-day biological groups, patterns, and processes risks missing an important deep-time evolutionary component. Our conclusions show that the fossil record is fundamental to elucidating the origin and evolution of insect pollination, as well as informing on present-day plant-pollinator interactions.

Evolutionary explanations of mental disorders are a longstanding aim of evolutionary psychiatry, but have suffered from complexities including within-disorder heterogeneity and environmental effects of contemporary societies obscuring possible ancestral functions. Studying the relevant processes of human evolution directly is not possible, so hypotheses have remained speculative, exaggerating "just-so storytelling" critiques. This is despite significant evidence existing in genetics, neuroscience and epidemiology, all of which bears some inferential relevance to evolutionary hypotheses, but which is often not marshalled in a systematic way. To utilise this evidence best to investigate evolutionary explanations of psychiatric (or other) traits we present a novel framework of evidence synthesis and analysis and exemplify it by systematically reviewing evidence related to autism. In the five stages of this "DCIDE framework" analysis, Description identifies a trait to explain and Categorisation initially excludes verifiably non-adaptive cases by utilising evidence from genetics, neuroscience, and environmental factors. Integration then hones a target for adaptive explanation by considering evidence of age of onset, environmental effects, duration, prevalence and sex differences, incorporating relevant correlated traits visible to selection. Evolutionary hypotheses are then Depicted and Evaluated for their ability to explain all the evidence at hand, using standardised areas of evidence and theoretically motivated principles (e.g. traits arising at birth and lasting for life have different plausible explanations than traits arising in adolescence and receding in adulthood). Competing evolutionary hypotheses can thus be systematically compared for their sufficiency in explaining a wide range of available evidence. In the DCIDE review of autism, when Described with current diagnostic criteria, up to 20% of cases Categorise as non-adaptive, primarily caused by de novo mutations and environmental trauma. The remaining cases are eligible for adaptive explanation. For Integrating genetically correlated phenotypes, evidence of high prevalence of subclinical familial traits and camouflaged female cases is necessary. Competing Depictions contrast a high intelligence by-product hypothesis with social niche specialisation for high "systemising" cognition. In Evaluation, broad evidence supports the social niche hypothesis while the intelligence by-product hypothesis fails to predict various lines of evidence. This provides not only the most robust synthesis of autism research relevant to evolutionary explanation to date, but is a first example of how the structure of the DCIDE framework can allow improved systematic evolutionary analysis across psychiatric conditions, and may also be adopted to strengthen evolutionary psychology more generally, countering just-so storytelling and cherry-picking critiques.

Synanthropes are known for their remarkable adaptability to coexist with humans, yet increased visibility exposes them to significant threats, such as hunting or conflict over resources. Moore et al.'s review 'The rise of hyperabundant native generalists threatens both humans and nature' (https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12985) explores distribution patterns and impacts of macaques and pigs in anthropogenic environments. Our critical evaluation of this study revealed several substantial issues: the pooling of data from species that are ecologically and behaviourally distinct, an error in data acquisition, potential biases in statistical analyses, and critical misrepresentations of threats to and from wildlife in human-impacted habitats. Additionally, we highlight the lack of evidence supporting the authors' core assertion of hyperabundance of the study species. While Moore et al. compare species densities and abundance across various habitat types, their analyses did not demonstrate population increases over time. On the contrary, our re-analysis of their data sets showed a decreasing population trend in Macaca nemestrina and the absence of M. fascicularis from 44% of surveyed habitats characterized by medium to high forest integrity. Further, our findings emphasize the importance of intact forests for predicting a high relative abundance of macaques and pigs. Overall, we recommend a more careful interpretation of the data, as misrepresentations of abundance data can result in negative or sensational discourses about overabundance, which may threaten the conservation of species that often thrive in anthropogenic landscapes.

Diatoms are a prominent microalgae family that has attracted interest for its production of molecules of biotechnological interest. Their fatty acid profile is rich in health-beneficial omega-3 eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Furthermore, under nutrient-deprived conditions, many diatom species, notably Phaeodactylum tricornutum, Thalassiosira pseudonana and Fistulifera solaris, can accumulate a high proportion of their biomass as neutral lipids, mostly triacylglycerol (TAG), that have adequate properties for conversion into biodiesel. Compared to commonly studied green and red microalgae, diatoms have specific metabolic characteristics linked to their unique evolutionary history. Although the physiology and biochemistry of diatoms have been well studied, an in-depth exploration of metabolism has been possible only in the last two decades with the help of "-omics" approaches and genetic engineering technologies. In this review, a global landscape of diatom TAG metabolism is presented. The pathways leading to the production of TAG are considered first, followed by the characteristics and dynamics of the lipid droplets that serve as TAG storage, and then by TAG degradation pathways. We end with an overview of future research perspectives, with emphasis on yet understudied metabolism aspects.

Ecologists seek to understand the intermediary ecological processes through which changes in one attribute in a system affect other attributes. A causal understanding of mediating processes is important for testing theory and developing resource management and conservation strategies. Yet, quantifying the causal effects of these mediating processes in ecological systems is challenging, because it requires defining what we mean by a "mediated effect", determining what assumptions are required to estimate mediation effects without bias, and assessing whether these assumptions are credible in a study. To address these challenges, scholars have made significant advances in research designs for mediation analysis. Here, we review these advances for ecologists. To illustrate both the advances and the challenges in quantifying mediation effects, we use a hypothetical ecological study of drought impacts on grassland productivity. With this study, we show how common research designs used in ecology to detect and quantify mediation effects may have biases and how these biases can be addressed through alternative designs. Throughout the review, we highlight how causal claims rely on causal assumptions, and we illustrate how different designs or definitions of mediation effects can relax some of these assumptions. In contrast to statistical assumptions, causal assumptions are not verifiable from data, and so we also describe procedures that we can use to assess the sensitivity of a study's results to potential violations of its causal assumptions. The advances in causal mediation analyses reviewed herein equip ecologists to communicate clearly the causal assumptions necessary for valid inferences, and to examine and address potential violations to these assumptions using suitable experimental and observational designs, which will enable rigorous and reproducible explanations of intermediary processes in ecology.

The origins of play remain a profound puzzle in animal evolution. Play is often characterised as a seemingly non-functional behaviour that confers little survival or reproductive benefit. This characteristic makes the evolution of play appear paradoxical under Darwinian principles, which posit that traits must be beneficial to be selected. Given that the adaptive benefits are unclear even for the well-established forms of play in extant animals, it seems improbable that an incipient form of play in the earliest stages of evolution emerged due to a decisive selective advantage. The conventional view that has gained traction suggests that play evolved not as an adaptive trait but as a by-product of energetic, ontogenetic, ecological, and psychological facilitating factors. Building upon previous empirical and theoretical studies, this review discusses the evolutionary relationship between play and exploration. More specifically, it argues that relying on the classification dividing exploration into intrinsic and extrinsic types can help us articulate both the evolutionary and mechanistic continuities and discontinuities between play and exploration. Based on this distinction, this article proposes the following hypothesis: play originally evolved as a by-product of curiosity-motivated intrinsic exploration. This hypothesis is supported by recent empirical evidence indicating that play may have evolved by co-opting some of the mechanisms of curiosity, including (i) the commonality between stimuli that elicit curiosity and those that elicit play, and (ii) the shared neural basis of curiosity and play involving the reward and executive control systems. I also discuss new testable predictions derived from this hypothesis and outline future research directions, including comparative phylogenetic studies, eco-sociological analyses, and psycho-behavioural approaches.

Biological invasions and human migrations have increased globally due to socio-economic drivers and environmental factors that have enhanced cultural, economic, and geographic connectivity. Both processes involve the movement, establishment, and spread of species, yet unfold within fundamentally different philosophical, social and biological contexts. Hence, studying biological invasions (invasion science) and human migration (migration studies) presents complex parallels that are potentially fruitful to explore. Here, we examined nuanced parallels and differences between these two phenomena, integrating historical, socio-political, and ethical perspectives. Our review underscores the need for context-specific approaches in policymaking and governance to address effectively the challenges and opportunities of human migration and harm from biological invasions. We suggest that approaches to studying the drivers of biological invasions and human migration provide an excellent opportunity for transdisciplinary research; one that acknowledges the complexities and potential insights from both fields of study. Ultimately, integrating natural and social sciences offers a promising avenue for enriching the understanding of invasion biology and migration dynamics while pursuing just, equitable, and sustainable solutions. However, while human migration is a clear driver of biological invasions, drawing on principles from biological invasions to understand past and current human migration risks oversimplification and the potential for harmful generalisations that disregard the intrinsic rights and cultural dynamics of human migrations. By doing so, we provide insights and frameworks to support the development of context-specific policies that respect human dignity, foster cultural diversity, and address migration challenges in ways that promote global cooperation and justice. This interdisciplinary approach highlights the potential for transdisciplinary research that acknowledges complexities in both fields, ultimately enriching our understanding of invasion biology and migration dynamics while pursuing equitable and sustainable solutions.

Invasion biology aims to identify traits and mechanisms that contribute to successful invasions, while also providing general insights into the mechanisms underlying population expansion and adaptation to rapid climate and habitat changes. Certain phenotypic attributes have been linked to successful invasions, and the role of genetics has been critical in understanding adaptation of invasive species. Nevertheless, a comprehensive summary evaluating the most common evolutionary mechanisms associated with successful invasions across species and environments is still lacking. Here we present a systematic review of studies since 2015 that have applied genomic tools to investigate mechanisms of successful invasions across different organisms. We examine demographic patterns such as changes in genomic diversity at the population level, the presence of genetic bottlenecks and gene flow in the invasive range. We review mechanisms of adaptation such as selection from standing genetic variation and de novo mutations, hybridisation and introgression, all of which can have an impact on invasion success. This comprehensive review of recent articles on the genomic diversity of invasive species led to the creation of a searchable database to provide researchers with an accessible resource. Analysis of this database allowed quantitative assessment of demographic and adaptive mechanisms acting in invasive species. A predominant role of admixture in increasing levels of genetic diversity enabling molecular adaptation in novel habitats is the most important finding of our study. The "genetic paradox" of invasive species was not validated in genomic data across species and ecosystems. Even though the presence of genetic drift and bottlenecks is commonly reported upon invasion, a large reduction in genomic diversity is rarely observed. Any decrease in genetic diversity is often relatively mild and almost always restored via gene flow between different invasive populations. The fact that loci under selection are frequently detected suggests that adaptation to novel habitats on a molecular level is not hindered. The above findings are confirmed herein for the first time in a semi-quantitative manner by molecular data. We also point to gaps and potential improvements in the design of studies of mechanisms driving rapid molecular adaptation in invasive populations. These include the scarcity of comprehensive studies that include sampling from multiple native and invasive populations, identification of invasion sources, longitudinal population sampling, and the integration of fitness measures into genomic analyses. We also note that the potential of whole genome studies is often not exploited fully in predicting invasive potential. Comparative genomic studies identifying genome features promoting invasions are underrepresented despite their potential for use as a tool in invasive species control.