Advancing Welfare Science for Understudied Species

Animal welfare science has expanded rapidly over recent decades, yet significant gaps remain in our understanding of the needs and experiences of many taxa, particularly invertebrates, fish, amphibians, and reptiles. These groups comprise the vast majority of animal biodiversity and are increasingly represented across human-managed contexts, including laboratories, zoos and aquariums, veterinary practice, aquaculture and mini-livestock industries, and conservation programs both in situ and ex situ. Despite their widespread presence and growing ethical consideration, welfare research for these species remains comparatively fragmented, taxonomically uneven, and often siloed by discipline and setting.This Research Topic seeks to catalyze progress in the welfare science of these historically understudied taxa by fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and collaboration. We invite contributions that generate new empirical evidence, synthesize existing knowledge, advance methodologies, or critically evaluate conceptual frameworks related to welfare assessment and management of historically understudied taxa, specifically invertebrates, fish, amphibians, and reptiles. Importantly, we encourage submissions spanning diverse research settings, including laboratories, zoos and aquariums, natural ecosystems, veterinary contexts, and industrial environments, and that consider how insights from one research setting can inform others.Topics of interest include but are not limited to: taxa-specific behavioral or physiological measures that correlate with positive or negative welfare states; evaluations of husbandry or enrichment in relation to animal welfare; impacts of capture, handling, or transport on animal welfare; and development and/or validation of welfare assessment tools. All submissions should focus on one or more historically understudied taxonomic groups, specifically, invertebrates, fish, amphibians, or reptiles. Submissions focused on singular species within these taxonomic groups are acceptable.We are interested in receiving the following article types: brief research report, mini review, original research, perspective, review, and systematic review.If you are interested in submitting or have any questions please contact the journal email: ethology@frontiersin.org Topic editors: Shannon O'Brien, Andrew Crump Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/83773/advancing-welfare-science-for-understudied-species