Wardle, David
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Abstract
Until recently, large apex consumers were ubiquitous across the globe and had been for millions of years. The loss of these animals may be humankind's most pervasive influence on nature. Although such losses are widely viewed as an ethical and aesthetic problem, recent research reveals extensive cascading effects of their disappearance in marine, terrestrial, and freshwater ecosystems worldwide. This empirical work supports long-standing theory about the role of top-down forcing in ecosystems but also highlights the unanticipated impacts of trophic cascades on processes as diverse as the dynamics of disease, wildfire, carbon sequestration, invasive species, and biogeochemical cycles. These findings emphasize the urgent need for interdisciplinary research to forecast the effects of trophic downgrading on process, function, and resilience in global ecosystems.
Published in
Science
2011, volume: 333, number: 6040, pages: 301-306
Publisher: AMER ASSOC ADVANCEMENT SCIENCE
SLU Authors
Global goals (SDG)
SDG2 Zero hunger
SDG14 Life below water
SDG15 Life on land
UKÄ Subject classification
Environmental Sciences and Nature Conservation
Environmental Sciences
Ecology
Publication identifier
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1205106
Permanent link to this page (URI)
https://res.slu.se/id/publ/58978