Background The largest terrestrial species in the order Carnivora are wide-ranging and rare
because of their positions at the top of food webs. They are some of the world's most …

Predicting which species will occur together in the future, and where, remains one of the
greatest challenges in ecology, and requires a sound understanding of how the abiotic and …

Introduction: doing science in a complex world. Science by humans; Science in a complex
world; The payoff: idealizations and many aims--Complex causality and simplified …

Human-driven declines of apex predators can trigger widespread impacts throughout
ecological communities. Reduced apex predator occupancy or activity can release …

There is growing recognition of the important roles played by predators in regulating
ecosystems and sustaining biodiversity. Much attention has focused on the consequences of …

If habitat destruction or overexploitation of populations is severe, species loss can occur
directly and abruptly. Yet the final descent to extinction is often driven by synergistic …

Fencing is a nearly ubiquitous infrastructure that influences landscapes across space and
time, and the impact of fences on wildlife and ecosystems is of global concern. Yet the …

Trophic cascades—the top-down regulation of ecosystems by predators—are an essential
aspect of ecosystem function and well-being. Trophic cascades are often drastically …

A common procedure in the regression analysis of interspecies data is to first test the
independent and dependent variables X and Y for phylogenetic signal, and then use the …

Recent advances highlight the potential for predators to restore ecosystems and confer
resilience against globally threatening processes, including climate change and biological …