Large herbivores play unique ecological roles and are disproportionately imperiled by
human activity. As many wild populations dwindle towards extinction, and as interest grows …

Until recently in Earth history, very large herbivores (mammoths, ground sloths, diprotodons,
and many others) occurred in most of the World's terrestrial ecosystems, but the majority …

This book explores the geography, ecology, and antiquity of'open ecosystems', which
include grasslands, savannas, and shrublands. They occur in climates that can support …

Theoretically, fire–tree cover feedbacks can maintain savanna and forest as alternative
stable states. However, the global extent of fire-driven discontinuities in tree cover is …

It is difficult to find references to fire in general textbooks on ecology, conservation biology or
biogeography, in spite of the fact that large parts of the world burn on a regular basis, and …

Bush encroachment has been recognised in southern Africa since the late nineteenth
century. Our review of 23 studies showed that the rate of woody cover change has ranged …

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 …

We describe existing models of the relationship between species diversity and ecological
function, and propose a conceptual model that relates species richness, ecological …

It is a widely held belief that a climax vegetation of closed forest systems covered the
lowlands of Central and Western Europe before humans intervened in prehistoric times to …

Large mammalian herbivores not only depend on plant communities for their existence but
cause major changes in plant community composition and structure. These changes have …