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 …

Large mammalian herbivores (megafauna) have experienced extinctions and declines since
prehistory. Introduced megafauna have partly counteracted these losses yet are thought to …

Understanding the mechanisms controlling the distribution of biomes remains a challenge.
Although tropical biome distribution has traditionally been explained by climate and soil …

There is growing interest in the application of alternative stable state (ASS) theory to explain
major vegetation patterns of the world. Here, we introduce the theory as applied to the …

The extirpation of native wildlife species and widespread establishment of livestock farming
has dramatically distorted large mammal herbivore communities across the globe …

Wild large herbivores are declining worldwide. Despite extensive use of exclosure
experiments to investigate herbivore impacts, there is little consensus on the effects of wild …

Herbivory is a key process structuring vegetation in savannas, especially in Africa where
large mammal herbivore communities remain intact. Exclusion experiments consistently …

Climate change is expected to lead to more frequent, intense and longer droughts in the
future, with major implications for ecosystem processes and human livelihoods. The impacts …