Humans, in conjunction with natural top-down processes and through a sequence of cascading trophic interactions, may have contributed
to the Pleistocene megafaunal extinctions. The arrival of the first humans, as hunters and scavengers, through top-down forcing, could have
triggered a population collapse of large herbivores and their predators. We present...
Apex predators have experienced catastrophic declines throughout the world as a result of human persecution and habitat loss. These collapses in
top predator populations are commonly associated with dramatic increases in the abundance of smaller predators. Known as “mesopredator release,”
this trophic interaction has been recorded across a range of...