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Ecosystem restoration with teeth : what role for predators?
journal contribution
posted on 2012-05-01, 00:00 authored by Euan RitchieEuan Ritchie, B Elmhagen, A Glen, M Letnic, G Ludwig, R McDonaldRecent advances highlight the potential for predators to restore ecosystems and confer resilience against globally threatening processes, including climate change and biological invasions. However, releasing the ecological benefits of predators entails significant challenges. Here, we discuss the economic, environmental and social considerations affecting predator-driven ecological restoration programmes, and suggest approaches for reducing the undesirable impacts of predators. Because the roles of predators are context dependent, we argue for increased emphasis on predator functionality in ecosystems and less on the identities and origins of species and genotypes. We emphasise that insufficient attention is currently given to the importance of variation in the social structures and behaviours of predators in influencing the dynamics of trophic interactions. Lastly, we outline experiments specifically designed to clarify the ecological roles of predators and their potential utility in ecosystem restoration.
History
Journal
Trends in ecology and evolutionVolume
27Issue
5Pagination
265 - 271Publisher
ElsevierLocation
London, EnglandISSN
0169-5347eISSN
1872-8383Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2012, Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Usage metrics
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biological invasionclimate changeenvironmental restorationpredatorrestoration ecologysocial structuretoothtrophic interactionScience & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicineEcologyEvolutionary BiologyGenetics & HeredityEnvironmental Sciences & EcologyLIVESTOCK PROTECTION DOGSMINK MUSTELA-VISONMESOPREDATOR RELEASEPOPULATION-DYNAMICSPREY POPULATIONSSNOWSHOE HARESTOP PREDATORSLUTRA-LUTRABOTTOM-UPCONSERVATION
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