The U-shaped relationship in modern land mammals could be “universal.”
This is a new one to me.
But the study also suggests that human-related extinctions of the largest herbivores and carnivores are disrupting what appears to be a fundamental feature of past and present ecosystems, with potentially unpredictable consequences.
“We’re not sure what’s going to happen, because this hasn’t happened before,” said Will Gearty, co-author of the study. “But because the systems have been in what seems to be a very steady state for a very long time, it’s concerning what might happen when they leave that state.”
As usual, lots of unknowns go with it.