Trophic interactions

Within the Trophic Interactions theme, we investigate how consumer–resource relationships shape the functioning, stability and resilience of ecosystems. Ecological theory often simplifies these interactions into linear food chains, yet natural communities are far more complex: multiple species interact across different trophic levels, indirect effects blur direct relationships, and spatial scales influence how predators, herbivores and plants affect one another. Understanding these dynamics is essential for assessing how land-use change and other human pressures alter food web structure.

This theme also connects to emerging ecosystem restoration approaches. Rewilding, for example, restores natural processes such as water and wind dynamics, reconnects habitats and reintroduces missing key species. By studying how wildlife influences, and is influenced by, these restored trophic relationships, we explore how rewilding can support biodiversity recovery and even expand natural climate solutions.