Shrub cover has increased throughout Earth’s rangelands. The authors propose a novel model accounting for this ‘shrub encroachment’: trophic cascades induced by apex predator extirpation facilitate shrub recruitment and success. GIS tools, field data and statistical techniques are used to test this model in arid Australia. Gordon et al. https://dx.doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.12607
Animal Ecology In Focus 
