"Untangling Salt Marsh Food Webs" by Brian R. Silliman, PhD
Coastal wetlands are dominated by a variety of plants adapted to a stressful environment. In the absence of a significant number of herbivores, the growth of these plants was thought to be limited only by nutrient availability. Through experiments, Dr. Brian Silliman revealed that salt marshes, like many other terrestrial ecosystems, are mainly controlled by the top-down forces of herbivores and other consumers.