provides a powerful example of how predators shape the landscapes in which they live. We showed that predators such as African wild dogs and leopards create a “landscape of fear”, which determines where herbivores like impala congregate to feed on plants. And where those impala do and do not go has a strong impact on the types of plants you find in different areas. In “scary” areas, lower herbivory allows for less defended plants to predominate. In contrast, in areas of lower predation risk where herbivory is high, better defended and more thorny plants predominate. Thus, predators make savannas less thorny, suggesting that the current declines in predators worldwide can have dramatic and unanticipated consequences for ecosystems. Read the full article on the UF News site.