Trophic Cascade Attenuation vs. Keystone Species Reintroduction: A Comparative Evaluation of Top-Down Regulation Strategies in Fragmented Temperate Riparian Ecosystems
Keywords:
trophic cascade attenuation, keystone species reintroduction, riparian ecosystem restoration, mesopredator release hypothesis, stable isotope trophic analysis, species interaction networks, benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages, top-down trophic regulation, fragmented watershed managementAbstract
Restoring ecological balance in fragmented riparian corridors remains a central challenge in contemporary conservation biology. This study comparatively evaluates two prevailing top-down regulation paradigms—trophic cascade attenuation (TCA) via mesopredator suppression and active keystone species reintroduction (KSR)—across twelve temperate riparian watersheds in Central Europe and East Asia. Using a combination of stable isotope analysis (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N), guild-level biodiversity indexing, and structural equation modelling of species interaction networks, we quantified biomass flux redistribution, riparian vegetation recovery rates, and macroinvertebrate assemblage resilience under each strategy. KSR demonstrated statistically superior outcomes in riparian canopy regeneration (p < 0.001) and benthic biodiversity recovery, while TCA exhibited greater cost-efficiency in highly fragmented landscapes. These findings provide empirically grounded decision frameworks for adaptive watershed management and policy-level biodiversity offsetting schemes.
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