Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT Introduction Apex predators exert top‐down pressure on food webs that can shape ecosystem dynamics, while also holding symbolic and utilitarian value for human communities. As human impacts increase, understanding these ecological and societal roles becomes increasingly important for biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management. Hypothesis Among apex predators, the Eurasian lynx ( Lynx lynx ; hereafter “lynx”) stands out for its relatively low conflict potential and broad public acceptance. Tolerance of lynx could maintain or help restore ecosystem processes in increasingly human‐modified landscapes. Far‐reaching ecological functions are frequently documented for large carnivores and often postulated for the lynx, yet the evidence base has never been systematically compiled. Methods We synthesised research on the ecological and socioeconomic impacts of the lynx to evaluate its role in contemporary ecosystems. Given the few studies available, we qualitatively assessed the ecological effects of lynx, including trophic interactions and symbolic roles. Discussion Lynx influence prey and mesopredator populations both consumptively and non‐consumptively, though consumptive trophic cascades were observed only in northern regions, and non‐consumptive trophic cascades only at fine timescales when perceived predation risk was elevated. Socioeconomic research has focused mainly on burdens associated with lynx, that is, “disservices”, like livestock predation, with less attention to potential benefits, like herbivore limitation in silviculture, that may constitute ecosystem services. Lynx hold intrinsic value for most people but their assumed roles as flagship or umbrella species, remain weakly evidenced and for some stakeholders the lynx may have a counter‐role. Conclusions We conclude that the lynx's ecological and societal importance likely exceeds current literature, but key assumptions about its ecosystem functions remain insufficiently tested. We urge interdisciplinary research leveraging ongoing translocations and ecological gradients, including Asia, to test lynx effects and clarify their full contribution to ecosystem functioning and biodiversity in the Anthropocene.
Source: Mammal Review
DOI: 10.1111/mam.70049
Authors: Joe Premier, Deborah Brady, Samantha Cartwright, Suzanne T. S. van Beeck Calkoen, Nicolas De Pelsmaeker, Amelia Holmes, Eva Sanchez Arribas, Adam F. Smith, Nadège C. Bonnot, Ian Convery, Nina Gerber, Dries P. J. Kuijper, Deniz Mengüllüoğlu, Axel Moehrenschlager, Craig Shuttleworth, Faye Whiley, Rok Cerne, Bart Donato, Sheng Li, Marco Heurich
Institutions: Bavarian Forest National Park, University of Cumbria, Technische Universität Dresden, Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Forschungsverbund Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, University College Dublin, Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement, Comportement et Écologie de la Faune Sauvage, Université de Toulouse, International Union for Conservation of Nature, IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management, Panthera Corporation, Bangor University, University of Kent, Peking University, University of Freiburg, University of Inland Norway
Language: English
Subfield: Ecology
Field: Environmental Science
Domain: Physical Sciences
SDG: Life on land
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,100
OpenAlex ID: W7223448084