Using long-term data, researchers studied the effects of large mammal declines – caused by civil war and poaching – on the species composition of savanna ponds. Guillaume Demare conducted the research as part of his doctoral studies at the Museum für Naturkunde Berlin and Freie Universität. The research team found that pond habitat changes, likely triggered by the loss of large-bodied herbivores, resulted in significant species shifts within these small freshwater ecosystems. This shows once again how strongly different ecosystems are interconnected, what far-reaching consequences the disappearance of species has and how war disturbs nature in the long term.