ABSTRACT
Trophic ecology at its simplest is the study of pairwise consumptive interactions, but it underlies all levels of ecology. We review the evolutionary history of trophic interactions and suggest that humans may be pushing back the clock of complex trophic interactions. We look toward future conceptual approaches and tools that will be used to tease apart mechanistic interactions and how these will be used to merge metabolic theory with alternative approaches such as mass-balance bioenergetics, ecological network analysis (ENA), and stoichiometry.
