biostudies-literatureRamirez MDBritish Columbia Knowledge Development FundNatural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of CanadaCentre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives, University of VictoriaNational Geographic SocietyPew Charitable TrustsRufford FoundationCanada Foundation for InnovationDivision of Ocean SciencesDavid and Lucile Packard Foundation39-53https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12775554biostudies-literatureUnknown95(1)Habitat degradation and overexploitation are key drivers of biodiversity loss globally. Negative, human-driven changes in habitat quality, species abundance, and community composition are well-documented across systems. While it is understood that human stressors destabilize consumer-resource interactions, how energy pathways and food webs may reorganize in hyperdiverse tropical systems in response to human disturbance remains poorly understood due to their complexity and past methodological limitations. Leveraging recent advances in molecular isotope techniques, we performed an ecosystem-scale natural experiment to evaluate how human disturbance reorganizes carbon pathways and trophic structure in a hyperdiverse tropical system, Kiritimati Island, the world's largest atoll. We specificallThe Journal of animal ecologyCarbon pathways and trophic attributes are conserved in carnivorous reef fishes across a major human disturbance gradient.PMC127755541446402El-Sabaawi RWMcMahon KWRooney NRamirez MDBaum JKfalseCarbon pathways and trophic attributes are conserved in carnivorous reef fishes across a major human disturbance gradient.Habitat degradation and overexploitation are key drivers of biodiversity loss globally. Negative, human-driven changes in habitat quality, species abundance, and community composition are well-documented across systems. While it is understood that human stressors destabilize consumer-resource interactions, how energy pathways and food webs may reorganize in hyperdiverse tropical systems in response to human disturbance remains poorly understood due to their complexity and past methodological limitations. Leveraging recent advances in molecular isotope techniques, we performed an ecosystem-scale natural experiment to evaluate how human disturbance reorganizes carbon pathways and trophic structure in a hyperdiverse tropical system, Kiritimati Island, the world's largest atoll. We specificall2026-01-01T00:00:00Z2026 Jan2026-06-09T05:26:06.337Z2026-06-09T03:07:21.78ZS-EPMC127755544107788510.1111/1365-2656.70151