To understand how tropical ecosystems work we need to appreciate how the organisms within them interact with each other. This volume, first published in 2005, synthesises the state of knowledge in this area, providing reviews or case studies from both Old and New World tropics and dealing with taxa at all trophic levels.

To understand how tropical ecosystems function we need to appreciate not only what plants, animals and microbes they contain, but how they interact with each other. This volume synthesizes the current state of knowledge of tropical biotic interaction, with chapters providing reviews or case studies drawn from research conducted in both Old and New World tropics, including interactions among taxa at all levels. An underlying theme of the volume is revealing the importance of the maintenance of high diversity in tropical regions.

Behavioral Ecology of Tropical Birds, Second Edition provides the most updated and comprehensive review on the evolution of behavior in tropical landbirds. The book reviews gaps in our knowledge that were identified twenty years ago when the first edition was published, highlights recent discoveries that have filled those gaps, and identifies new areas in urgent need of study. It covers key topics, including timing of breeding, movement ecology, life history traits, slow vs. fast pace of life, mating systems, mate choice, territoriality, communication, biotic interactions, and conservation. Written by international experts on the behavior of tropical birds, the book explores why the tropics is a unique natural laboratory to study the evolution of bird behavior and why temperate zone species are so different. A recent surge of studies on tropical birds has helped to reduce the temperate zone bias that arose because most avian model species in behavioral ecology were adapted to northern temperate climates. This is an important resource for researchers, ecologists and conservationists who want to understand the rich and complex evolutionary history of avian behavior. - Includes examples from around the world - Provides a historical perspective on new knowledge in the past 20 years - Identifies knowledge gaps that have been filled, along with new gaps that have emerged - Explores how avian behavior in the tropics is related to conservation

There are many books on aspects of plant invasions, but none that focus on the key role of species interactions in mediating invasions. This book reviews exciting new findings and explores how new methods and tools are shedding new light on crucial processes in plant invasions. This book will be of interest to academics and students of ecology, researchers engaged in developing management solutions, scientific managers of natural ecosystems, and policy-makers.

In 1971 the International Society of Tropical Ecology and the International Association for Ecology held a meeting on Tropical Ecology, with an emphasis on organic production in New Delhi, India. At this meeting a Working Group on Tropical Ecology was organized, consisting of K. C. Misra (India), F. Malaisse (Zaire), E. Medina (Venezuela) and F. Golley (U.S.A.). The object of this Working Group was to stimulate interaction between tropical ecologists through future scientific meetings and other exchanges and communications. A second meeting of ISTE and INTECOL was held in Caracas, Venezuela in 1973, under the direction of Medina and Golley and sponsored by the Depart ment of Ecology, Institute Venezolano Investigaciones Cientificas (lVIC). The basic structure of the meeting was provided by series of invited papers which considered topics of special interest from both an applied and theoretical view. These included physiological ecology (Pannier), populations (Rabinovich), tropical savannas (Lamotte), rivers (Sioli), estuaries (Rodriguez), and island ecosystems (Mueller-Dombois). Contributed papers considered details of these and other ecological topics, including the application of ecology to human problems. The present volume includes the invited papers listed above and a sampling of contributed papers which together illustrate the trends of research in tropical ecology. The papers show that tropical ecology is a vigorous subject of research. While the papers in this volume do not provide reviews of all the topics of study in tropical ecology, they do present authoritative statements on progress in the major subject in the field.

Tropical Stream Ecology describes the main features of tropical streams and their ecology. It covers the major physico-chemical features, important processes such as primary production and organic-matter transformation, as well as the main groups of consumers: invertebrates, fishes and other vertebrates. Information on concepts and paradigms developed in north-temperate latitudes and how they do not match the reality of ecosystems further south is expertly addressed. The pressing matter of conservation of tropical streams and their biodiversity is included in almost every chapter, with a final chapter providing a synthesis on conservation issues. For the first time, Tropical Stream Ecology places an important emphasis on viewing research carried out in contributions from international literature. - First synthetic account of the ecology of all types of tropical streams - Covers all of the major tropical regions - Detailed consideration of possible fundamental differences between tropical and temperate stream ecosystems - Threats faced by tropical stream ecosystems and possible conservation actions - Descriptions and synstheses life-histories and breeding patterns of major aquatic consumers (fishes, invertebrates)

This open access volume presents a comprehensive account of all aspects of biological invasions in South Africa, where research has been conducted over more than three decades, and where bold initiatives have been implemented in attempts to control invasions and to reduce their ecological, economic and social effects. It covers a broad range of themes, including history, policy development and implementation, the status of invasions of animals and plants in terrestrial, marine and freshwater environments, the development of a robust ecological theory around biological invasions, the effectiveness of management interventions, and scenarios for the future. The South African situation stands out because of the remarkable diversity of the country, and the wide range of problems encountered in its varied ecosystems, which has resulted in a disproportionate investment into both research and management. The South African experience holds many lessons for other parts of the world, and this book should be of immense value to researchers, students, managers, and policy-makers who deal with biological invasions and ecosystem management and conservation in most other regions.