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Tropical Biodiversity: The Importance of Biotic Interactions for Its Origin, Maintenance, Function, and Conservation

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Ecological Networks in the Tropics

Abstract

Most of the Earth’s terrestrial biodiversity is found in tropical forests, a fact that fascinates us today as it did the early naturalists of past centuries. It is in this biome where a tremendously high number of coexisting species weave themselves into the most complex web of life, linked together through biotic interactions. These interactions are not only the threads that give structure to biotic communities, but they are also responsible for their evolution and function. In this chapter, we try to render a brief account of the roles that biotic interactions play in (1) the origin of tropical diversity, (2) the maintenance of such diversity through facilitating species coexistence, and (3) the functioning of tropical forest ecosystems. Our fascination with tropical biodiversity is only matched by our fear of losing it. We finish this chapter by stating the undeniable facts, showing how the threads in the web of life are being severed by our own actions. Yet as long as we have some understanding of how the threads of biotic interactions assemble, and if we succeed in conveying the urgency of applying this information, we may be able to keep the web from falling apart.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Instituto de Investigaciones en Ecosistemas y Sustentabilidad, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Morelia, Mexico

    Ellen Andresen & Víctor Arroyo-Rodríguez

  2. Red de Ecoetología, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, Mexico

    Federico Escobar

Authors
  1. Ellen Andresen
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  2. Víctor Arroyo-Rodríguez
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  3. Federico Escobar
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ellen Andresen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Red de Ecoetologia, Instituto de Ecologia AC, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico

    Wesley Dáttilo

  2. Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico

    Victor Rico-Gray

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Andresen, E., Arroyo-Rodríguez, V., Escobar, F. (2018). Tropical Biodiversity: The Importance of Biotic Interactions for Its Origin, Maintenance, Function, and Conservation. In: Dáttilo, W., Rico-Gray, V. (eds) Ecological Networks in the Tropics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68228-0_1

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