Ecological Networks in the Tropics

Wesley Dáttilo received his Ph.D. from the Universidad Veracruzana (Mexico). Currently, he is Titular Researcher at the Department of Eco-Ethology at the Instituto de Ecología A.C., Mexico. The main focus of his research over the last decade has been to understand how ecological and evolutionary mechanisms shape plant-animal interaction networks at different levels. Moreover, he is seeking to understand how species interactions vary through space-time, and how they are influenced by environmental perturbations in different types of tropical environments in Brazil and Mexico. He has written and co-authored over 50 publications based on his research, many of which he has presented at national and international conferences. His teaching responsibilities have involved mostly graduate courses on ecological networks and field courses in tropical environments. Victor Rico-Gray received his Ph.D. in 1987 from Tulane University (U.S.A.) Currently he is a full-time researcher at Instituto de Neuroetología of Universidad Veracruzana. His main research has been the interactions between plants and ants.

1. The history of ecological networks.- 2. Tropical biodiversity: The importance of biotic interactions for its origin, maintenance, function and conservation.- 3. The structure of ecological networks.- 4. Ecology and evolution of species-rich interaction networks.- 5.The complex ant-plant relationship within tropical ecological networks.- 6. Plant-pollinator networks in the tropics: a review.- 7. Tropical seed dispersal networks: emerging patterns, biases and keystone species traits.- 8. Plant-herbivore networks in the tropics .- 9. Host-parasite networks: an integrative overview with tropical examples.- 10. Interaction networks in tropical reefs.- 11. Ecological networks in changing tropics.- 12. The future of ecological networks in the Tropics.