Workshop: Floristics, Phenology, and Frugivore Communities: A Pan-Tropical Comparison (Panama City, Panama; July 29 - August 2, 2002)

University Of California-Berkeley, Berkeley CA

Investigators

Abstract

and maintained. In the most diverse habitats on Earth, the tropical rainforests, primates and other frugivores (fruit-eaters) play important roles by dispersing the seeds of many trees. In this symposium we will make a global comparison of tropical frugivores and plant communities. We will bring together for the first time researchers studying birds, bats, primates, elephants, and other animals with plant ecologists to identify and compare the "keystone" plant species that sustain a diversity of animals in different regions. By bringing together some of the world's finest tropical biologists to compare their knowledge, this symposium will try to create a tool for rapidly identifying the most important species for maintaining biodiversity. We will also study the ways that the loss of such species can affect ecosystems. There are three aims of the symposium: first, to identify and compare the key plants which sustain rainforest animal diversity; second, to identify those animals which are of greatest significance to these plant communities; and third, to study the importance of these interactions to conservation. The information collected in this forum will advance the field of ecology and aid the scientific management of endangered species and habitats. It will also bring students together with renowned scholars in the field, and build international collaboration on conservation strategies.