Multitrophic relationships, conditional mutualisms, and the study of interaction biodiversity in tropical savannas

Abstract

*[This essay proposes to discuss natural diversity in ways that embrace the extreme richness inherent in plant animal interactions, including not only trophic relationships, but also aspects of life history, biology, & behavior of related species. The ant-plant-herbivore systems in Cerrado vegetation are pointed out as good model for gaining a better understanding of "interaction biodiversity".]