Ant-Plant Interactions: Impacts of Humans on Terrestrial Ecosystems

'Ant-Plant Interactions is the definitive and greatly needed treatise on a subject of importance to general terrestrial ecology and the study of Earth's dominant social insects.' Edward O. Wilson, Harvard University, Massachusetts 'Ants dominate terrestrial habitats worldwide, and their interactions with plants structure biodiversity within those habitats. This edited volume offers a timely, comprehensive treatment of ways in which ecologically diverse ant-plant interactions are affected by, and are responding to, human-induced changes to the landscape. Worldwide in scope and covering topics that cut across basic ecology, agriculture, and conservation, it authoritatively reviews, presents new data, and highlights critical gaps in our nascent understanding of ants' critical roles in terrestrial ecosystems.' Judith L. Bronstein, University of Arizona 'Ants are intrinsically fascinating, so are plants, and their interactions result in evolutionary gymnastics we can hardly conceive of, consequently producing absorbingly wonderful creations. Their study continues to reveal more associational intricacies, as this book documents convincingly. The interrelationships among the most common animals on earth and the swath of green plants covering most of the Earth's land surface contribute significantly to biodiversity and the resilience, maintenance, conservation and stability of ecosystems. Ants provide a wide variety of services in ecosystems: regulatory, provisioning, supporting, and cultural, with a much wider impact than commonly perceived - all with relevance to the welfare of humanity. Basic and applied interests in the topic are broadly represented by a stellar list of internationally recognized authors covering a diversified geographic range.' Peter W. Price, Northern Arizona University 'In summary, because it treats situations from temperate climate regions in addition to the tropics, this volume covers cases that will interest a wide range of readers.' Alain Dejean, The Quarterly Review of Biology