Abstract
In a complex co-evolutionary dance, insects influence, and are influenced by plant chemistry and phenology. Although there is great controversy about the magnitude and setting of global species-richness on our planet, the bulk of terrestrial biodiversity reputably consists of tropical insects and plants. Tropical canopies are renowned not only for their high diversity of species, but also for their range of alkaloids, latex, and other secondary metabolites which in turn inspire a wealth of counter-adaptations by phytophagous insects. Herbivores in tropical tree canopies were literally unknown until canopy access was developed in the late 1970s. With the advent of single rope techniques to climb tropical trees in Australia, the world of canopy plant-insect interactions was discovered. Since then, it has become a hotspot for biodiversity and for investigations about plants, insects, and the spatial and temporal attributes of their complex interactions.
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Lowman, M.D. (2011). Out on a Limb: True Confessions of a Bug Detective. In: Vivanco, J., Weir, T. (eds) Chemical Biology of the Tropics. Signaling and Communication in Plants, vol 8. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-19080-3_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-19080-3_6
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