The Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS) and the Department of Biology at Stanford University will co-sponsor the Symposium Living in a defaunated world: consequences for plant-animal interactions, in which world-leading scientists working in the ecology of defaunation will discuss our current knowledge concerning this important issue. The Symposium will take place at Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA on March 12-13th 2009 at Clark Auditorium.

Plant-animal interactions form the backbone of many ecosystem dynamics, and are among the main drivers of biodiversity. In natural ecosystems, especially in the tropics, large vertebrates disperse seeds but also consume and kill seeds and seedlings, potentially affecting plant performance and even distribution. Through their impact on these processes, large vertebrates, such as tapirs and primates, set the template for subsequent plant regeneration and influence plant species diversity and composition. In the last century, deforestation, fragmentation, invasive species and poaching have reduced the meso- and mega-fauna over vast tracts of natural ecosystems. In fact, the extinction of large animals is not a modern problem, but has been occurring since the end of the Pleistocene.

This recent loss of so many large vertebrates in many different ecosystems may have profound effects on species diversity and composition of forest plants, and on other trophic levels as well. Indeed, evidence from several recent studies demonstrates how the loss of megafauna can rapidly lead to negative impacts on ecosystem functioning. Improving our understanding of this relationships is critical to address this central issue of conservation biology. During this Symposium we will hear about the state-of-the-art of this field and the future directions thereof. Please join us. We looking forward to seeing you at Stanford.

                                                                  Rodolfo Dirzo and Mauro Galetti, Symposium coordinators