Ecology and Evolution of Species-Rich Interaction Networks

The perception that the complexity of tropical ecological interactions is both a product of evolutionary processes and a feedstock for evolution lies at the origin of Evolutionary Ecology. We now have the opportunity to revisit this foundational perception to gain insight into the processes shaping biodiversity structure and ecosystem functioning. Such an opportunity arises from the ongoing theoretical integration between ecological and evolutionary theories, alongside with the application of the network approach to characterize the structure and dynamics of multi-species communities. In this chapter, we focus on the fundamental aspects of ecological, evolutionary, and eco-evolutionary theories underlying the network approach to the study of multi-species systems, such as megadiverse tropical communities. Together, these perspectives illustrate the challenges we shall face in the decades to come in order to take advantage of ongoing theoretical integration, the gradual accumulation of data on tropical interactions, and the availability of robust analytical and computational tools to enlighten the processes shaping biodiversity.