1;Preface;6 2;Contents;10 3;Biodiversity;12 3.1;1 Introduction;12 3.2;2 Measuring Biodiversity;13 3.3;3 Where Are They? A Short List of the World´s Biodiversity Hotspots;14 3.3.1;3.1 Madagascar;15 3.3.2;3.2 Eastern Himalayas;15 3.3.3;3.3 Malay Archipelago;15 3.3.3.1;3.3.1 Peninsular Malaysia;16 3.3.3.2;3.3.2 Northern Borneo;16 3.3.3.3;3.3.3 Philippines;16 3.3.3.4;3.3.4 New Caledonia;17 3.3.4;3.4 South America;17 3.3.4.1;3.4.1 Atlantic Coast of Brazil;18 3.3.4.2;3.4.2 Western Ecuador;18 3.3.4.3;3.4.3 Colombian Chocó;18 3.3.4.4;3.4.4 Neotropical Andes;18 3.4;4 How Did the Biodiversity Hotspots Get So Hot?;19 3.5;5 The Future of Biodiversity;23 3.6;References;24 4;Chemical Ecology: Definition and Famous Examples;26 4.1;1 Introduction;26 4.2;2 Famous Examples;28 4.2.1;2.1 Insects;28 4.2.2;2.2 Plants;30 4.2.2.1;2.2.1 Communication in Plants;30 4.2.2.2;2.2.2 Plants and Microbes;30 4.2.2.3;2.2.3 Allelopathy: Negative Plant Talk;31 4.2.2.4;2.2.4 A Different Plant Story: The Plant as Paul Revere;31 4.2.2.5;2.2.5 Plant Neurobiology: A Contradiction in Terms or a Vision of the Future?;32 4.2.3;2.3 Vertebrates;33 4.2.4;2.4 Microbes;33 4.3;3 The Machines that Make Chemical Ecology Possible;34 4.4;References;36 5;Chemical Defenses of Insects: A Rich Resource for Chemical Biology in the Tropics;38 5.1;1 Introduction;38 5.2;2 Background;40 5.3;3 Chemical Weapons in Insects: History and Examples;41 5.3.1;3.1 Ethnoentomology;41 5.3.2;3.2 Venoms;42 5.3.2.1;3.2.1 Studying Venoms;43 5.3.3;3.3 Sprays and Secretions;46 5.3.4;3.4 Significance of Tropical Species for Chemical Biology Exploration;50 5.3.4.1;3.4.1 Defensive Chemical Ecology of Walkingstick Insects (Order Phasmatodea);50 5.4;4 Early Work on Phasmid Defensive Secretions;51 5.5;5 Continuing the Tradition of Discovery Using New Technologies;54 5.6;6 Biosynthesis: New Discoveries for Pathway Elucidation;58 5.7;7 The Future of Insect Chemistry: From Biosynthesis to Drugs;59 5.8;8 Insects as a Source of Drugs;59 5.8.1;8.1 Toxins;59 5.8.2;8.2 Antibiotics;60 5.9;9 Biosynthesis: Toward New Methods of Chemical Production;62 5.10;10 Suggested Reading and Viewing;62 5.11;References;63 6;Defensive Behaviors in Leaf Beetles: From the Unusual to the Weird;69 6.1;1 Introduction;69 6.2;2 Sociality;70 6.3;3 Maternal Care;70 6.4;4 Defensive Constructions;72 6.5;5 Fececology;72 6.6;6 Defensive Chemicals;73 6.7;7 Tritrophic Interactions;73 6.8;8 Arrow Poison Beetles;75 6.9;9 Conclusions;76 6.10;References;77 7;Microbes: A New Frontier in Tropical Chemical Biology;80 7.1;1 Introduction;80 7.2;2 Role of Microbes in Tropical Ecosystems;82 7.2.1;2.1 Decomposition;83 7.2.2;2.2 Nutrient Uptake;84 7.3;3 Biogeochemistry;87 7.3.1;3.1 Soil Formation;87 7.3.2;3.2 Atmospheric Contribution of Soil Microbes;88 7.4;4 Cell-to-Cell Communication or ``Microbial Chemical Ecology´´;90 7.5;5 Conclusions;92 7.6;References;93 8;Out on a Limb: True Confessions of a Bug Detective;96 8.1;1 Introduction;96 8.2;2 The Pioneer Spirit: Tools, Methods, Sweat, and Toil;97 8.2.1;2.1 Herbivores Rule: Specialists, Generalists, and an Apothecary in the Sky;100 8.3;3 Biodiversity Challenges in the Canopy;104 8.4;References;105 9;So, You Want to Do Research in the Rainforest?;106 9.1;1 Introduction;106 9.2;2 Practical Considerations in Tropical Chemical Biology: Field Work;107 9.3;3 Legal and Ethical Considerations in Tropical Chemical Biology;111 9.4;4 Convention on Biodiversity;112 9.5;5 Socioeconomic Threats in TNR;113 9.6;6 PASI Discussions on Legal and Ethical Issues;115 9.7;7 Conclusion;117 9.8;References;119 10;Index;121