S43.Summary: Avian community ecology in tropical forests: What do large scale censuses tell us?

Communities of birds are most diverse in tropical forests. Yet, fundamental questions persist about the nature of these communities. For example, the effects of sampling scale on apparent patterns of variation within or among tropical communities are poorly understood and hamper comparative analyses. Until recently, few long-term or large- scale studies of bird communities in either the Paleo- or Neotropics had been carried out. The purpose of this symposium is, for the first time, to bring together several researchers who have conducted large-scale (i.e., on plots at least 100 ha) song censuses of tropical communities. Our primary objectives are to establish common elements of tropical communities, address important sources of variation in community structure, and identify important questions for future work. The program will include species with diverse phylogenetic histories and communities with varying ecological and biogeographic settings. Each speaker will address issues pertaining to effects of sampling scale and our ability to predict avian community structure in the tropics. Resulting information and syntheses will clarify important issues that must be resolved for the development of effective conservation measures.