One of the challenges of the future is to maintain biodiversity, and a very large number of factors influence global biodiversity. By managing communities in ecosystems, biodiversity can be maintained, and our feathered competitors can teach ecologists a lot about species interactions. Join André A. Dhondt, Edwin H. Morgens Professor of Ornithology at Cornell, for a "Chats in the Stacks" talk about his new book "Interspecific Competition in Birds” (Oxford University Press, January 2012).

In nature there exist three main types of biotic interactions between individuals of different species: competition, predation, and mutualism. All three exert powerful selection pressures, and all three shape communities. However, the question of how important interspecific competition in nature really is remains controversial and unresolved. This book provides a critical review of the topic, and reasons that the coexistence of species is the result of both past and presently on-going interspecific competition. Understanding the importance of interspecific competition in natural systems will be increasingly important when modeling the effects of climate change on populations.

A reception and book signing will follow. The "Chats in the Stacks" book talk is funded by the Mary A. Morrison Public Education Fund at Mann Library.