Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning in Tropical Habitats — Case Studies and Future Perspectives in Atlantic Rainforest and Cerrado Landscapes

Currently, environmental changes can be seen as an intrinsic feature of ecosystems, once finding ecosystems that do not suffer of anthropogenic pressures, either direct or indirect, is rare [1]. Such pressures come from the continuous and exponential human population growth, which propels urbanization, activities and processes directly linked to the use of fossil fuels, mining, agriculture and cattle growth. The maintenance of current human population growth implies in the supply of a huge demand for food and technology, resulting in rising pollution and loss of habitats and entire ecosystems [2-5].