**Meet the editors**

Padmini Sudarshana, PhD, was a part of Monsanto Research Center, India, for 17 years and led teams including data science and crop transformation and PGRM teams. She was also involved in biosafety and regulation of transgenic research and scientific/community outreach programs at Monsanto. During her postdoctoral tenure at the Indian Institute of Science and the Univer-

sity of Agricultural Sciences, she studied hormonal regulation in parasitic plants and genetic diversity in tropical forests, respectively. She worked on postharvest storage of fruits and vegetables for her doctoral thesis. She has to her credit several research articles, book chapters, popular articles, and patents. She received "Above and Beyond" and "Genomics Team" Awards for significant contributions to projects in Monsanto. She was recognized as "Member in Spotlight" by Genome India International. She obtained her MSc and MPhil degrees from the University of Mysore and her PhD degree from the Central Food Technological Research Institute, India.

Madhugiri Nageswara-Rao, PhD, works in the areas of plant breeding, genomics, bioenergy, genetic engineering, disease diagnostics, population, and eco-evolutionary genetics. He is the author of peer-reviewed research articles, book chapters, and popular articles and has guest-edited special issues for journals, edited books, and newsletters. He was an adjunct faculty at the Polk

State College, USA. His work has been broadcasted on Fox News, USA. He was invited by CBC Radio, Canada, to speak on air. He has served in the "Executive Committee" of GII. He was recognized as "Young Scientists" by Bioclues and "Member in Spotlight" by GII and featured in ASPB News. The University of Florida's international programs appraised his contribution in "International Focus." He has authored peer-reviewed manuscripts for prominent international journals and received grant proposals for international institutions. He obtained his BSc and MSc degrees from the Bangalore University and his PhD degree from FRI, India. He was featured as "Tomorrow's Principal Investigators: Rising Young Investigators" by Genome Technology, USA. He has secured "Silver Award" as a team member from the American Museum of Natural History, USA. He was also selected for AAAS/Science Program for Excellence in Science. He is an editorial board member of six journals.

Jaya R. Soneji, PhD, works in the areas of plant breeding, genomics, bioenergy, genetic engineering, population, and eco-evolutionary genetics. She is the author of peer-reviewed research articles, book chapters, and popular articles and has guest-edited special issues for journals, edited books, and newsletters. She was an adjunct faculty at the Polk State College, USA. Her work

Contents

**Preface VII**

Chapter 1 **Physicochemical Foliar Traits Predict Assemblages of Litter/**

Maria Fernanda Barberena-Arias and Elvira Cuevas

Chapter 2 **Enhanced Phylogenetic Diversity of Anuran Communities: A**

Chapter 3 **Tropical Forests Are An Ideal Habitat for Wide Array of**

Chapter 4 **Methods to Evaluate Land-Atmosphere Exchanges in**

Celso von Randow and Luiz E. O. C. Aragao

Chapter 5 **People's Perceptions of Ecosystem Services Provided by Tropical Dry Forests: A Comparative Case Study in**

**Development and Protection Policies 115**

**Amazonia Based on Satellite Imagery and Ground**

Gabriel de Oliveira, Nathaniel A. Brunsell, Elisabete C. Moraes, Yosio E. Shimabukuro, Guilherme A. V. Mataveli, Thiago V. dos Santos,

Veronica Iniguez-Gallardo, Zeina Halasa and Johanna Briceño

Chapter 6 **South China Tropical Forest Changes in Response to Economic**

**Result of Species Loss in an Agricultural Environment 21** Victor Mendes Lipinski, Samanta Iop, André Passaglia Schuch and

**Humus Detritivore Arthropods 1**

Tiago Gomes dos Santos

**Wildlife Species 37** Muhammad Nawaz Rajpar

**Measurements 67**

**Southern Ecuador 95**

Shudong Wang and Taixia Wu

has been broadcasted on Fox News, USA. She was invited by CBC Radio, Canada, to speak on air. She has served in the "Executive Committee" of GII. She was recognized as "Young Scientists" by Bioclues and "Member in Spotlight" by GII and featured in ASPB News. The University of Florida's international programs appraised her contribution in "International Focus." She has authored peer-reviewed manuscripts for prominent international journals and received grant proposals for international institutions. She obtained her BSc degree (rank second), MSc degree (rank second) from the University of Mumbai and her PhD degree from BARC, India. She has received many scholarships and awards for her academic achievements. She taught plant genetics, physiology, tissue culture, and genetic engineering at Ramnarain Ruia College, India.
