David L. Pearson is a Research Professor in the Department of Biology at Arizona State University. His research is concentrated on ecological interactions among communities of species. He has studied habitats from desert grasslands and coral atolls to tropical rainforests and has written more than 75 scientific articles.

Having conducted ecological research in Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador intermittently in the past 30 years, he has become involved with environmental education and ecotourism in the region. He is co-author of Ecuador and Peru, both published as part of Interlink’s Travellers’ Wildlife Guides series.