Extremely susceptible to climatic and environmental variables, tropical forests are very dynamic carbon sinks, which can generate changes in forest composition and biodiversity that, in turn, lead to significant functional ecosystem alterations. This proposal focused on two components of the carbon cycle in forests of the Tambopata National Reserve (Madre de Dios). The first involved isoprene and monoterpene emissions (VBOCs), and their correlation with climatic, diurnal, and seasonal variables, with CO2, methane and water emissions. The second involved the biochemical characterization of litter decomposition in soil (material structure, content and type of lignin) with CO2 and methane emissions from the soil. This allowed us to have a better understanding of forest dynamics in the face of climate change to generate more detailed future global climate predictive models.

• Eric G. Cosio (Scientific coordinator, PUCP)
• Norma Salinas (PI, University of Edinburgh)
• Yadvinder Malhi (Co- investigator, University of Oxford)
• Patrick Meir (Co-researcher, University of Edinburgh)
• Fabián Limonchi (Research assistant, PUCP)
• Alex Nina (Research assistant, PUCP)
• Rudy Cruz (Research assistant, PUCP)
• Brenda D’Acunha (Research assistant, PUCP)

• Pontificia Universidad Católica del Peru
  • Institute for Nature, Earth and Energy
  • Chemical Section, Science Department

• University of Oxford, United Kingdom
  • Geography and Environment School

• University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom
  • Geoscience School
• Association for Integral Research and Development (AIDER)