Central Peru

• July - October 2014
• Central Peru field campaign

Led by University of Oxford post-docs Dr. Lisa Patrick Bentley and Dr. Norma Salinas, the T-Forces Peru campaign had a successful kickoff in early July. Changing sites every 2-3 weeks until the beginning of October, the team will sample plant functional traits (leaf photosynthesis, leaf dark respiration, leaf spectra, specific leaf area, leaf thickness, leaf/wood anatomy and leaf venation) on the most abundant tree species in 5 long-term monitoring plots along an elevational gradient in central Peru. The first 3 plots are located in the Parque Nacional Yanachaga Chemillén (Oxapampa, Peru) and the second 2 plots are located in the Reserva National Allpahuayo Mishana (Iquitos, Peru). The team is comprised of assistants from the Jardín Botánico de Missouri (Oxapampa, Peru) and students from the Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad (Cusco, Peru). While field work has been challenging due to camping and working in remote plot locations with unexpected heavy rains, the team remains in good spirits.