Investigating the Trees of Amazonia

When in doubt, sniff a tree. No, really! Botanists and rainforest ecologists follow their noses to identify certain species in addition to looking at the plant's flowers, and counting leaves on branches. 

This is the second part in a series about the Field Museum's Rapid Inventory No. 27, a journey through the forests between the rivers Tapiche and Blanco in Peru. Every year, the Museum's conservation group [the Action Center!] gathers together leading scientific experts across a number of disciplines (botany, zoology, geology, and anthropology) in order to gain an understanding of little-known areas of the rainforest. They work with local communities and their governments to help inform decisions made for conserving these unique, precious, and threatened parts of the world. 

To learn more about the Rapid Inventory program, check out our episodes: Into Peru AND In Search of Night Life.

Read more about the Field Museum's Rapid Inventory programs.

This expedition would not have been possible without the generosity and help of Corine Vriesendorp, Nigel Pitman, Alvaro del Campo, Tyana Wachter, Ernesto Ruelas, and the rest of the Rapid Inventory team. Thank you for allowing us to join you on this journey, and for giving us the trip of a lifetime.