The Tambopata Chemical Ecology Institute (TCEI)is situated in an area that has long been welcoming toward ecologists and other field researchers, such as EO Wilson and Alan Gentry, and any work here builds upon this distinguished tradition. TCEI is a subproduct of the Tambopata Project at the Institute for Environmental Studies at the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (IDEA-PUCP) and has been built on property belonging to the Explorer´s Inn, one of Peru's first “Ecolodges.” This property is the forerunner (established 1980) and core of the present Tambopata National Reserve. At any given time there are one or two visiting scientists conducting studies and observations either at TCEI or in the surrounding Tambopata National Reserve. In addition, TCEI has instituted several long-running studies. These include:

Visiting scientist Jorge Vivanco (Center for Rhizosphere Biology, Colorado State University) has begun a study investigating the tree’s role in the symbiotic relationship between the Azteca ant and the Cecropia tree; this is part of a larger survey which will attempt to identify and catalog the vast networks of chemical ecology interactions between the organisms of the Tambopata rainforest. Other studies involve the characterization of the underground microbial biodiversity to correlate this information with the bewildering array of above-ground biodiversity. His work is funded by NSF, the Fulbright commission, and the Guggenheim Foundation.

Jorge Vivanco and TCEI coordinator Eric Cosio (IDEA-PUCP) have also collaborated on the hosting of a 10-day workshop on tropical chemical ecology under the auspices of the United States National Science Foundation’s Pan-American Advanced Studies Institute (PASI) program, which seeks to disseminate cutting-edge scientific knowledge to an audience of young postdoctoral scientists from all over the Americas. This PASI, “Interdisciplinary Studies in Tropical Chemical Biology,” will be held at TCEI on May26-June 5, 2008, For more information, and for application instructions, click here.