March

You might have heard that the soil of tropical rainforests is poor in nutrients. And that as a consequence, most of its extension is not suitable for agriculture. One of the most important reasons, is that biomass is degraded in such a fast and effective way, that these nutrients don´t stay outside of any organism for a long time. The fertile humus layer and the amount of leaves on the soil of these rainforests differ considerably from the generous ground found in the boreal forests of the planet.
Bacteria within bigger organisms such as termites, ants and fungi, play a crucial role for breaking down the “waste” to its smallest parts. Studying fungi is very challenging as some species only survive for a few hours. This time of the year is good to find some of the species that need a rainfall after which they use the water and the nutrients available. There is almost no limit regarding the diversity of colors in fungi. Orange, yellow, red, white, pink. But some species of fungi are also known for eliminating substance to produce an odor that attracts flies, mosquitoes and beetles, among other species. These serve to disperse their spores.
Some of the species are eatable, whereas others are poisonous. One of the rarest and most spectacular species is the bride´s veil. The veil lasts only for hours. The floodplain forest is a good habitat to look for fungi.

Following one of the trails at the Tambopata Research Center there is a unique place located within the terra firme forest, called The Bowl. Terra firma forests are locally also known as “terraces” as they usually don´t get flooded. The Bowl is inundated during the rainy season since it is a depression of the forest ground.
Although it is located some 90 minutes walking from TRC, it is an interesting walk as it covers a variety of habitats. However, we will only be able to imagine the party the night before, as amphibian activity will be reduced to some of the diurnal species. But we might see some clutches and tadpoles. This activity fits well in a long TRC program as it covers a different habitat. The open area allows light to be good. So this might be a place to hang out for photography before walking back to the lodge.
In general all three lodges have in their vicinity ponds formed during the rainy season. Sizes and depth vary, as well as species composition. We will visit them on our night walk as we look for amphibian activity. We provide rubber boots and walking sticks for all our activities.

Fruit abundance during the rainy season makes the monkeys look well-fed. Among the monkey species in Tambopata, the importance of fruits in their feeding habits varies considerably. For the black spider monkey fruits represent around 90% of their diet. As a consequence this species will be found near trees that are fruiting or palm swamps where there is plenty of food.
The black spider monkeys are among the most threatened neotropical species of monkeys in all their distribution range due to habitat loss, hunting and low reproductive rate. The forests around the Tambopata Research Center harbor a healthy population of black spider monkeys. With luck, we might see them high up in the trees, balancing with their tails and jumping from branch to branch making their presence very noticeable.