Cameron Clay | Minneapolis-St. Paul LTER to Luquillo LTER

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Cameron Clay, leaning against a tree

Cameron Clay will visit Luquillo (LUQ) LTER to learn how to install, process, and analyze minirhizotron monitoring systems working with Dr. Tana Wood and Laura C. Rubio Lebrón. At MSP, Cameron will deploy a minirhizotron system into an existing floodplain forest experiment. The skills he gains in Puerto Rico will allow for the creation of parallel projects at these two LTER sites to test how extreme fluctuations in soil moisture affect root traits.

Photo Contest Winners

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Congratulations to the winner of the 2025 LTER photo contest: Leonardo A. Rivera-Pagan, Luquillo LTER, and Rachael Brenneman, Konza Prairie.

Hurricane Disturbances May Increase Resilience in Wet Tropical Forests

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Hurricanes are typically considered destructive and disastrous, with high-speed winds exceeding 75 miles per hour and torrential downpours. These powerful storms can have major impacts on tropical forests, ripping open the forest canopy and causing organic debris to pile up on the forest floor. Despite these seemingly destructive qualities, new research suggests that ecological disturbance… Read more »

Water is key to tropical forest carbon storage

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rainforest

Tropical forests are sometimes referred to as the “lungs of the planet,” and for good reason – the high plant biomass of tropical regions produces a large portion of the oxygen we breathe and absorbs significant amounts of carbon dioxide. Rainfall, nutrient availability, and amount of disturbance (natural or human) a forest experiences can all… Read more »