Tropical and subtropical ecosystems play an important role for the regional and global climate system through the exchange of greenhouse gases (GHG), water and energy and provide important ecosystem services that we as humans depend on, such as wood, foods, and biodiversity. Historic and recent human activities have, however, resulted in intensive transformation of tropical and subtropical ecosystems impacting on the cycling of nutrients, carbon, water, and energy. Particularly, the conversion of forests to oil palm plantation has dramatically increased over the last decade, yet the magnitude of GHG emissions from palm oil production at regional and national levels is still uncertain because we do not have sufficient data on GHG fluxes at the plantation level, nor do we have a clear understanding of how management interventions (e.g. fertilization, residue management, drainage of peatlands) influence rates of GHG exchange.

Here we invite contributions that provide insights on how land-use and land-use change influences biogeochemical cycles and ecohydrology in tropical and subtropical ecosystems at plot, landscape and continental scale. Examples include nitrogen and carbon cycles in soil and vegetation, the exchange of GHG between soil and atmosphere as well as ecosystem and atmosphere, changes in the energy balance, impacts on the water cycle, scaling issues from plots to country to continent; and the influence of management activities (i.e. fertilization, drainage, etc. ) on GHG fluxes, especially from oil palm plantations. Experimental studies (chamber or eddy covariance flux measurements, stable isotopes), inventories, as well as remote sensing or modelling studies are welcome.