Tropical ecosystems are hotspots of both modern day climate and land use change. In contrast to soils in the temperate zone, long lasting chemical weathering has led to the depletion of mineral nutrients from soils in tropical systems, although the remaining available nutrients are very efficiently re-cycled in the tropical biospheres. Erosion and soil degradation will undoubtedly significantly change C storage as well as the cycling of key nutrients in tropical systems. Feedbacks between soil weathering, erosion, atmospheric deposition, tree species and biogeochemical cycles will, therefore, differ significantly between natural and disturbed systems. Furthermore, tropical systems will likely respond differently then temperate systems, but the exact response is unknown. To understand tropical biogeochemical cycling, it is necessary to consider the combined effects of global change, geology, soil formation, microbial biochemistry, vegetation and human disturbance. These factors typically act and interact at different temporal and spatial scales.

We seek contributions addressing how biogeochemical cycles in the Tropics react to changes in climate, soil formation, microbial biochemistry, vegetation dynamics and human disturbance. Special emphasis is given to studies dealing with soil feedbacks such as greenhouse gas production, nutrient cycling and ecosystem productivity via empirical and/or modeling approaches.