Dr Peter Moonlight
- Position: Research Fellow in the Ecology of Dry Tropical Biomes
- Areas of expertise: Permanent Forest Monitoring Plots; Dry Forests; Taxonomy; Systematics; Begonia
- Email: P.W.Moonlight@leeds.ac.uk
- Website: The Begonia Resource Centre | Twitter | Googlescholar | Researchgate | ORCID
Profile
My long term research goal is to promote the integration of taxonomy and systematics into efforts to quantify the roles of tropical forests in global carbon cycling. I am particularly interested in how incorrect tree identifications in plots affect our ability to accurately measure and monitor the amount of carbon held within tropical forests, and the relationships among forest biodiversity and carbon cycling. I am a systematist by training, with expertise in the taxonomy and biogeography of the megadiverse genus Begonia in the Andes. I continue to work on the systematics of Andean Begonia, particularly focussing on Peruvian and Bolivian species.
My main responsibilities are:
- Coordinating the collection of recensus data for permanent forest monitoring plots from dry forests and savannas in the American tropics.
- Supporting and leading field campaigns to recensus dry biome plots.
- Investigating the quantity and type of misidentifications in plots, and simulating their effect upon estimates of plot carbon storage and sequestration.
Professional memberships
- Fellow of the Linnean Society