Isoprenoid emissions of trees in a tropical rainforest in Xishuangbanna, SW China

Isoprenoid emissions of eight tropical tree species of SE Asia were investigated using dynamic Teflon bag branch enclosures. Emission potentials of four species were considerably deviating from a previous report. Two species, Garcinia cowa and Celtis philippensis, emitted isoprene with standard emission factors, given as carbon on dry weight basis of 20.7 and 0.2μgg-1h-1, respectively, before the peak of the rainy season. After the peak of the rainy reason the standard emission changed to 17.5 and 0.7μgg-1h-1, respectively. The other six species emitted monoterpenes with low standard emission factors between <0.1 and 0.5μgg-1h-1. Four out of five species investigated at two different times of the year showed seasonal differences in emission rates and composition. Total isoprenoid emissions were generally higher with new leaf flush than with aged leaves. Overall, the results suggest that better understanding of volatile organic compounds (VOC) emission from tropical species of SE Asia requires investigations that cover different seasons.