Charting uncharted territory.

Barro Colorado, a heavily studied research island in the Panama Canal, was the perfect site for the scientific brainchild of ecologists Robin Foster and Stephen P. Hubbell. In 1979, they began a project to map and measure each tree every five years. This idea spawned what is now a global network of similar studies in which 3 million jungle trees are being monitored. Scientists hope that mapping trees will allow them to more accurately predict the effects of climate and other ecological changes on the forests.

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Richard Condit studied Barro Colorado during drought and discovered two tree species in particular dwindled in number much faster than expected.

"We know because we can show detailed information very precisely," Condit told the New York Times. "With the 25-year scale in watching the forest, we know that forests and other nature systems change and can change pretty quickly."

Most tropical forests across the globe continue to be uncharted territory, even though they are easily the most biologically diverse ecosystems on the planet. Tropical forests now make up only 6 percent of the world and are disappearing at a rate of 1.2 percent annually, according to the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation.