Contribution of lianas to plant area index and canopy structure in a Panamanian forest

Rodríguez‐Ronderos, M. Elizabeth; Bohrer, Gil; Sánchez‐Azofeifa, Arturo; Powers, Jennifer S.; Schnitzer, Stefan A.

doi:10.1002/ecy.1597

Cited by 47 publications

(72 citation statements)

References 46 publications

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“…The data collected from the plots in the field indicate that lianas contribute between 9% and 31% of the ecosystem LAI (van der Heijden et al, ). Removal experiments carried out in gaps and intact forest in Gigante found the liana LAI to account for 17% and 20% of the total LAI, respectively (Rodríguez‐Ronderos et al, ; Schnitzer & Carson, ).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling the impact of liana infestation on the demography and carbon cycle of tropical forests

Brugnera

Meunier

Longo

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

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There is mounting empirical evidence that lianas affect the carbon cycle of tropical forests. However, no single vegetation model takes into account this growth form, although such efforts could greatly improve the predictions of carbon dynamics in tropical forests. In this study, we incorporated a novel mechanistic representation of lianas in a dynamic global vegetation model (the Ecosystem Demography Model). We developed a liana‐specific plant functional type and mechanisms representing liana–tree interactions (such as light competition, liana‐specific allometries, and attachment to host trees) and parameterized them according to a comprehensive literature meta‐analysis. We tested the model for an old‐growth forest (Paracou, French Guiana) and a secondary forest (Gigante Peninsula, Panama). The resulting model simulations captured many features of the two forests characterized by different levels of liana infestation as revealed by a systematic comparison of the model outputs with empirical data, including local census data from forest inventories, eddy flux tower data, and terrestrial laser scanner‐derived forest vertical structure. The inclusion of lianas in the simulations reduced the secondary forest net productivity by up to 0.46 tC ha−1 year−1, which corresponds to a limited relative reduction of 2.6% in comparison with a reference simulation without lianas. However, this resulted in significantly reduced accumulated above‐ground biomass after 70 years of regrowth by up to 20 tC/ha (19% of the reference simulation). Ultimately, the simulated negative impact of lianas on the total biomass was almost completely cancelled out when the forest reached an old‐growth successional stage. Our findings suggest that lianas negatively influence the forest potential carbon sink strength, especially for young, disturbed, liana‐rich sites. In light of the critical role that lianas play in the profound changes currently experienced by tropical forests, this new model provides a robust numerical tool to forecast the impact of lianas on tropical forest carbon sinks.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling the impact of liana infestation on the demography and carbon cycle of tropical forests

Brugnera

Meunier

Longo

et al. 2019

Global Change Biology

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“…Control plots were visited at the same frequency and intensity as the liana removal plots, to avoid a visitation effect (Cahill, Castelli, & Casper, ; Schnitzer, Reich, Bergner, & Carson, ) and the liana removal plots have been kept liana‐free until present. The liana removal experiment follows the fate of more than 30,000 lianas and trees >1 cm diameter to assess the forest‐level impacts of lianas on forest community and ecosystem level dynamics (Adams, Schnitzer, & Yanoviak, ; Álvarez‐Cansino et al, ; García León et al, ; Martínez‐Izquierdo, García, Powers, & Schnitzer, ; Rodriguez‐Ronderos, Bohrer, Sanchez‐Azofeifa, Powers, & Schnitzer, ; van der Heijden et al, ). This paper presents results of the first 6 years (2011–2017) of the experiment and focuses on 841 lianas ≥5 cm and 2,717 trees ≥10 cm, which comprise the vast majority of the woody plant biomass in this forest.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of lianas on forest‐level tree carbon accumulation does not differ between seasons: Results from a liana removal experiment in Panama

2019

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Lianas are prevalent in Neotropical forests, where liana‐tree competition can be intense, resulting in reduced tree growth and survival. The ability of lianas to grow relative to trees during the dry season suggests that liana‐tree competition is also strongest in the dry season. If correct, the predicted intensification of the drying trend over large areas of the tropics in the future may therefore intensify liana‐tree competition resulting in a reduced carbon sink function of tropical forests. However, no study has established whether the liana effect on tree carbon accumulation is indeed stronger in the dry than in the wet season. Using 6 years of data from a large‐scale liana removal experiment in Panama, we provide the first experimental test of whether liana effects on tree carbon accumulation differ between seasons. We monitored tree and liana diameter increments at the beginning of the dry and wet season each year to assess seasonal differences in forest‐level carbon accumulation between removal and control plots. We found that median liana carbon accumulation was consistently higher in the dry (0.52 Mg C ha−1 year−1) than the wet season (0.36 Mg C ha−1 year−1) and significantly so in three of the years. Lianas reduced forest‐level median tree carbon accumulation more severely in the wet (1.45 Mg C ha−1 year−1) than the dry (1.05 Mg C ha−1 year−1) season in all years. However, the relative effect of lianas was similar between the seasons, with lianas reducing forest‐level tree carbon accumulation by 46.9% in the dry and 48.5% in the wet season. Synthesis. Our results provide the first experimental demonstration that lianas do not have a stronger competitive effect on tree carbon accumulation during the dry season. Instead, lianas compete significantly with trees during both seasons, indicating a large negative effect of lianas on forest‐level tree biomass increment regardless of seasonal water stress. Longer dry seasons are unlikely to impact liana‐tree competition directly; however, the greater liana biomass increment during dry seasons may lead to further proliferation of liana biomass in tropical forests, with consequences for their ability to store and sequester carbon.

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“…), where they pre‐empt resources and displace their host's leaves (Kira & Ogawa , Rodriguez‐Ronderos et al . ). Lianas appear to deploy the majority of their leaves in full sun, above those of their host's crown, whereas many tree species are adapted to deploy the majority of their leaves in the lower canopy layers (Avalos & Mulkey , Rodriguez‐Ronderos et al .…”

Section: Lianas: Tree Competitors or Parasites?mentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Furthermore, some liana leaves are located below the crown of their host tree (Rodriguez‐Ronderos et al . ), and thus may be protected from intense sunlight and high stress by the leaves of their host. The idea that lianas may benefit from their host tree beyond structural support is novel and promising, but remains untested.…”

Section: Lianas: Tree Competitors or Parasites?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Blurred lines between competition and parasitism

Stewart

Schnitzer

2017

Biotropica

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Accurately describing the ecological relationships between species is more than mere semantics–doing so has profound practical and applied implications, not the least of which is that inaccurate descriptions can lead to fundamentally incorrect predicted outcomes of community composition and functioning. Accurate ecological classifications are particularly important in the context of global change, where species interactions can change rapidly following shifts in species composition. Here, we argue that many common ecological interactions–particularly competition and parasitism–can be easily confused and that we often lack empirical evidence for the full reciprocal interaction among species. To make our case and to propose a theoretical framework for addressing this problem, we use the interactions between lianas and trees, whose outcomes have myriad implications for the ecology and conservation of tropical forests (e.g., Schnitzer et al. 2015).

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Contribution of lianas to plant area index and canopy structure in a Panamanian forest

Cited by 47 publications

References 46 publications

Modeling the impact of liana infestation on the demography and carbon cycle of tropical forests

Modeling the impact of liana infestation on the demography and carbon cycle of tropical forests

Effect of lianas on forest‐level tree carbon accumulation does not differ between seasons: Results from a liana removal experiment in Panama

Blurred lines between competition and parasitism

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