Effects of below- and aboveground competition from the vines Lonicera japonica and Parthenocissus quinquefolia on the growth of the tree host Liquidambar styraciflua

Abstract

Detrimental effects of vines on tree growth in successional environments have been frequently reported. Little is known, however, about the relative importance of below and aboveground competition from vines on tree growth. The objective of this study was to quantify and compare the growth responses of Liquidambar styraciflua saplings to below and/or aboveground competition with the exotic evergreen vine, Lonicera japonica (Japanese honeysuckle), and the native deciduous vine, Parthenocissus quinquefolia (Virginia creeper). Soil trenching and/or vine-trellising were used to control the type of vine competition experienced by trees. Comparisons among untrenched treatments tested for effects of belowground competition. Comparisons among trenched treatments tested for effects of aboveground competition. After two growing seasons, Lonicera japonica had a greater effect on the growth of L. styraciflua than did P. quinquefolia. This effect was largely due to root competition, as canopy competition only had a negative effect on tree growth when it occurred in combination with root competition. Leaf expansion was consistently and similarly affected by all treatments which involved belowground competition.

Potential Range Expansion of Japanese Honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica Thunb.) in Southern U.S. Forestlands

“…L. japonica, like other invasive vines, can inhibit growth of host species through light interception and even kill host species through girdling [67]. L. japonica has been shown to inhibit reproduction and growth of non-host trees through root competition around forest edges [34]. In addition, L. japonica can indirectly inhibit growth of native species through site occupation and seedling suppression [30,33,68].…”

Below-ground resources limit seedling growth in forest understories but do not alter biomass distribution

“…Among soil resources altered by trenching are the availability of water and of nitrogen. Several authors have reported a two-fold increase in water [11,12,13], and others have shown an increase in the availability of nitrogen for different forest types ( [44] for deciduous and evergreen forest in North America, [21] for spruce plantations in Europe and [41] for tropical lower montane forest in the Caribbean).…”

Composición de lianas y bejucos en el Chocó Biogeográfico Colombiano

“…Sin lianas el suelo de un bosque tropical perdería hasta un 40% de hojarasca (Hegarty 1990) y muchos animales sufrirían al escasear la comida y los refugios (Montgomery & Sunquist 1978;Emmons & Gentry 1983;Galetti & Pedroni 1994citado por Morellato & Leitão-Filho 1996. Estructuralmente, las lianas constituyen una red natural de fibras tramadas entre los árboles que proveen estabilidad arquitectural al bosque (Putz 1984), aunque su presencia paradójicamente representa un fuerte perjuicio para la salud del árbol huésped (Putz 1984;Stevens 1987;Clark & Clark 1990;Dillenburg et al 1993).…”