Lianas Significantly Reduce Tree Performance and Biomass Accumulation Across Tropical Forests: A Global Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Lianas are a quintessential tropical plant growth-form; they are speciose and abundant in tropical forests worldwide. Lianas compete intensely with trees, reducing nearly all aspects of tree performance. However, the negative effects of lianas on trees have never been combined and quantified for multiple tropical forests. Here, we present the first comprehensive standardized quantification of the effect of lianas on trees across tropical forests worldwide. We used data from 50 liana removal experiments and quantified the effect size of lianas on tree growth, biomass accretion, reproduction, mortality, leaf water potential, sap flow velocity, and leaf area index (LAI) across different forest types. Using a three-level mixed-effect meta-analysis, we found unequivocal evidence that lianas significantly reduce tree growth and biomass accretion in ecological, logging, and silvicultural studies. Lianas also significantly reduce tree reproduction, recruitment, and physiological performance. The relative detrimental effect of lianas on trees does not increase in drier forests, where lianas tend to be more abundant. Our results highlight the substantial liana-induced reduction in tree performance and biomass accumulation, and they provide quantitative data on the effects of lianas on trees that are essential for large-scale plant demographic and ecosystem models that predict forest change and carbon dynamics.

Fifteen essential science advances needed for effective restoration of the world's forest landscapes

“…In moist and wet forests, lianas and other vines are affecting the recovery of disturbed forests on a pantropical scale, with growing evidence suggesting a second tipping point in forest recovery [ 140 ]. However, there is debate regarding the benefit of temporary removal by cutting to stimulate tree growth [ 141 ], including potentially negative impacts for biodiversity, drought and protective ‘bandage effects’ on regrowing trees [ 118 , 140 ]. Knowledge is even more limited for other shrubby and herbaceous plants.…”

“…Measurement and monitoring are central to all articles in this theme issue. Monitoring data from Ecuador and Southeast Asia, respectively, show that ecological monitoring has potential for maximizing restoration outcomes for plant survival and growth [ 69 ] and for seed dispersal [ 118 ]]. We also see that indicators of forest structure or biomass are less sensitive to sampling area than are indicators of tree species diversity and composition, but small sample plots require standardizing for sample coverage when comparing species diversity [ 166 ].…”

Light‐demanding tree species are more susceptible to lianas than shade‐tolerant tree species in a subtropical secondary forest

“…Lianas are woody vines that use the architecture of host trees to access the forest canopy, and they compete intensely with their tree hosts (Schnitzer & Bongers, 2002). Liana‐tree interactions may be even stronger than tree‐tree interactions because lianas and trees have closer proximity and direct physical contact (Talley et al, 1996; Tobin et al, 2012), and lianas have strong negative effects on tree growth, survival and reproduction (Estrada‐Villegas et al, 2022; Estrada‐Villegas & Schnitzer, 2018; García León et al, 2018; Kainer et al, 2014; Toledo‐Aceves & Swaine, 2008). The strong interactions between lianas and trees naturally raise the question of whether some tree species are especially susceptible to lianas.…”

Physiological and Morphological Response of Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels to a Competing Liana: Case Study under Arid Climate

“…Lianas are woody climbing plants from a polyphyletic guild. They add significantly to forest dynamics, structure, diversity, and complexity [4]. For millions of years, trees and lianas coexist and the capacity of terrestrial plants to climb is an early innovation [5].…”