Legacy effects of canopy gaps on liana abundance 25 years later in a seasonal tropical evergreen forest in northeastern Thailand

Background

Lianas or woody vine species are abundant in tropical forests. They depend on trees for stability to grow and climb to the canopy. While lianas depend on trees for growth, they also require canopy gaps at early growing stages to satisfy their high demand for sunlight. At times, lianas occupy new treefall gaps densely enough to prevent tree regeneration. Tree host ability may influence the abundance of lianas in Southeast Asian seasonally dry tropical forests.

Goals and Methods

The authors determine how the spatial distributions of lianas are related to the spacing and falling of surrounding host trees. They aim to determine how a 25-year-old canopy gap impacts liana abundance and growth, and if there is a positive association between lianas and host trees with a history of treefall gaps. In the Sakaerat Biosphere Reserve in Northeastern Thailand, the authors measure canopy height, host tree diameter, and liana diameter as well as note the presence or absence of historical treefall gaps to answer these questions.

Conclusions and Takeaways

The authors state that a history of treefall gaps significantly impacts the spatial distribution of lianas. Lianas show a positive correlation with tree stem density in areas with a history of treefall gaps. The authors recommend longer-term studies to obtain a more complete understanding of this relationship due to the slow growth of lianas.