Disturbance and clonal reproduction determine liana distribution and maintain liana diversity in a tropical forest

What is it about?

Prediction of carbon dynamics in response to global climate change requires an understanding of the processes that govern the distribution of carbon stocks. Biomass in tropical trees is one of the main reservoirs of terrestrial carbon, but the drivers of biomass distribution at small scales are poorly understood. We address this knowledge gap by analysing the factors explaining biomass distribution at small scale in a tropical forest in Panama. The most important factor was presence of lianas (woody vines), followed by soil fertility. Lianas reduce biomass accumulation due to resource competition with trees, soil chemical and/or biological fertility contributes to biomass accumulation. These results will improve the accuracy of future predictions of biomass distribution and dynamics in tropical forests.

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