Edge disturbance drives liana abundance increase and alteration of liana-host tree interactions in tropical forest fragments.

ABSTRACT: Closed-canopy forests are being rapidly fragmented across much of the tropical world. Determining the impacts of fragmentation on ecological processes enables better forest management and improves species-conservation outcomes. Lianas are an integral part of tropical forests but can have detrimental and potentially complex interactions with their host trees. These effects can include reduced tree growth and fecundity, elevated tree mortality, alterations in tree-species composition, degradation of forest succession, and a substantial decline in forest carbon storage. We examined the individual impacts of fragmentation and edge effects (0-100-m transect from edge to forest interior) on the liana community and liana-host tree interactions in rainforests of the Atherton Tableland in north Que

SUBMITTER: Campbell MJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5916267 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature