Liana species decline in Congo basin contrasts with global patterns.

ABSTRACT: Lianas, woody climbing plants, are increasing in many tropical forests, with cascading effects such as decreased forest productivity, carbon sequestration, and resilience. Possible causes are increasing forest fragmentation, CO₂ fertilization, and drought. Determining the primary changing species and their underlying vital rates help explain the liana trends. We monitored over 17,000 liana stems for 13 yr in 20 ha of old-growth forest in the Congo Basin, and here we report changes and vital rates for the community and for the 87 most abundant species. The total liana abundance declined from 15,007 lianas in 1994 to 11,090 in 2001 to 9,978 in 2007. Over half (52%) of the evaluated species have significantly declining populations, showing that the community response is not the res

SUBMITTER: Bongers F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7317384 | biostudies-literature | 2020 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature