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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 10, 2026

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter

Linking Predation Risk, Herbivore Physiological Stress and Microbial Decomposition of Plant Litter

Published on: March 12, 2013

Carbon stocks in tropical forests decrease with liana density.

Sandra M Durán¹, Ernesto Gianoli

¹Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. sduran@ualberta.ca

Biology Letters

|June 21, 2013

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Increased liana abundance in tropical forests negatively impacts carbon storage, particularly in large trees. Accurately estimating forest carbon requires including liana abundance in global change models.

Keywords:

carbon storage global change liana abundance tree size tropical forests

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Area of Science:

Tropical ecology
Forest carbon science
Global change biology

Background:

Tropical forests are undergoing structural shifts, notably a rise in liana (woody vine) abundance and biomass.
Lianas comprise a significant portion of woody stems and can negatively affect tree growth and survival.
These changes may alter the carbon storage capacity of tropical ecosystems.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between liana abundance and above-ground carbon stocks in tropical forests globally.
To assess the impact of lianas on carbon stored in trees of different size classes.

Main Methods:

Utilized forest inventory data from 145 tropical forest plots worldwide (0.1 ha each).
Quantified liana abundance and above-ground carbon stocks per plot.
Statistically analyzed the association between liana abundance and tree carbon stocks.

Main Results:

Liana abundance showed a significant negative association with carbon stocks in large trees (diameter > 10 cm).
No significant relationship was found between liana abundance and carbon stocks in small trees (diameter ≤ 10 cm).
Large trees store approximately 90% of total forest carbon, highlighting the impact of lianas.

Conclusions:

Liana abundance has pervasive effects on tropical forest carbon stocks, primarily by affecting large trees.
Accurate estimation of forest carbon requires incorporating liana abundance into models.
This research is crucial for improving predictions of global change impacts on tropical forests.