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Local Forest Structure and Host Specificity Influence Liana Community Composition in a Moist Central African Forest
Begüm Kaçamak1,2, Maxime Réjou-Méchain1, Nick Rowe1
1AMAP University of Montpellier, IRD, CNRS, CIRAD, INRAE Montpellier France.
Ecology and Evolution
|March 13, 2025
Summary
Tropical forest liana communities are structured by forest architecture, but their composition is less predictable. Liana abundance and traits vary with forest density, and host specificity plays a minor role.
Area of Science:
- Tropical ecology
- Forest dynamics
- Plant community ecology
Background:
- Lianas are crucial to tropical forest ecosystems, influencing diversity and dynamics.
- Drivers of liana community structure and composition remain poorly understood.
- Understanding liana ecology is vital for tropical forest conservation and management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how local topography, forest structure, and tree composition influence liana community structure, floristic composition, and functional composition.
- To assess the role of forest characteristics in shaping liana communities in a Congolese moist forest.
- To explore potential host specificity in liana-tree interactions.
Main Methods:
- Field inventory of lianas (≥1 cm diameter) in 144 plots across four 9-ha permanent forest plots.
- LiDAR data integration for forest structure characterization.
- Analysis of leaf and wood traits to define liana functional strategies.
- Multivariate and randomization statistical analyses to determine ecological drivers.
Main Results:
- Liana community structure (abundance, basal area) strongly correlated with forest structure, favoring open-canopy areas.
- Liana floristic composition showed weak spatial structure, with minor influences from forest structure and topography.
- Forest structure weakly influenced liana functional composition, favoring conservative strategies in dense forests.
- Host specificity was observed in 19% of liana-tree species associations.
Conclusions:
- Liana community structure is more predictable than composition, primarily driven by forest architecture.
- Forest structure significantly impacts liana abundance and functional traits.
- Host-specific interactions may contribute to unexplained variation in liana floristic composition.
- Further research is needed to understand the implications of liana functional diversity.
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