Lianas from Lives to Afterlives

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

6-2024

Publisher

Wiley

Source Publication

New Phytologist

Source ISSN

0028-646X

Original Item ID

DOI: 10.1111/nph.19729

Abstract

Tropical forests constitute the world's largest biomass carbon pool and are important global reservoirs of biodiversity, yet they are being increasingly degraded by anthropogenic activities. Evidence from American tropical forests suggests that forest disturbance and climate change result in increased liana abundance and biomass, but data are still lacking from African and Asian forests. An increasing abundance of lianas may affect forest ecosystem services, which is concerning as these services are poorly understood.

Recognizing the urgent need to evaluate how increases in lianas could affect local and regional carbon, nutrient, and water cycles, 35 scientists (Fig.1), at different career stages, from 14 countries working across Africa, America, and Asia, convened at the 1st International Workshop on Liana Forest Ecology held at Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden (XTBG), China, 12–16 October 2023. With the focus ‘From life to afterlife: liana proliferation and its consequences for carbon and water cycling’, the workshop discussed how carbon, nutrient, and water cycles are affected by: (1) drivers of liana distribution and demography; (2) hydraulics of lianas vs trees; (3) lives of lianas; and, (4) afterlives of lianas (Fig. 2). Here, we provide a summary of our discussions.

Comments

New Phytologist, Vol. 242, No. 5 (June 2024): 1886-1890. DOI.

Please refer to article for full author listing.

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