Liana co‐occurrence patterns in a temperate rainforest

Questions: Are liana–host interactions structured at the community level? Do liana–host interactions differ between species, growth form guilds or habitats? Location: Otari‐Wilton's Bush, on the southern tip of North Island, New Zealand. The forest contains 75 ha of mature and regenerating conifer–broadleaf forest. Methods: Nine liana species were quantified among 217 trees to test for negative co‐occurrence patterns. We also conducted additional analyses within and among compartments embedded in the community‐level matrix. Liana and host abundance distributions were assessed across two contrasting habitats. Results: Community‐level analyses revealed negative co‐occurrence patterns. Positive, neutral and negative co‐occurrence patterns were found among compartments within the community‐level matrix. Host species compartments were consistent with randomized expectations, while positive co‐occurrence patterns were found within the host species matrix. Negative co‐occurrence patterns were found inconsistently among lianas that share the same region of host space, and those that do not. Conclusions: Overall, results indicate the liana community is structured non‐randomly. Liana–host interactions appear to follow an opportunistic growth strategy and interactions are due mostly to habitat partitioning.     

Thirteen years of change in trees and lianas in a Gabonese rainforest

Inventories of trees and lianas were performed at a 13-year interval (1979–1992) in an evergreen forest in north-east Gabon. The number of trees decreased while their basal area and species richness increased. In contrast, both the richness and density of lianas decreased. Lianas with active climbing mechanisms were the main types to disappear.     

Root Pressure of Tropical Lianas and Their Relationships with Phylogeny and Environments

Lianas usually possess large vessels, which are vulnerable to cavitation. Root pressure may play an important role in embolism repair of vessels. However, little is known about the generality of root pressure in tropical lianas. To characterize root pressure of lianas in tropical rainforests, we used pressure transducers to measure root pressure in the rainy and dry seasons for a total of 32 lianas from 14 families common in Xishuangbanna. We further analyzed the associations of maximum root pressure with phylogeny and of transient root pressure with environmental factors. We found that all lianas we selected had root pressure, with maximum root pressure ranging from 2-138kPa. In the dry season, about 72% (23 species) of the lianas had relatively low root pressure (<15kPa) and maintained positive throughout the day. This may be important for water balance for roots and basal stems of lianas. There were three types of diurnal changes in liana root pressure. In Type I, root pressure had obvious diurnal variation in the dry and rainy seasons. In Type II, root pressure did not show obvious diurnal variation in the dry and rainy seasons. In Type III, either in the dry or in the rainy season, root pressure showed obvious diurnal variation. Root pressure varied substantially among lianas, with lianas from two families, Fabaceae and Vitaceae, usually having relatively higher root pressure, suggesting that phylogeny may influence root pressure. Transient root pressure closely responded to photosynthetically active radiation. In most cases, however, it was not related to rainfall and vapour pressure deficit. These results suggest that the associations of liana root pressure with environments need further investigation.     

Diurnal changes in xylem pressure and mesophyll cell turgor pressure of the lianaTetrastigma voinierianum: The role of cell turgor in long-distance water transport

Summary Long-term xylem pressure measurements were performed on the lianaTetrastigma voinierianum (grown in a tropical greenhouse) between heights of 1 m and 9.5 m during the summer and autumn seasons with the xylem pressure probe. Simultaneously, the light intensity, the temperature, and the relative humidity were recorded at the measuring points. Parallel to the xylem pressure measurements, the diurnal changes in the cell turgor and the osmotic pressure of leaf cells at heights of 1 m and 5 m (partly also at a height of 9.5 m) were recorded. The results showed that tensions (and height-varying tension gradients) developed during the day time in the vessels mainly due to an increase in the local light intensity (at a maximum 0.4 MPa). The decrease of the local xylem pressure from positive, subatmospheric or slightly above-atmospheric values (established during the night) to negative values after daybreak was associated with an almost 1 1 decrease in the cell turgor pressure of the mesophyll cells (on average from about 0.4 to 0.5 MPa down to 0.08 MPa). Similarly, in the afternoon the increase of the xylem pressure towards more positive values correlated with an increase in the cell turgor pressure (ratio of about 1 1). The cell osmotic pressure remained nearly constant during the day and was about 0.75–0.85 MPa between 1 m and 9.5 m (within the limits of accuracy). These findings indicate that the turgor pressure primarily determines the corresponding pressure in the vessels (and vice versa) due to the tight hydraulic connection and thus due to the water equilibrium between both compartments. An increase in the transpiration rate (due to an increase in light intensity) results in very rapid establishment of a new equilibrium state by an equivalent decrease in the xylem and cell turgor pressure. From the xylem, cell turgor, and cell osmotic pressure data the osmotic pressure (or more accurately the water activity) of the xylem sap was calculated to be about 0.35–0.45 MPa; this value was apparently not subject to diurnal changes. Considering that the xylem pressure is determined by the turgor pressure (and vice versa), the xylem pressure of the liana could not drop to — in agreement with the experimental results — less than -0.4 MPa, because this pressure corresponds to zero turgor pressure.     

Diversity and ecology of lianas in tropical dry evergreen forests on the Coromandel Coast of India under various disturbance regimes

In this study we attempted to explore patterns of diversity, abundance, climbing and dispersal mode of lianas in relation to disturbance in 40 Indian subtropical dry forests. The sites were selected to represent four disturbance categories: relatively undisturbed, moderately disturbed, much disturbed and heavily disturbed. All lianas ≥1 cm dbh were counted, which resulted in a total amount of 5689 individuals of lianas, representing 77 species in 62 genera and 32 families. Liana species richness and abundance increased with forest disturbance, but the liana basal area values showed an opposite trend, with high scores in undisturbed sites. Twining was the main climbing mechanism (61.3%) and zoochory (59.6%) was the main dispersal mode in all the four forest categories. Application of Bray–Curtis cluster analysis produced three distinct clusters in which the much disturbed category was more distant from the others. High abundance of large lianas in undisturbed sites and that of the invasive Lantana camara in heavily disturbed site signals the conservation significance of the less disturbed study sites. The predominance of zoochorous dispersal indicates the faunal dependence of lianas, besides of host trees, thus underlining the need for a holistic approach in biodiversity conservation of this and similar tropical forests.     

Litterfall of tropical forested wetlands of Veracruz in the coastal floodplains of the Gulf of Mexico

Canopy productivity of five seasonally flooded forests in the central area of the Gulf of Mexico was estimated by measuring the litterfall. Productivity was estimated on a monthly basis from November 2005 to October 2006, and values ranged between 9 and 15 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹. A total of 57 plant species were recorded based on the litter collected. The dominant species (Pachira aquatica, Annona glabra, Hippocratea celastroides and Dalbergia brownei) were the principal litterfall producers. The contribution of two life forms was assessed: trees (including trees, shrubs and palms) and lianas (climbers, lianas and creepers). Lianas were found to be extremely productive and represented between 8 and 62% of the total litterfall at the sampled locations. Leaves contributed most to the litter, followed by branches and reproductive structures. Fruit and seed fall coincided with the rainy season, and accounted for 50–90% of the production and shedding during the flooded season. Species that released seeds during this time had their seeds dispersed by water. Flower production occurred during the dry season (March–June). Species richness did not explain litterfall productivity. The litterfall productivity of these forests is similar to that of mangrove ecosystems.     

华南地区8种藤本植物叶绿素荧光特性对模拟二氧化硫污染的响应

研究了模拟SO2处理对8种华南地区常见盆栽藤本植物离体叶片的叶绿素荧光参数、快速光强响应曲线(RLC)、叶片总抗氧化能力(清除有机自由基1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl 水平)和叶片色素含量的影响.结果表明,经过10 h的20 mmol/L NaHSO3浸泡,8种藤本植物离体叶片的Fv/Fm,φPSII,rETR,rETRmax和RLC初始斜率α与对照(纯净水浸泡)相比有明显下降.8种供试植物的叶片总抗氧化能力和叶片色素含量的变化存在种间差异.8种藤本植物中龙吐珠(Clerodendron thomsonae)、锦屏藤(Cissus sicyoides)和禾雀花(Mucuna birdwoodiana)是对模拟SO2抗性较强的绿化藤本植物,抗性较差的是首冠藤(Bauhinia corymbosa)、红花西番莲(Passiflora coccinea)和宝巾(Bougainvillea glabra).     

浙江天童常绿阔叶林藤本植物的适应生态学I. 叶片解剖特征的比较

利用解剖学方法对浙江天童森林公园常绿阔叶林的 10属 11种木质藤本叶片的解剖特征进行了比较和因子分析 ,结果表明 :藤本植物叶片结构在不同种类之间具有明显的差异 ,同种藤本的不同植物体的叶片也存在一定的差异 ;这些差异除受遗传因子控制外 ,环境因子 (主要为光照和水分 )也有重要作用 ;攀援方式对藤本叶片特征有一定影响 ,但未表现出规律性。尽管叶片的基本结构仍属中生类型 ,但也表现出一定的趋异适应 ,根据叶片适应特征的差异 ,11种藤本植物可分为 3种类型 ,即偏旱生或阳生叶类型 (包括薜荔 (Ficus pumila)、珍珠莲 (Ficussarmentosa var. henry)和藤构 (Broussonetia kaempferi) ) ,偏阴生叶类型 (羊角藤 (Morinda umbellata)和昆明鸡血藤(Millettia reticulata) )和中生叶类型 (广东蛇葡萄 (Ampelopsis cantoniensis)、中华常春藤 (H edera nepalensis var.sinensis)、短梗南蛇藤 (Celastrus rosthonianus)、暗色菝葜 (Smilax lanceiofolia var.opaca)、薯莨 (Dioscorea cirrhosa)和香港黄檀 (Dalbergia millettii) )。藤本叶片的各部分结构特征对生境条件的适应并未表现出一致的同步变化 ,存在着一定的差异或可塑性 ,这可能由于藤本生长环境经常发生变动所至     

Development and Growth Form of the Neotropical Liana <Emphasis Type="Italic">Croton nuntians</Emphasis>: The Effect of Light and Mode of Attachment on the Biomechanics of the Stem

The neotropical liana Croton nuntians (Euphorbiaceae) can occur in a variety of different growth habits. Juvenile freestanding plants are mechanically stable without support and resemble morphologically young trees or shrubs, whereas adult plants are climbers. Ontogenetic variation of bending and torsion properties of different growth phases are analyzed by measurements of flexural stiffness, structural bending modulus, torsional stiffness and structural torsional modulus. Mechanical and anatomical data show two fundamentally different patterns for juvenile freestanding and adult climbing plants. In freestanding plants, mechanical properties and the contribution of cortex, wood, and pith to the stem cross-section vary only little during ontogeny as is typical for semi-self-supporting plants. In contrast, climbing plants become significantly more flexible during ontogeny, as is characteristic for lianas. This is accompanied by a transition to the formation of a less dense wood type with large diameter vessels and an increasing contribution of flexible tissues (less dense wood and cortex) to the cross-sectional area and the axial second moment of area of the stems. Depending on the environmental conditions, freestanding plants can differ considerably in their appearance due to differences in branching system or stem taper. Therefore the influence of light quantity, measured as percentage of canopy opening, on the mechanical properties and the stem anatomy was tested. Freestanding plants grown with strong shade are significantly more stiff in bending compared with plants grown with a moderate light environment.     

首冠藤的生态生物学特征

通过样地调查,对首冠藤(Bauhinia corymbosa)的生态生物学特征进行研究.结果表明,首冠藤是阳生性藤本植物,主要分布于热带亚热带地区光照较好的山坡、疏林边缘或村旁;耐贫瘠,适宜生长的土壤为红壤和赤红壤.其平均光合速率为3.306 μmolm~(-2)s~(-1),气孔导度为0.25 molm~(-1)s~(-1),蒸腾速率为4.10 mmolm~(-2)s~(-1).首冠藤对营养元素的利用率较高,植株体内N、P、K、Ca、Na、Mg加权平均养分含量分别为1.11%、0.09%、0.56%、0.86%、0.21%、0.06%,其中叶片N含量最高,枝Na含量最高,根部P和Mg含量最高.首冠藤的生态生物学特征有利于其快速生长、攀附和适应环境.