Forest structure determines the abundance and distribution of large lianas in Gabon
Abstract
© 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd Aim: Lianas are an important component of forest structure
in the tropics, accounting for up to 45% of total stems. Mounting evidence that tropical
forests are undergoing structural changes, with a growing abundance of lianas reducing
forest carbon storage potential, imparts a sense of urgency to study the drivers that
control liana abundance and biomass, particularly in Africa where data come from a
few, small-scale studies. Location: Gabon, Africa. Methods: In the first countrywide
study of lianas, we implemented the most ambitious, large-scale forest inventory in
tropical Africa to date, quantifying the density, basal area and biomass of large
lianas (≥10 cm in diameter) using a systematic, random design of 104 plots located
across Gabon. Additionally, we examined the relative importance of environmental variables
(mean annual precipitation, mean annual temperature, seasonality, soil nitrogen, soil
fertility), disturbance (effect of gaps, forest type) and forest structure (large
tree biomass) in driving macroscale variation in the abundance of large lianas. Results:
In total, we surveyed 1354 large lianas, and found the density, basal area and biomass
of large lianas in Gabon to be comparable to that in other tropical forests. The success
of large lianas was positively related to soil N, but most strongly correlated with
forest structure, particularly large tree biomass. The strength of the association
between large lianas and large trees increased with tree size class. Main conclusions:
Forest structure and the availability of large trees may be more important predictors
of the abundance and distribution of large lianas in African tropical forests than
environmental variables and disturbance. Changing environmental conditions are likely
to have little direct effect on large lianas, but climate change, defaunation and
land-use activities that diminish forest structure and reduce the number of large
trees could have strong indirect effects on large lianas in Central African forests.
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Journal articlePermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/15870Published Version (Please cite this version)
10.1111/geb.12554Publication Info
Poulsen, JR; Koerner, SE; Miao, Z; Medjibe, VP; Banak, LN; & White, LJT (2017). Forest structure determines the abundance and distribution of large lianas in Gabon.
Global Ecology and Biogeography, 26(4). pp. 472-485. 10.1111/geb.12554. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/15870.This is constructed from limited available data and may be imprecise. To cite this
article, please review & use the official citation provided by the journal.
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John Poulsen
Associate Professor of Tropical Ecology
John Poulsen is an ecologist with broad interests in the maintenance and regeneration
of tropical forests and conservation of biodiversity. His research has focused on
the effects of anthropogenic disturbance, such as logging and hunting, on forest structure
and diversity, abundance of tropical animals, and ecological processes. He has conducted
most of his research in Central Africa, where he has also worked as a conservation
manager, directing projects to sustainably manage natural resources i

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