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  • Lianas as structural parasites: A re-evaluation

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    85588_1.pdf (487.5Kb)
    Author(s)
    Tang, Yong
    Kitching, Roger L
    Cao, Min
    Griffith University Author(s)
    Kitching, Roger L.
    Tang, Yong
    Year published
    2012
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    Abstract
    Lianas are a principal physiognomic component of tropical and subtropical forests and are typically considered to be parasites of trees. In contrast, the substantial contribution of lianas to rainforest leaf litter production (up to 40%) suggests that they play important roles in nutrient cycles and may benefit their host trees. Lianas contribute disproportionately to total forest litter production at least partially because lianas invest relatively little in support structures and proportionately much more to leaf production when compared with trees. In contrast to tree leaves, liana leaves are higher in nutrient ...
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    Lianas are a principal physiognomic component of tropical and subtropical forests and are typically considered to be parasites of trees. In contrast, the substantial contribution of lianas to rainforest leaf litter production (up to 40%) suggests that they play important roles in nutrient cycles and may benefit their host trees. Lianas contribute disproportionately to total forest litter production at least partially because lianas invest relatively little in support structures and proportionately much more to leaf production when compared with trees. In contrast to tree leaves, liana leaves are higher in nutrient concentrations, relatively short-lived, and decompose more rapidly. In addition, the special life form of lianas allows them to grow vertically and horizontally in the forest and relocate nutrients, mainly towards their host trees, through the production of leaf litter. Consequently, lianas may contribute substantially to the high rainforest productivity, and the roles they play in liana/tree associations and rainforest dynamics needs to be re-evaluated.
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    Journal Title
    Chinese Science Bulletin
    Volume
    57
    Issue
    4
    DOI
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s11434-011-4690-x
    Copyright Statement
    © The Author(s) 2012. This is a SpringerOpen Access license agreement which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
    Subject
    Ecology not elsewhere classified
    Publication URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10072/51754
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    • Journal articles

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