XVI International Botanical Congess
Lianas are a conspicuous component of tropical rainforests and may be important indicators of forest disturbance. We tested effects of landscape, forest-disturbance, and soil predictors on liana communities in fragmented and continuous forests in central Amazonia. The most effective predictor of liana density and biomass was the distance of plots from the nearest forest edge: lianas increased sharply within 100 m of edges and were also positively correlated with forest disturbance (long-term mortality and damage rates of >10cm dbh trees). Liana biomass, but not density, was influenced by soil variables. We conclude that lianas are likely to have important impacts on forest dynamics and functioning in fragmented rainforests.