Chinese Bulletin of Botany ›› 2007, Vol. 24 ›› Issue (02): 240-249.

• 专题介绍 • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Lianas and Their Functions in Tropical Forests

Yajun Chen , Junwen Chen, Zhiquan Cai   

  1. 1 Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yunnan Mengla 666303, China 2 Graduate School of Chinese Academy Sciences, Beijing 100039, China
  • Received:2006-06-12 Revised:2006-11-20 Online:2007-03-01 Published:2007-03-01
  • Contact: Zhiquan Cai

Abstract: As an important component of tropical forests, lianas directly and indirectly affect the growth and regeneration of many trees. Moreover, they may change the composition of tree species, and they play an important role in ecosystem-level processes such as biodiversity and carbon sequestration in tropical forests. With global climate change and habitat fragmentation, the importance of lianas in the dynamics of tropical forests is widely recognized. This review summarizes some basic information from recent research findings on liana’s biological characteristics, distribution pattern, and mechanisms responsible for maintenance of species’ diversity and their functions in forest ecosystems. The knowledge gap and perspective of the research on lianas are also discussed.