scholarly journals Do woody vines use gelatinous fibers to climb?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joyce G. Chery ◽  
Rosemary A. E. Glos ◽  
Charles T. Anderson

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sally S. Weeks ◽  
Harmon P. Weeks
Keyword(s):  


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
MICHAEL JOHN HADDOCK ◽  
CRAIG C. FREEMAN
Keyword(s):  


Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 523 ◽  
Author(s):  
Félicien Meunier ◽  
Sruthi M. Krishna Moorthy ◽  
Hannes P. T. De Deurwaerder ◽  
Robin Kreus ◽  
Jan Van den Bulcke ◽  
...  

Research Highlights: We investigated the variability of vessel diameter distributions within the liana growth form among liana individuals originating from a single site in Laussat, French Guiana. Background and Objectives: Lianas (woody vines) are key components of tropical forests. Lianas are believed to be strong competitors for water, thanks to their presumed efficient vascular systems. However, unlike tropical trees, lianas are overlooked in field data collection. As a result, lianas are often referred to as a homogeneous growth form while little is known about the hydraulic architecture variation among liana individuals. Materials and Methods: We measured several wood hydraulic and structural traits (e.g., basic specific gravity, vessel area, and vessel diameter distribution) of 22 liana individuals in a single sandy site in Laussat, French Guiana. We compared the liana variability of these wood traits and the correlations among them with an existing liana pantropical dataset and two published datasets of trees originating from different, but species-rich, tropical sites. Results: Liana vessel diameter distribution and density were heterogeneous among individuals: there were two orders of magnitude difference between the smallest (4 µm) and the largest (494 µm) vessel diameters, a 50-fold difference existed between extreme vessel densities ranging from 1.8 to 89.3 vessels mm−2, the mean vessel diameter varied between 26 µm and 271 µm, and the individual theoretical stem hydraulic conductivity estimates ranged between 28 and 1041 kg m−1 s−1 MPa−1. Basic specific gravity varied between 0.26 and 0.61. Consequently, liana wood trait variability, even within a small sample, was comparable in magnitude with tree surveys from other tropical sites and the pantropical liana dataset. Conclusions: This study illustrates that even controlling for site and soil type, liana traits are heterogeneous and cannot be considered as a homogeneous growth form. Our results show that the liana hydraulic architecture heterogeneity across and within sites warrants further investigation in order to categorize lianas into functional groups in the same way as trees



2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (43) ◽  
pp. 13267-13271 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geertje M. F. van der Heijden ◽  
Jennifer S. Powers ◽  
Stefan A. Schnitzer

Tropical forests store vast quantities of carbon, account for one-third of the carbon fixed by photosynthesis, and are a major sink in the global carbon cycle. Recent evidence suggests that competition between lianas (woody vines) and trees may reduce forest-wide carbon uptake; however, estimates of the impact of lianas on carbon dynamics of tropical forests are crucially lacking. Here we used a large-scale liana removal experiment and found that, at 3 y after liana removal, lianas reduced net above-ground carbon uptake (growth and recruitment minus mortality) by ∼76% per year, mostly by reducing tree growth. The loss of carbon uptake due to liana-induced mortality was four times greater in the control plots in which lianas were present, but high variation among plots prevented a significant difference among the treatments. Lianas altered how aboveground carbon was stored. In forests where lianas were present, the partitioning of forest aboveground net primary production was dominated by leaves (53.2%, compared with 39.2% in liana-free forests) at the expense of woody stems (from 28.9%, compared with 43.9%), resulting in a more rapid return of fixed carbon to the atmosphere. After 3 y of experimental liana removal, our results clearly demonstrate large differences in carbon cycling between forests with and without lianas. Combined with the recently reported increases in liana abundance, these results indicate that lianas are an important and increasing agent of change in the carbon dynamics of tropical forests.



2021 ◽  
Vol 118 (41) ◽  
pp. e2101676118
Author(s):  
Tyler C. Coverdale ◽  
Ryan D. O’Connell ◽  
Matthew C. Hutchinson ◽  
Amanda Savagian ◽  
Tyler R. Kartzinel ◽  
...  

African savannas are the last stronghold of diverse large-mammal communities, and a major focus of savanna ecology is to understand how these animals affect the relative abundance of trees and grasses. However, savannas support diverse plant life-forms, and human-induced changes in large-herbivore assemblages—declining wildlife populations and their displacement by livestock—may cause unexpected shifts in plant community composition. We investigated how herbivory affects the prevalence of lianas (woody vines) and their impact on trees in an East African savanna. Although scarce (<2% of tree canopy area) and defended by toxic latex, the dominant liana, Cynanchum viminale (Apocynaceae), was eaten by 15 wild large-herbivore species and was consumed in bulk by native browsers during experimental cafeteria trials. In contrast, domesticated ungulates rarely ate lianas. When we experimentally excluded all large herbivores for periods of 8 to 17 y (simulating extirpation), liana abundance increased dramatically, with up to 75% of trees infested. Piecewise exclusion of different-sized herbivores revealed functional complementarity among size classes in suppressing lianas. Liana infestation reduced tree growth and reproduction, but herbivores quickly cleared lianas from trees after the removal of 18-y-old exclosure fences (simulating rewilding). A simple model of liana contagion showed that, without herbivores, the long-term equilibrium could be either endemic (liana–tree coexistence) or an all-liana alternative stable state. We conclude that ongoing declines of wild large-herbivore populations will disrupt the structure and functioning of many African savannas in ways that have received little attention and that may not be mitigated by replacing wildlife with livestock.



2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 1131-1141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane B. Carlos ◽  
Victor J. Paz ◽  
Ramiro P. Escobin ◽  
Jennifer M. Conda ◽  
Mario D.R. Ramos ◽  
...  


2016 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 1099-1107
Author(s):  
Letícia Maria Alves Ramos ◽  
João Vicente de Figueiredo Latorraca ◽  
Thayanne Caroline Castor Neto ◽  
Letícia Souza Martins ◽  
Elias Taylor Durgante Severo

ABSTRACT Tension wood is an important anatomical structure for its participation in the orientation of the trunk and the architecture of the branches as a function of structural reinforcement. However, its presence in large amounts significantly affects the technological properties of wood, just as in the rubber tree. Nevertheless, there is still demand for information about the origin, distribution and structural features in this species. Thus, this study aims to characterize the cellular structures in tension and opposite wood in Hevea brasiliensis (rubber tree), as well as its radial and longitudinal distribution. Discs at the base and the middle of the commercial logs were collected from three trees in a commercial plantation located in Tabapoã - SP. Tangential diameter of vessels, fiber length (gelatinous and non-gelatinous fibers), microfibril angle and proportionality of cellular elements (vessels, axial parenchyma, ray, gelatinous fibers and non-gelatinous fibers) were measured, and influence of gelatinous fiber presence in vessel diameter was observed. Gelatinous fibers were observed in the two types of wood and in the two trunk heights. Both types of wood were distinguished by gelatinous fiber length and the proportion of axial parenchyma. The tension wood in mid-trunk was the most different, with long gelatinous fibers and less abundant, larger vessel diameter and vessel proportion. Moreover, smaller vessel diameter was observed in the regions with a high proportion of gelatinous fibers, suggesting that the plant invests more support than in liquid transport.



2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 188
Author(s):  
Rossana Cortelini da Rosa ◽  
Dione Dambrós Raddatz ◽  
Paulo Fernando dos Santos Machado ◽  
Mario Lima dos Santos ◽  
Alexandro Dias Martins Vasconcelos ◽  
...  

The composition of the wood and its elements are considered determinants in the wood properties, standing out the fibers, axial parenchyma, number of vessels and rays. In this context, we aimed to investigate and describe the wood anatomical structure of the Erythroxylum myrsinites Mart. and identify its potential uses in the area of wood technology. From the tree, were removed three wood samples for the confection of anatomical slides, witch 3 &times; 3 &times; 3 cm, oriented we plans transversal, longitudinal and tangential longitudinal. For the preparation of histological blades, the method of Burger and Richter was adopted; the anatomical description was based on IAWA Committee recommendations. The species presents vessels numerous, solitary, composing 19% of the volume of wood. Diffuse porosity of polygonal contour and thin walls. Mean vascular elements, axial parenchyma representing 3% of the volume of the wood, in a paratracheal vasicentric arrangement. The rays are numerous, occupying 23% of the volume of the wood, narrow and heterogeneous, consisting of procumbent, square and erect cells. The fibers are libriform, of length medium and thick walls, occupying 55% of the volume of the wood, have spiral thickening and septate fibers, absent tracheids, and gelatinous fibers abundant. The characteristics presented give high flexibility to the stem and branches, and the wood with low specific mass, permeable and resistant to mechanical loads has potential for use in energy generation.



2021 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison W. Cusick
Keyword(s):  


1992 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 193-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
Francis E. Putz

Abstract Slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. elliottii Engelm.) seedlings (1-0) planted in a cutover stand dominated by 6-year-old coppiced hardwoods and woody vines benefited from reduction in root competition (by trenching) but not from increased light (by guy-wiring back overtopping trees).Over the 2-year experimental period there was no apparent effect of increasing canopy openness from 10% to 30% on pine seedling height, diameter, or aboveground biomass. In contrast, trenching resulted in increased foliar nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations, higher soil moisture contents,and a twofold increase in aboveground growth. The results support the use of site preparation and planting techniques that reduce root competition suffered by pine seedlings. South. J. Appl. For. 16(4):193-197



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