Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines of Arkansas

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

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Lianas reduce carbon accumulation and storage in tropical forests

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1504869112 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 112 (43) ◽

pp. 13267-13271 ◽

Cited By ~ 88

Author(s):

Geertje M. F. van der Heijden ◽

Jennifer S. Powers ◽

Stefan A. Schnitzer

Keyword(s):

Tropical Forests ◽

Large Scale ◽

Net Primary Production ◽

Carbon Dynamics ◽

Carbon Accumulation ◽

Carbon Uptake ◽

Woody Vines ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Agent Of Change ◽

The Impact

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.

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Large herbivores suppress liana infestation in an African savanna

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.2101676118 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 118 (41) ◽

pp. e2101676118

Author(s):

Tyler C. Coverdale ◽

Ryan D. O’Connell ◽

Matthew C. Hutchinson ◽

Amanda Savagian ◽

Tyler R. Kartzinel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Stable State ◽

Life Forms ◽

Tree Canopy ◽

Alternative Stable State ◽

African Savanna ◽

Large Herbivore ◽

Large Herbivores ◽

Woody Vines ◽

Plant Life Forms ◽

Canopy Area

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.

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Archaeological evidence of woody vines at Bubog 2, Ilin Island, Mindoro, Philippines

Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences ◽

10.1007/s12520-018-0722-7 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 1131-1141 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Jane B. Carlos ◽

Victor J. Paz ◽

Ramiro P. Escobin ◽

Jennifer M. Conda ◽

Mario D.R. Ramos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Archaeological Evidence ◽

Woody Vines

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Reduction of Root Competition Increases Growth of Slash Pine Seedlings on a Cutover Site in Florida

Southern Journal of Applied Forestry ◽

10.1093/sjaf/16.4.193 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 193-197 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Francis E. Putz

Keyword(s):

Experimental Period ◽

Pinus Elliottii ◽

Slash Pine ◽

Root Competition ◽

Canopy Openness ◽

Apparent Effect ◽

Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽

Woody Vines ◽

Pine Seedlings ◽

Aboveground Growth

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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Stand Dynamics and Plant Associates of Loblolly Pine Plantations to Midrotation after Early Intensive Vegetation Management—A Southeastern United States Regional Study

Southern Journal of Applied Forestry ◽

10.1093/sjaf/27.4.221 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 27 (4) ◽

pp. 221-236 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

James H. Miller ◽

Bruce R. Zutter ◽

Ray A. Newbold ◽

M. Boyd Edwards ◽

Shepard M. Zedaker

Keyword(s):

Loblolly Pine ◽

Canopy Cover ◽

Wildlife Habitat ◽

Pine Plantations ◽

Stand Dynamics ◽

Lag Phase ◽

Regional Study ◽

Plant Component ◽

Complete Control ◽

Woody Vines

Abstract Increasingly, pine plantations worldwide are grown using early control of woody and/or herbaceous vegetation. Assured sustainable practices require long-term data on pine plantation development detailing patterns and processes to understand both crop-competition dynamics and the role of stand participants in providing multiple attributes such as biodiversity conservation and wildlife habitat. This study examined loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations across 13 southeastern sites grown for 15 yr with near-complete control of woody, herbaceous, and woody plus herbaceous components during the first 3–5 yr compared to no plant control. This multiple objective experiment (the COMProject) documents stand dynamics at the extreme corners of a response surface that encompasses most conditions of woody and herbaceous competition common to pine plantations in the region. This is the first of two companion reports. After 15 yr, patterns of stand development remained significantly altered by early control treatments and were influenced most by the amounts of hardwoods and shrubs present or controlled. Herbaceous components were more similar across the region. Associated plants in these plantations included 68 species of trees, 33 species/genera of shrubs, and 140 genera of herbaceous and semiwoody plants, woody vines, clubmoss, and ground lichen—241 total taxa or an estimated 490 total species—more richness than previously reported or assumed. Hardwood rootstock numbers were on average maintained at fairly constant levels from yr 1–15 when not controlled, with no initial lag phase evident for reestablishment, indicating prior stand origin. Dynamics of associated vegetation were significantly altered with woody control initially increasing herbaceous cover, while herbaceous control increased hardwood cover and decreased shrub cover. After early herbaceous control, hardwood basel area (BA) was increased by an average of 28%. After rapid early colonization, herbaceous plants began to decline on all treatments about yr 8 as pine and/or hardwood canopy cover reached a total of 50–60%, while woody vines continued to increase. By age 15, plant component richness remained significantly changed by early treatments at all locations, most notably fewer tree species after early woody control. South. J. Appl. For. 27(4):221–236.

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Characterizing the floral resources of a North American metropolis using a honey bee foraging assay

10.1101/834804 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Douglas B. Sponsler ◽

Don Shump ◽

Rodney T. Richardson ◽

Christina M. Grozinger

Keyword(s):

Honey Bee ◽

Urban Ecosystem ◽

Landscape Scale ◽

Taxonomic Composition ◽

Floral Resources ◽

Urban Landscapes ◽

Woody Vines ◽

Bee Foraging ◽

Honey Bee Foraging ◽

Floral Resource

AbstractRoughly a third of described insect species visit flowers, making the flower-insect interface one of the chief pillars of global biodiversity. Studying flower-insect relationships at the scale of communities and landscapes has been hindered, however, by the methodological challenges of quantifying landscape-scale floral resources. This challenge is especially acute in urban landscapes, where traditional floral surveying techniques are ill-suited to the unique constraints of built environments. To surmount these challenges, we devised a “honey bee foraging assay” approach to floral resource surveying, wherein continuous colony weight tracking and DNA metabarcoding of pollen samples are used to capture both the overall availability and taxonomic composition of floral resources. We deploy this methodology in the complex urban ecosystem of Philadelphia, PA, U.S. Our results reveal distinct seasonality of floral resource availability, with pulses of high availability in May, June, and September, and a period of prolonged scarcity in August. Pollen genus richness mirrored this pattern, with peak richness in May and June. The taxonomic composition of pollen samples varied seasonally, reflecting underlying floral phenology, with especially strong turnover between May and June samples and between August and September samples delineating well-defined spring, summer, and fall floral resource communities. Trait analysis also revealed marked seasonal structure, with spring samples characterized by trees and shrubs, summer samples including a stronger presence of herbaceous “weeds”, and fall samples dominated by woody vines. Native flora predominated in spring, giving way to a preponderance of exotic flora in summer and fall. Our study provides a detailed portrait of floral resources in a complex urban environment. At a basic level, this yields insight into the assembly of novel urban floral resource communities, showcasing, for example, the emergence of a woody-vine-dominated fall flora. At an applied level, our data can inform urban land management, such as the design of ecologically functional ornamental plantings, while also providing practical guidance to beekeepers seeking to adapt their management activities to floral resource seasonality. Methodologically, our study demonstrates the potential of the honey bee foraging assay as an efficient and standardizable technique for landscape-scale floral resource surveying.

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“Study of Phenology of Woody Flora of Gulmarg and Its Neighbourhood” for Landscape Use

Journal of Scientific Research and Reports ◽

10.9734/jsrr/2019/v22i430095 ◽

2019 ◽

pp. 1-7

Author(s):

Azfar Bashir Nanda ◽

Nelofar . ◽

Raiz Ahmed Lone

Keyword(s):

Ground Cover ◽

Deciduous Trees ◽

Kashmir Valley ◽

Woody Vines ◽

Landscape Use ◽

Broad Leaf ◽

Trees And Shrubs

The present investigation entitled “Study of phenology of ornamental flora of Gulmarg and its neighbourhood for landscape use” conducted during the years 2008-2010 in Gulmarg area of Kashmir valley. For this purpose four representative zones including zone A. ferozpur (1880 m.asl) and Tangmarg (2153 m.asl), zone B. Drang. (2218 m.asl) zone C. Doobi ghat (2218 m.asl), Gulmarg (2688 m.asl) and Baba reshi (2703 m.asl) and zone D. khelanmarg (3041 m.asl) were selected and recorded observations on flower emergence by making exploratory trips to these sites. Phonological spectrum of the flora of deciduous trees and shrubs, broad leaf evergreen trees and shrubs, deciduous woody vines, ground covers and evergreen ground cover shrubs revealed maximum availability of flowers during spring followed by summer and autumn.

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