Are lianas increasing in importance in temperate floodplain forests in the southeastern United States?
Bruce P. Allena,* Rebecca R. Sharitzb and P. Charles Goebelc
aSchool
of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, 2021
Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210, United States
bSavannah River Ecology Laboratory, Drawer E, Aiken, SC 29802,
United States
cSchool of Environment and Natural Resources, Ohio Agricultural
Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University, 1680 Madison
Avenue, Wooster, OH 49916, United States
Abstract
Floodplain forests of the southeastern United States are species rich,
often with a dense and diverse liana community. Long-term trends in the
density and distribution of lianas may indicate shifts in the composition
of plant functional types in these forests. Liana communities in non-fragmented
forests in Panama and across the Neotropics have increased in size and
density over the last two decades of the 20th century. Are similar changes
occurring in temperate forests? Evidence from long-term studies of liana
communities in two floodplain forests in South Carolina support the findings
from tropical forests. In second-growth forests of the Savannah River
system, data from five 1-ha plots established in 1979 and monitored for
22 years indicate a steady increase in liana size and density. Likewise,
in old-growth floodplain forests of the Congaree National Park, liana
density has increased over 12 years in six 1-ha plots after Hurricane
Hugo disturbed the forests in 1989. The increase in liana density and
size in these floodplain forests of the southeastern United States is
of sufficient magnitude to suggest that lianas are likely influencing
stand dynamics in these forests. Consequently, we argue that lianas should
be included in models of temperate bottomland forest development of the
southeastern United States.
Keywords
Lianas; Disturbance; Old-growth; Forest development patterns
*Corresponding
author at: 8192 Lakespring DR., West Chester, OH 45069, United States.
Tel.: +1 513 779 3360
SREL Reprint #3021
Allen, B. P., R. R. Sharitz and P. C. Goebel. 2007. Are lianas increasing in importance in temperate floodplain forests in the southeastern United States? Forest Ecology and Management 242(1):17-23.
