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Liana species of the Barro Colorado Island 50-ha plot 2007 and 2017 censuses

Schnitzer, Stefan1; DeFilippis, David1; Rivera-Camaña, Rigoberto1; Bernal, Boris1; Valdes, Abelino1; Aguilar, Antonio1; Valdes, Seberino1; Pérez, Rolando2; Hernandez, Andres2; Aguilar, Salomon2; Garcia-Leon, Maria1

Research facility: Barro Colorado Island
Published Oct 04, 2024 on Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.q2bvq83v4

Data files

Oct 04, 2024 version files 19.64 KB

Abstract

Lianas are a common and diverse plant growth form in tropical forests, where they add considerably to the vascular plant diversity. Lianas contribute approximately 25% of the woody vascular plant species diversity in tropical forests (Gentry 1991, Schnitzer & Bongers 2002), with liana diversity varying systematically with forest mean annual rainfall and rainfall seasonality (Schnitzer 2005, 2018, Swaine & Grace 2007, DeWalt et al. 2010, 2015, Parolari et al. 2020). However, liana taxonomy and diversity have been described for relatively few tropical forest communities, thus the proportion of diversity that lianas contribute and how this diversity varies among forests is poorly understood.

Here we describe and release the species present in the 2007 and 2017 liana censuses of the Barro Colorado Island, Panama (BCI) 50-ha plot. Our liana species dataset includes the current and former family, genus, species, and authority for all liana stems 1 cm diameter or larger that were rooted within the BCI 50-ha plot in either of the 2007 or 2017 censuses. Lianas were identified in the forest during the 2007 and 2017 censuses (Schnitzer et al. 2012, 2015, 2021, Schnitzer & DeFilippis 2024). In 2023, we compared our species list to the Plants of the World Online, a global list compiled by Kew Gardens to ensure that our nomenclature was consistent with the most recent taxonomic changes (see Schnitzer et al. 2024). Methods used for the liana census study were published in Gerwing et al. 2006 and Schnitzer et al. 2008; see also Parren et al. 2005, Schnitzer et al. 2006). 

We found a total of 178 species distributed among 117,100 rooted individuals (1 cm diameter or larger, excluding clonal stems) that were present in either the 2007 or 2017 liana censuses of the BCI 50-ha plot. We were able to positively identify > 98% of these stems to species (Schnitzer et al. 2012, 2021). Liana species contributed 35% of the woody species (lianas, trees, and shrubs 1 cm diameter or larger) using the tree and shrub data from the 2015 tree census (Condit et al. 2019).

This liana species list, in combination with the spatially explicit liana and tree stem datasets (Condit et al. 2019, 2020, Schnitzer & DeFilippis 2024) provides a unique opportunity to test conceptual questions on how lianas and trees coexist in tropical forests (e.g., Schnitzer 2018, DeFilippis et al. in review, Medina-Vega et al. in review, Mello et al. in review). We welcome opportunities to collaborate with research groups interested in using this dataset; however, the data are free to be used with no restrictions other than citing this data paper and acknowledging NSF grants DEB-0613666 and IOS 15-58093, which funded the 2007 and 2017 liana censuses.