Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Above- and below-ground competition between the liana Acacia kamerunensis and tree seedlings in contrasting light environments

  • Published:
Plant Ecology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Proliferation of lianas in canopy gaps can restrict tree regeneration in tropical forests through competition. Liana effects may differ between tree species, depending on tree requirements for above- and below-ground resources. We conducted an experiment in a shade house over 12 months to test the effect of light (7 and 27% external irradiance) on the competitive interactions between seedlings of one liana species and three tree species and the contribution of both above- and below-ground competition. Seedlings of the liana Acacia kamerunensis were grown with tree seedlings differing in shade tolerance: Nauclea diderrichii (Pioneer), Khaya anthotheca (Non-Pioneer Light Demander) and Garcinia afzelii (Non-Pioneer Shade Bearer). Trees were grown in four competition treatments with the liana: no competition, root competition, shoot competition and root and shoot competition. Both root and root–shoot competition significantly reduced relative growth rates in all three tree species. After one year, root–shoot competition reduced growth in biomass to 58% of those (all species) grown in no competition. The root competition treatment had a more important contribution in the effect of the liana on tree growth. Tree seedlings did not respond to competition with the liana by altering their patterns of biomass allocation. Although irradiance had a great effect on tree growth and allocation of biomass, the interaction between competition treatments and irradiance was not significant. Nauclea diderrichii, the tree species which responded most to the effects of competition, showed signs of being pot-bound, the stress of which may have augmented the competition effects. The understanding of the interaction of above- and below-ground competition between lianas and trees and its moderation by the light environment is important for a proper appreciation of the influence of lianas on tropical forest regeneration.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alder D (1993) Growth and yield research in Bobiri forest reserve. ODA/Forestry Research Institute of Ghana, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Barker MG, Pérez-Salicrup D (2000) Comparative water relations of mature mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) trees with and without lianas in a subhumid, seasonally dry forest in Bolivia. Tree Physiol 20:1167–1174

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bloom AJ, Chapin III FS, Mooney HA (1985) Resource limitation in plants-an economic analogy. Annu Rev Ecol Syst 16:363–392

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell EJF, Newbery DM (1993) Ecological relationships between lianas and tress in lowland rain forest in Sabah, East Malaysia. J Trop Ecol 9:469–490

    Google Scholar 

  • Casper BB, Cahill Jr JF, Hyatt LA (1998) Above-ground competition does not alter biomass allocated to roots in Abutilon theophrasti. New Phytol 140:231–238

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark DB, Clark DA (1990) Distribution and effects on tree growth of lianas and woody hemiepiphytes in a Costa Rican tropical wet forest. J Trop Ecol 6:321–331

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coley PD, Bryant JP, Chapin III FS (1985) Resource availability and plant antiherbivore defense. Science 230:895–899

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Coomes DA, Grubb PJ (2000) Impacts of root competition in forest and woodlands: a theoretical framework and review of experiments. Ecol Monogr 70:171–207

    Google Scholar 

  • Crawley M (2002) Statistical computing, an introduction to data analysis using S-plus. John Wiley & Sons Ltd, England

    Google Scholar 

  • Cunningham AB (2003) African medicinal plants: setting priorities at the interface between conservation and primary health care. People and Plants working paper 1, UNESCO Presse, Paris

  • Davis MA, Wrage KJ, Reich PB (1998) Competition between tree seedlings and herbaceous vegetation: support for a theory of resource supply and demand. J Ecol 86:652–661

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Denslow JS, Ellison AM, Sanford RE (1998) Treefall gap size effects on above- and below-ground processes in a tropical wet forest. J Ecol 86:597–609

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dillenburg LR, Teramura AH, Forseth IN, Whigham DF (1995) Photosynthetic and biomass responses of Liquidambar styraciflua (Hamamelidaceae) to vine competition. Am J Bot 82:454–461

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dillenburg LR, Whigham DF, Teramura AH, Forseth IN (1993a) Effects of below- and aboveground competition from the vines Lonicera japonica and Parthenocissus quinquefolia on the growth of the tree host Liquidambar styraciflua. Oecologia 93:48–54

    Google Scholar 

  • Dillenburg LR, Whigham DF, Teramura AH, Forseth IN (1993b) Effects of vine competition on availability of light, water, and nitrogen to a tree host (Liquidambar styraciflua). Am J Bot 80:244–252

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Foggie A (1947) Some ecological observations on a tropical forest type in the Gold coast. J Ecol 34:88–106

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fox JED (1976) Constraints on the natural regeneration of tropical moist forests. For Ecol Manage 1:37–65

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fredericksen TS, Mostacedo B (2000) Regeneration of timber species following selection logging in a Bolivian tropical dry forest. For Ecol Manage 131:47–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gentry AH (1991) The distribution and evolution of climbing plants. In: Putz FE, Mooney HA (eds) The biology of vines. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerhardt K (1996) Effects of root competition and canopy openness on survival and growth of tree seedlings in a tropical seasonal dry forest. For Ecol Manage 82:33–48

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goldberg DE, Fleetwood L (1987) Competitive effect and response in four annual plants. J Ecol 75:1131–1143

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grauel WT, Putz FE (2004) Effects of lianas on growth and regeneration of Prioria copaifera in Darien, Panama. For Ecol Manage 190:99–108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall JB, Swaine MD (1980) Seed stocks in Ghanaian forest soils. Biotropica 12:256–263

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hall JB, Swaine MD (1981) Distribution and ecology of vascular plants in a tropical rain forest, Forest vegetation in Ghana. Dr W. Junk Publishers, The Hague, The Netherlands

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawthorne WD (1993) Forest regeneration after logging. Findings of a study in the Bia South game production reserve, Ghana. ODA Forestry Series, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawthorne WD (1995) Ecological profiles of Ghanaian forest trees. Oxford Forestry Institute, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunt R (1982) Plant growth curves, the functional approach to plant growth analysis. Edward Arnold, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Keddy PA (1989) Competition. Chapman & Hall, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Kitajima K (1994) Relative importance of photosynthesis traits and allocation patterns as correlates of seedling shade tolerance of 13 tropical trees. Oecologia 98:419–428

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kyereh B, Swaine MD, Thompson J (1999) Effect of light on the germination of forest trees in Ghana. J Ecol 87:772–783

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lambers H, Chapin III FS, Pons TL (1998) Plant physiological ecology. Springer-Verlag, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Laurance WF, Pérez-Salicrup D, Delamónica P, Fearnside PM, D´Angelo S, Jerozolinski A, Pohl L, Lovejoy TE (2001) Rain forest fragmentation and the structure of Amazonian liana communities. Ecology 82:105–116

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis SL, Tanner EVJ (2000) Effects of above- and below-ground competition on growth and survival of rain forest tree seedlings. Ecology 81:2525–2538

    Google Scholar 

  • Lieberman D, Mingguang L (1992) Seedling recruitment patterns in a tropical dry forest in Ghana. J Veg Sci 3:375–382

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McConnaughay KDM, Bazzaz FA (1991) Is physical space a soil resource? Ecology 72:94–103

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osunkoya OO, Ash JE (1991) Acclimation to a change in light regime in seedlings of 6 Australian rain-forest tree species. Aust J Bot 39:591–605

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Osunkoya OO, Othman FE, Kahar RS (2005) Growth and competition between seedlings of an invasive plantation tree, Acacia mangium, and those of a native Borneo heath-forest species Melastoma beccarianum. Ecol Res 20:205–214

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ostertag R (1998) Below-ground effects of canopy gaps in a tropical wet forest. Ecology 79:1294–1304

    Google Scholar 

  • Parren M, Doumbia F (2003) Logging and lianas in West Africa. In: Parren M (eds) Lianas and logging in West Africa. Tropenbos International, The Netherlands, pp 47–65

    Google Scholar 

  • Pérez-Salicrup D (2001) Effect of liana cutting on tree regeneration in a liana forest in Amazonian Bolivia. Ecology 82:389–396

    Google Scholar 

  • Pérez-Salicrup D, Barker MG (2000) Effect of liana cutting on water potential and growth of adult Senna multijuga (Caesalpinioideae) trees in a Bolivian tropical forest. Oecologia 124:469–475

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poorter L (1999) Growth responses of 15 rain-forest tree species to a light gradient: the relative importance of morphological and physiological traits. Funct Ecol 13:396–410

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poorter L (2001) Light-dependent changes in biomass allocation and their importance for growth of rain forest tree species. Funct Ecol 15:113–123

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poorter L, Werger MJA (1999) Light environment, sapling architecture, and leaf display in six rain forest tree species. Am J Bot 86:1464–1473

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Putz FE (1983) Liana biomass and leaf area of a “Tierra Firme” forest in the Rio Negro Basin, Venezuela. Biotropica 15:185–189

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Putz FE (1984a) The natural history of lianas on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Ecology 65:1713–1724

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Putz FE (1984b) How trees avoid and shed lianas. Biotropica 16:19–23

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Putz FE (1991) Silvicultural effects of lianas. In: Putz FE, Mooney HA (eds) The biology of vines. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Quinn G, Keough MJ (2002) Experimental design and data analysis for biologists. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Riddoch I, Grace J, Fasehun FE, Riddoch B, Ladipo DO (1991) Photosynthesis and successional status of seedlings in a tropical semi-deciduous rain forest in Nigeria. J Ecol 79:491–503

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schnitzer SA (2005) A mechanistic explanation for global patterns of liana abundance and distribution. Am Nat 166: 262–276

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schnitzer SA, Bongers F (2002) The ecology of lianas and their role in forests. Trends Ecol Evol 17:223–230

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schnitzer SA, Carson WP (2001) Treefall gaps and the maintenance of species diversity in a tropical forest. Ecology 82:913–919

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schnitzer SA, Dalling JW, Carson WP (2000) The impact of lianas on tree regeneration in tropical forest canopy gaps: evidence for an alternative pathway of gap-phase regeneration. J Ecol 88:655–666

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schnitzer SA, Kuzee M, Bongers F (2005) Disentangling above-and below-ground competition between lianas and tress in a tropical forest. J Ecol 93:1115–1125

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sokal RR, Rohlf FJ (1995) Biometry, the principles and practice of statistics in biological research. W. H. Freeman and Company, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Swaine MD, Agyeman VK, Kyereh B, Orgle TK, Thompson J, Veenendaal EM (1997) Ecology of forest trees in Ghana. University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen

    Google Scholar 

  • Toledo-Aceves T, Swaine M (2007) Effect of three species of climber on the performance of Ceiba pentandra seedlings in gaps in a tropical forest in Ghana. J Trop Ecol 23:45–52

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Toledo-Aceves T, Swaine M Effect of lianas on tree regeneration in gaps and forest understorey in a tropical forest in Ghana. J Veg Sci (in press)

  • Turnbull MH (1991) The effect of light quantity and quality during development on the photosynthetic characteristics of six Australian rainforest tree species. Oecologia 87:110–117

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veenendaal EM, Swaine MD, Agyeman VK, Blay D, Abebrese IK, Mullins CE (1996) Differences in plant and soil water relations in and around a forest gap in West Africa during the dry season may influence seedling establishment and survival. J Ecol 84:83–90

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Veneklaas EJ, Poorter L (1998) Growth and carbon partitioning of tropical tree seedlings in contrasting light environments. In: Lambers H, Poorter H, Van Vuuren MI (eds) Inherent variation in plant growth. Physiological mechanisms and ecological consequences. Backhuys Publishers, The Netherlands

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiner J (1986) How competition for light and nutrients affects size variability in Ipomea tricolour populations. Ecology 67: 1425–1427

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitmore TC (1996) A review of some aspects of tropical rain forest seedling ecology with suggestions for further enquiry. In: Swaine (ed) The ecology of tropical forest tree seedlings. UNESCO, Paris

  • Wilson SD, Tilman D (1993) Plant competition and resource availability in response to disturbance and fertilization. Ecology 74:599–611

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was possible thanks to a grant to T.T-A from Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología, Mexico (ref. 128765). The Society for Experimental Biology and the University of Aberdeen contributed with complementary funds. We are grateful to M. A. Pinard and two anonymous reviewers for the helpful comments on a previous version of the manuscript. Assistance was provided by K. Macmillan for the editing of the manuscript. The Forestry Research Institute of Ghana provided all the facilities during the fieldwork. We thank Paula Zamora and Peter Amoako for their assistance in Ghana.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. CONABIO, Insurgentes sur 4903, Col. Parques del Pedregal, Mexico, 14010, D.F., Mexico

    Tarin Toledo-Aceves

  2. School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, AB24 3UU, UK

    Michael D. Swaine

Authors
  1. Tarin Toledo-Aceves
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Michael D. Swaine
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tarin Toledo-Aceves.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Toledo-Aceves, T., Swaine, M.D. Above- and below-ground competition between the liana Acacia kamerunensis and tree seedlings in contrasting light environments. Plant Ecol 196, 233–244 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-007-9347-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11258-007-9347-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation