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Does Soil Moisture Availability Explain Liana Seedling Distribution Across A Tropical Rainfall Gradient?, Eric Manzane-Pinzon, Guillermo Goldstein, Stefan A. Schnitzer

Biological Sciences Faculty Research and Publications

Liana density tends to increase with decreasing rainfall and increasing seasonality. However, the pattern of liana distribution may be due to differences in soil water retention capacity, not rainfall and seasonality per se. We tested the effect of rainfall and soil substrate with respect to the distribution of liana seedlings in six sites across a rainfall gradient from the wet Atlantic to the dry Pacific in central Panama. Soils were either limestone, with low water-holding capacity, or laterite, with higher water-holding capacity. We sampled liana seedlings at each site using three 1 × 100 m transect. We found that …