La vida en el dosel: diversidad de lianas y su interacción con los árboles hospedadores en el Jardín Botánico Lillo

María Jimena Astrada Poviña; Sergio Javier Ceballos

doi:10.30550/j.lil/2431

Authors

María Jimena Astrada Poviña Instituto de Ecología Regional (UNT- CONICET). Edificio Las Cúpulas, Residencia Universitaria Horco Molle. Yerba Buena, Tucumán, Argentina. https://orcid.org/0009-0005-3900-0811
Sergio Javier Ceballos Instituto de Ecología Regional (UNT- CONICET). Edificio Las Cúpulas, Residencia Universitaria Horco Molle. Yerba Buena, Tucumán. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales e Instituto Miguel Lillo (UNT). San Miguel de Tucumán, Tucumán, Argentina.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30550/j.lil/2431

Keywords:

Lianas, botanical, dynamics, interaction, arboretum

Abstract

Lianas are woody climbing plants that compete with trees for soil and canopy resources. Although their ecology has been extensively studied in forest environments, knowledge remains limited regarding their diversity and interactions with host trees in urban settings. Urban green spaces, and botanical gardens in particular, act as biodiversity refuges and offer unique scenarios for investigating ecological interactions. In this study, we describe the liana diversity present in the Jardín Botánico Lillo (JBL) in Tucumán, Argentina, analyze its relationship with host tree traits, and evaluate how liana richness and abundance vary according to host spatial distribution within the garden. We surveyed 987 liana stems with a diameter ? 0.5 cm, belonging to 10 species, 9 genera, and 8 families, with Dolichandra unguis-cati being the most abundant (80.5% of individuals). Lianas colonized a total of 160 trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) ? 10 cm, spanning 37 species. Liana abundance and diameter increased with host tree DBH, height, and crown illumination index. Furthermore, spatial location within the garden dramatically influenced colonization: edge trees (adjacent to the sidewalk) exhibited significantly higher liana abundance and colonization levels compared with interior trees. These findings demonstrate that the combination of host structure and higher light availability at the edges acts as the main driver of liana proliferation. Consequently, this study contributes to our understanding of climbing plant ecology in urban ecosystems and provides key data for designing tree management and conservation strategies in this botanical garden.

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