Attachment Rules of Lianas on Trunks at Different Positions in Mixed Broadleaf-conifer Forest at Jigong Mountain

Abstract:

To reveal the distribution law of lianas on tree trunk, the difference of Trachelospermum divaricatum with aerial root climbing strategy in different directions on the surface of Liquidambar formosana and Pinus massoniana was analyzed in a coniferous and broadleaf mixed forest in Jigong Mountain. The results showed that the distribution of T. divaricatum on the trunk of L. formosana and P. massoniana varied with the height of the tree. At basal diameter (5 cm height) of L. formosana, the number of T. divaricatum (6.6 ind./tree) attached in the northwest was significantly higher than that in the northeast (4.6 ind./tree) and southeast (4.3 ind./tree). At the breast diameter (130 cm height), the number of T. divaricatum growing in the southwest and southeast was significantly higher than that in the northwest. At the height of basal and breast diameter of L. formosana, the mortality of T. divaricatum in the south is significantly lower than that in the north. At the height of basal diameter of P. massoniana, the mortality of T. divaricatum was the highest (35.1%) in the northwest, thus lead to the least number of T. divaricatum (4.6 ind./tree). At the height of breast diameter of P. massoniana, the number of T. divaricatum distributed in the southeast was greater than the other directions. In addition, T. divaricatum mortality in the south was greater than that in the north. Therefore, there are significant differences in the distribution of T. divaricatum in different directions of climbing trees, which varied with height and diameter at breast height, indicating that the distribution pattern of liana was regulated by both microenvironment of the trunk and physiological feature of liana.

Key words:Liana;Trunk direction;Trachelospermum divaricatum;DBH;Tree height