Abstract:

To assess the edge effects of forests on liana communities，liana abundance，richness， area at breast height，size structure and climbing mechanisms were investigated in two 0.4 hm²transects from forest edges to interior region in a 60-year-old natural secondary tropical rain forest，Bawangling Nature Reserve，Hainan Island. The results showed that:1）Liana abundance decreased significantly with increasing distance from the forest edge in the both edges which respectively formed in 17 years and 13 years ago. Liana richness decreased with increasing distance from the edge in the 17-year-old edge. Liana breast height area was not affected by forest edge. 2）In the 13-year-old edge， the proportion of liana individuals with their DBH larger than 1cm increased with the increase of distance from forest edge. Liana size structure was relatively stable in the 17-year-old edge.3）Liana climbing mechanisms varied significantly in different distances from forest edge. Stem twiners dominated in both edge. In summary, edge effects of the forest on liana community structures declined with increasing distance from forest edge, and increased with edge age. The influence depth was 40-50 m in the 17-year-old edge and approximately 10 m in the 13-year-old edge.

Key words: edge effect, liana, secondary forest, Hainan island