Lianas increase lightning‐caused disturbance severity in a tropical forest

• DOI: 10.1111/nph.18856
• Publication Date: 2023-03-23T09:50:10Z
• Authors: Evan M. Gora; Stefan A. Schnitzer; Phillip M. Bitzer; Jeffrey C. Burchf...; Cesar Gutierrez; Stephen P. Yanoviak
• Keywords: Liana; Lightning; Tropical forest

Lightning is an important agent of plant mortality and disturbance in forests. Lightning-caused highly variable terms its area effect severity (i.e. tree damage death), but we do not know how this variation influenced by forest structure composition. We used a novel lightning detection system to quantify lianas the spatial extent area) using 78 strikes central Panama. The local density (measured as liana basal was positively associated with number trees killed damaged lightning, patterns indicated that occurred because facilitated more electrical connections from large small trees. Liana presence, however, did increase disturbance. Thus, increased facilitating additional without influencing footprint These findings indicate spread electricity kill understory otherwise would survive strike. As abundance increases tropical forests, their negative effects on survival respect lightning-related death are likely increase.