DOI: 10.5061/dryad.m63xsj4bq
title: The Liana community of the Barro Colorado Island 50-ha plot - complete 2007 dataset

description: Lianas are an important component of tropical forests and they have been
 shown to interact intensely with trees (Putz 1984, Schnitzer &
 Bongers 2002). Lianas decrease tree growth, reproduction, recruitment, sap
 velocity, and leaf area, and the negative effects of lianas on trees have
 important community and ecosystem ramifications, particularly for species
 diversity and for forest-level carbon accretion and storage (Toledo-Aceves
 2015, Garcia-Leon et al. 2018, Estrada-Villegas et al. 2022). The ability
 to determine the relationship between lianas and long-term tree
 performance; however, has been impeded by the lack of large-scale,
 spatially explicit liana census data. Here we describe and release the
 2007 liana dataset from the Barro Colorado Island, Panama (BCI) 50-ha
 plot, an intensely studied forest dynamics plot with a rich 40-year
 history of tree dynamics (See Condit et al. 2019). Our dataset includes
 the stem diameter, spatial location, and species identification for all
 liana stems larger than or equal to 1 cm diameter that were rooted within
 the BCI 50-ha plot. This dataset also includes information on whether the
 liana stem was clonal at the time of the census; i.e., clonal stems had
 their own root systems but were still attached to another stem in the
 census. To ensure that our dataset was accurate, we used multiple levels
 of quality control during field data collection and then we checked and
 cleaned the dataset multiple times, including updating all species names
 in 2023. The methods for the liana census were described in Gerwing
 (2006), Schnitzer et al. (2008, 2012, 2015); species information is
 described in Schnitzer et al. (2024a, 2024b). In 2007, we found 67,145
 rooted liana stems with a basal area of 49.01 m2 comprising 165 species.
 Of the total rooted stems, 30.14% (20,235 stems) were clonal. We were able
 to positively identify 98.5% of the stems to species, with the remaining
 1.5% of stems to genus. Liana stems were distributed throughout the BCI
 50-ha plot; however, there was clear population and community structure,
 with liana density and diversity congregating around disturbed areas where
 trees had fallen and had not yet regenerated back to high canopy (Dalling
 et al. 2012, Ledo et al 2014). This rich dataset can be used to address
 numerous questions on the spatially explicit effects of lianas in forest
 dynamics looking both backwards and forwards in time (e.g., Schnitzer
 2018). We welcome opportunities to collaborate with research groups
 interested in using this dataset; however, the data are free to be used
 with no restrictions other than citing this data paper and acknowledging
 NSF grant DEB-0613666, which funded this original liana census.
description: # The Liana Community of the Barro Colorado Island 50-ha plot - Complete
 2007 Dataset
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.m63xsj4bq](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.m63xsj4bq) ## Description of the data and file structure Here we describe and release the 2007 liana dataset from the Barro Colorado Island, Panama (BCI) 50-ha plot. Our dataset includes the stem density, diameter, spatial location, species identification for all liana stems &gt;= 1 cm diameter that were rooted within the BCI 50-ha plot. This dataset also includes information on whether the liana stem was clonal at the time of the census; *i.e.*, clonal stems had their own root systems but were still attached to another stem in the census. Please cite this archived dataset as: Schnitzer, S.A. & D.M. DeFilippis. 2024. The liana community of the Barro Colorado Island 50-ha plot – complete 2007 dataset. Dryad. [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.m63xsj4bq](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.m63xsj4bq) ### Files and variables #### File: BCI\_Liana\_Dataset\_2007-AUG31-2024.csv **Data description (metadata)** The 2007 BCI 50-ha plot liana dataset has the following column names (**in bold**), which follow the naming convention established and used for the BCI 50-ha plot tree datasets (Condit et al. 2019). All blank cells were filled with "NA" to conform to the Dryad requirements. **No.** – unique stem identifier. **Authority** - authority responsible for the taxonomic name of species. **Latin** - Family, Genus, Species names. **Mnemonic** - six-character code for species (can be alphanumeric). **Quadrat** - unique number of 20x20 meter quadrat where the stem is located. **LianaID** – unique identifier for each individual. Clonal stems share lianaID. **Tag** - actual tag number on plant in field. **MultiStem** - field tag identifier (lower-case letter) for clonal stems. **Census** – the census number: 1 = 2007. **PX** – x coordinate of stem location within the plot. **PY** – y coordinate of stem location within the plot. **Diameter (mm)** – stem diameter in mm measured 1.3 meters from rooting point (unless there is a HOM measurement). **HOM** - height of measurement. Distance from roots of stem measurement point if the measurement point deviated from 1.3 m from the roots. Empty fields reflect measurements recorded at 1.3 meters from rooting point. **Date** - census year. **Stem** – type of stem: P = principal stem; C = clonal stem; B = branch. **References** Condit R., Perez, R., Aguilar, S., Lao, S., Foster, R., Hubbell, S.P. 2019. Complete data from the Barro Colorado 50-ha plot: 423617 trees, 35 years, 2019 version. Dalling, J.W., Schnitzer, S.A. Baldeck, C., Harms, K.E., John, R., Mangan, SA., Lobo, E., Yavitt, J.B., Hubbell, S.P. (2012). Resource-based habitat associations in a neotropical liana community. Journal of Ecology 100: 1174-1182. Estrada-Villegas, S., Pedraza-Narvaez, S.S., Sánchez-Andrade, A., Schnitzer, S.A. 2022. Lianas significantly reduce tree performance and biomass accumulation across tropical forests: a global meta-analysis. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change, [https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2021.812066](https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2021.812066) Garcia-Leon, M.M., Martinez-Izquierdo, L. Mello, F.N.A., Powers, J.S., Schnitzer, S.A. 2018. Lianas reduce community-level canopy tree reproduction in a Panamanian forest. Journal of Ecology 106: 737 - 745. Gerwing, J.J., Schnitzer, S.A., Burnham, R.J., Bongers, F., Chave, J., DeWalt, S.J., Ewango, C.E.N., Foster, R., Kenfack, D., Martinez-Ramos, M., Parren, M.P.E., Parthasarathy, N., Perez-Salicrup, D.R., Putz, F.E., Thomas, D.W. 2006. A standard protocol for liana censuses. Biotropica 38: 256-261.  Ledo, A., & Schnitzer, S.A. 2014. Disturbance and clonal reproduction determine liana distribution and maintain liana diversity in a tropical forest. Ecology 95: 2169-2178. Parren, M.P.E., Bongers, F., Caballé, G., Nabe-Nielsen, J., Schnitzer, S.A. 2005. On censusing lianas: a review of the issues. Pages 41-58 in Forest Climbing Plants of West Africa: Diversity, Ecology, and Management. F. Bongers, M.P.E. Parren, D. Traore, editors. CABI Publishing, Wallingford. Putz, F.E. 1984. The natural history of lianas on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Ecology 65: 1713-1724. Schnitzer, S.A. & Bongers, F. 2002. The ecology of lianas and their role in forests.  Trends in Ecology and Evolution 17: 223-230. Schnitzer, S.A., DeWalt, S.J., Chave, J. 2006. Censusing and measuring lianas: a quantitative comparison of the common methods. Biotropica 38: 581-591. Schnitzer, S.A., Rutishauser, S., Aguilar, S. 2008. Supplemental protocol for liana censuses. Forest Ecology and Management 255: 1044-1049. Schnitzer, S.A., Mangan, S.A., Dalling, J.W., Baldeck, C., Hubbell, S.P., Ledo, A., et al. 2012. Liana abundance, diversity, and distribution on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. PLoS ONE 7: e52114. Schnitzer, S.A., Mangan, S.A., Hubbell, S.P. 2015. Diversity and distribution of lianas on Barro Colorado Island, Panama. Pages: 76-90 in: Ecology of Lianas, Schnitzer, S.A., F. Bongers, R.J. Burnham, F.E. Putz, editors.  Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Oxford. Schnitzer, S.A. 2018. Testing ecological theory with lianas. New Phytologist 220: 366-380. Schnitzer, S.A., D.M. DeFilippis, R. Rivera-Camaña, B. Bernal, A. Valdes, A. Aguilar, S. Valdes, R. Pérez, S. Aguilar, A. Hernández, M.M. Garcia-Leon. (2024). Liana species list from the Barro Colorado Island 50-ha plot 2007 and 2017 censuses. Dryad. [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.q2bvq83v4](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.q2bvq83v4).  Schnitzer, S.A., DeFilippis, D.M., Mello, F., Aguilar, A., Bernal, B., Peréz, R., Rivera-Camaña, R., Valdés, A., Valdés, S., Pérez, R., Aguilar, S., Hernandéz, A., Dempsey, J., Garcia-Leon, M.M. 2024b. The BCI liana oligarchy: dominance, distribution, and traits of the ten most common liana species. Published in: The First 100 Years of Research on Barro Colorado: Plant and Ecosystem Science, Muller-Landau, H.C. & S.J. Wright, editors. Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press. Toledo-Aceves, T. 2015. Above- and belowground competition between lianas and trees. Pages 147-163 in: Schnitzer, S.A., Bongers, F., Burnham, R.J. & Putz, F.E. (Eds.) Ecology of lianas. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing.