DOI: 10.5061/dryad.9kd51c5rf
title: Data from: Environmental heterogeneity influences liana community differentiation across a Neotropical rainforest landscape

description: We examined the variation in the liana community composition and structure
 across geopedological land units to test the hypothesis that environmental
 heterogeneity is a driving force in the liana community assembly. At the
 Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology Station, SE Mexico (640 ha of tropical rain
 forest), we sampled all lianas with basal diameter ≥ 1 cm in three 0.5-ha
 plots established in each of five land units (totaling 15 plots and 7.5
 ha). We censused 6055 individuals and 110 species. Overall, the
 most speciose families were also the most abundant ones. The density and
 basal area (m2) of some dominant liana species differed among land units,
 and a permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) and a
 non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination (NMDS) revealed differences
 in the presence, density, and basal area of liana species across the
 landscape. Liana composition and structure were highly heterogeneous among
 land units, suggesting that variations in soil water availability and
 relief are key drivers of liana community spatial
 differentiation. By showing that soil and topography play an
 important role at the landscape scale, we underscore the ecological
 relevance of environmental heterogeneity for liana community assembly. In
 the future, as our ability to assess the local environmental complexity
 increases, we will gain a better understanding of the liana community
 assembly process and its heterogeneous distribution in tropical forests.
description: # Data from: Environmental heterogeneity influences liana community
 differentiation across a Neotropical rainforest landscape The data come
 from old-growth forest plots in the Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology Station
 (18° 34’ 30”-35’ 00” N, 95° 04-07’ 30” W), Veracruz state, southern
 Mexico. A total of 15 plots were established in five land unit forests (3
 in each land unit) developing on different soils, elevations, and slopes.
 We provided 8 Excel files. Each file contains a sheet explaining the
 metadata (descriptions and units) and another with the data used for
 particular analyses of the study. File data 1. List of species sorted
 alphabetically and their respective contribution to the total density and
 basal area (m^2) in the Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology Station. File data 2.
 The proportion of species' density of dominant species relative to
 its total density in each land unit at the Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology
 Station. File data 3. The proportion of species' basal area of
 dominant species relative to its total basal area in each land unit at the
 Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology Station. File data 4. Community data (species
 abundance by plot) matrix indicating the land unit to which each plot
 belongs. File data 5. Community data (species basal area by plot) matrix
 indicating the land unit to which each plot belongs. File data 6. Liana
 structural attributes among 15 plots censused at the Los Tuxtlas Tropical
 Biology Station. File data 7. Abundance of species among land units at the
 Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology Station. File data 8. Distribution of density
 and basal area among diametric classes at the Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology
 Station.