DOI: 10.5061/dryad.q2bvq83v4
title: Liana species of the Barro Colorado Island 50-ha plot 2007 and 2017 censuses

description: Lianas are a common and diverse plant growth form in tropical forests,
 where they add considerably to the vascular plant diversity. Lianas
 contribute approximately 25% of the woody vascular plant species diversity
 in tropical forests (Gentry 1991, Schnitzer & Bongers 2002), with
 liana diversity varying systematically with forest mean annual rainfall
 and rainfall seasonality (Schnitzer 2005, 2018, Swaine & Grace
 2007, DeWalt et al. 2010, 2015, Parolari et al. 2020). However, liana
 taxonomy and diversity have been described for relatively few tropical
 forest communities, thus the proportion of diversity that lianas
 contribute and how this diversity varies among forests is poorly
 understood. Here we describe and release the species present in the 2007
 and 2017 liana censuses of the Barro Colorado Island, Panama (BCI) 50-ha
 plot. Our liana species dataset includes the current and former family,
 genus, species, and authority for all liana stems 1 cm diameter or larger
 that were rooted within the BCI 50-ha plot in either of the 2007 or 2017
 censuses. Lianas were identified in the forest during the 2007 and 2017
 censuses (Schnitzer et al. 2012, 2015, 2021, Schnitzer &
 DeFilippis 2024). In 2023, we compared our species list to the Plants of
 the World Online, a global list compiled by Kew Gardens to ensure that our
 nomenclature was consistent with the most recent taxonomic changes (see
 Schnitzer et al. 2024). Methods used for the liana census study were
 published in Gerwing et al. 2006 and Schnitzer et al. 2008; see also
 Parren et al. 2005, Schnitzer et al. 2006).  We found a total of
 178 species distributed among 117,100 rooted individuals (1 cm diameter or
 larger, excluding clonal stems) that were present in either the 2007 or
 2017 liana censuses of the BCI 50-ha plot. We were able to positively
 identify &gt; 98% of these stems to species (Schnitzer et al. 2012,
 2021). Liana species contributed 35% of the woody species (lianas, trees,
 and shrubs 1 cm diameter or larger) using the tree and shrub data from the
 2015 tree census (Condit et al. 2019). This liana species list, in
 combination with the spatially explicit liana and tree stem datasets
 (Condit et al. 2019, 2020, Schnitzer & DeFilippis 2024) provides a
 unique opportunity to test conceptual questions on how lianas and trees
 coexist in tropical forests (e.g., Schnitzer 2018, DeFilippis et al. in
 review, Medina-Vega et al. in review, Mello et al. in review). 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 grants DEB-0613666 and
 IOS 15-58093, which funded the 2007 and 2017 liana censuses.
description: # Liana Species of the Barro Colorado Island 50-ha plot 2007 and 2017
 Censuses
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.q2bvq83v4](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.q2bvq83v4) ## Description of the data and file structure Here we describe and release the species present in the 2007 and 2017 liana censuses of the Barro Colorado Island, Panama (BCI) 50-ha plot. Our liana species dataset includes the current and former family, genus, species, and authority for all liana stems 1 cm diameter or larger that were rooted within the BCI 50-ha plot in either of the 2007 or 2017 censuses. Lianas were identified in the forest during the 2007 and 2017 censuses (Schnitzer et al. 2012, 2015, 2021, Schnitzer & DeFilippis 2024). In 2023, we compared our species list to the Plants of the World Online, a global list compiled by Kew Gardens to ensure that our nomenclature was consistent with the most recent taxonomic changes. Methods used for the liana census study were published in Gerwing et al. 2006 and Schnitzer et al. 2008; see also Parren et al. 2005, Schnitzer et al. 2006). ### Files and variables #### File: BCI\_2007\_2017\_\_species\_names\_AUG24\_2024.csv ##### **Data description (metadata)** The 2007 and 2017 BCI 50-ha plot liana species list has the following column names (**in bold**). Blank cells were filled with "NA" as per the Dryad requirements. **Species Code (Mnemonic)** - six-character code for species used in the censuses. **Family** – current taxonomic family name according to authority. **Genus** – current taxonomic genus according to authority. **Species** – current taxonomic specific epithet according to authority. **Authority** – authority responsible for the taxonomic name of species. **Family (former)** – former taxonomic family name according to authority. **Genus (former)** – former taxonomic genus according to authority. **Species (former)** – former taxonomic specific epithet according to authority. **Authority (former)** – former authority responsible for the taxonomic name of species. **Please cite this archived dataset as** Schnitzer, S.A., DeFilippis, D.M., Rivera-Camaña, Bernal, B., Valdes, A., Aguilar, A., Valdes, S., Pérez, R., Aguilar, S., Hernández, A., Garcia-Leon, M.M. 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).  **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. DeWalt, S.J., Schnitzer, S.A., Chave, J., Bongers, F., Burnham, R.J., *et al*. 2010. Annual rainfall and seasonality predict pan-tropical patterns of liana density and basal area. *Biotropica* 42: 309-317. DeWalt, S.J., Schnitzer, S.A., Alves, L. Bongers, F., Burnham, R.J., *et al.* 2015. Biogeography patterns of liana abundance and diversity. Pages: 131-149 *in:* Ecology of Lianas, Schnitzer, S.A., F. Bongers, R.J. Burnham, F.E. Putz (eds). Wiley-Blackwell Publishing, Oxford. Gentry, A.H. 1991. The distribution and evolution of climbing plants. Pages 3–49 *in: *The biology of vines, Putz, F. E. & H. A. Mooney (eds). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. 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.  Parolari, A.J., Paul, K., Griffing, A., Condit, R., Perez, R. Aguilar, S., Schnitzer. S.A.** **2020. Liana abundance and diversity increase with rainfall seasonality along a precipitation gradient in Panama.* Ecography ***43**: 25-33. 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. 2005. A mechanistic explanation for global patterns of liana abundance and distribution. *The American Naturalist* 166: 262-276. 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., DeFilippis, D.M., Visser, M., Estrada-Villegas, S., Rivera-Camaña, R., Bernal, B., Peréz, S., Valdéz, A., Valdéz, S., Aguilar, A., Broadbent, E.N., Zambrano, A.M., Dalling, J.W., Hubbell, S.P., Garcia-Leon, M.M. 2021. Local canopy disturbance as an explanation for long-term increases in liana abundance. *Ecology Letters,* 24: 2635-2647. 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)  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. 2024a. 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. Swaine, M. D. & Grace, J. 2007. Lianas may be favoured by low rainfall: evidence from Ghana. *Plant Ecology* 192: 271–276.