The Ecology Of Lianas And Trees In Tropical Forest Canopies

Tropical forests occupy 12% of the terrestrial surface area, contain ca. 25% of all terrestrial carbon, and recycle tens of petagrams (1015 gram) carbon in photosynthesis and respiration processes annually. These forests are hyper-diverse in tree and liana species, which drive carbon stocks and dynamics and create a large variation in structure, microhabitats and food items for other plants and animals.