HOST-PREFERENCE OF FOUR DOMINANT LIANA SPECIES WITH CONTRASTING CLIMBING STRATEGIES IN TROPICAL DRY

Lianas, the woody climbers, are unable to grow vertically on their own; instead, they have evolved specific climbing structures to get access to the architecture of the host trees and expose themselves to the light-rich environment. The characteristics of the host species have a big impact on this unique network of physical linkages between lianas and trees. The data from liana-tree interaction studies conducted in four tropical dry evergreen forest locations on India's Coromandel Coast is used to examine the favoured hosts for four prominent liana species that use various climbing strategies. We wanted to see if lianas with different climbing techniques have varying host preferences depending on the host tree's characteristics. Seventy-three individuals of four dominant lianas were found on 601 tree individuals. The functional traits of the host tree are examined in the field and by consulting relevant field manuals. The preferential hosts of the four dominating lianas with contrasting climbing tactics stayed the same, contrary to our projections, while their proportion fluctuated dramatically. This could be attributed to the fierce struggle among lianas for support.

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