Data from: Lianas decelerate tropical forest thinning during succession

The well-established pattern of forest thinning during succession predicts an
increase in mean tree biomass with decreasing tree density. The forest thinning
pattern is commonly assumed to be driven solely by tree-tree competition. The
presence of non-tree competitors could alter thinning trajectories, thus
altering the rate of forest succession and carbon uptake. We used a large-scale
liana removal experiment over 7 years in a 60-to-70-year-old Panamanian forest
to test the hypothesis that lianas reduce the rate of forest thinning during
succession. We found that lianas slowed forest thinning by reducing tree growth,
not by altering tree recruitment or mortality. Without lianas, trees grew and
presumably competed more, ultimately reducing tree density while increasing mean
tree biomass. Our findings challenge the assumption that forest thinning is
driven solely by tree-tree interactions; instead, they demonstrate that
competition from other growth forms, such as lianas, slow forest thinning and
ultimately delay forest succession.