Lianas detrimentally affect carbon storage potential and recovery times of tropical secondary forests

Tropical secondary forests are important carbon sinks and their carbon sequestration capacity is often greater than that of old-growth forests ^1–4 . Lianas (woody vines) are present in most tropical forests, but areparticularly prevalent in secondary forests ⁵ , where they exert strong competitive effects on trees, severely reducing carbon uptake ^6–8 . However, no experimental study has yet examined whether lianas limit the rate of carbon recovery and carbon storage capacity of tropical forests. Here we use a unique combination of 10 years of empirical data from the world’s longest running liana removal study and modelling to simulate the long-term effects of lianas on forest succession. We show, for the first time, that lianas have strong and prolonged negative effects on carbon uptake throughout secondary forest succession. Lianas diminish the carbon storage potential of secondary forests by ~ 25% and delay the carbon recovery time to old-growth carbon standards by approximately a century. Liana proliferation, as observed in multiple forested regions across the globe ^9–11 , may therefore endanger both carbon uptake and carbon storage in tropical forests, with cascading effects on climate change.