Linking anatomical diversity with functional life strategies in a liana community of central Africa

Studying lianas involves unique challenges due to their high functional diversity. Despite their prominence in tropical forests, gaps in the understanding of anatomical organisation affect interpretations of their co-existing functional strategies. Here, we investigated the roles of diverse vascular variants for better understanding liana ecology in northern Congo. We collected adult liana stems coexisting in an environmentally uniform area and acquired anatomical images of stem cross-sections to characterise tissue patterns of vascular variants. We analysed anatomical diversity through functional traits to infer life-history strategies, especially related to mechanical resilience and water use. We identified two main axes of trait variation: a trade-off between hydraulic efficiency and safety, and a contrast between complex anatomical forms likely favouring flexibility against more simple forms favouring more rigid stems in early-life strategies. While vascular variants showed relatively low intraspecific variability, they also displayed high developmental plasticity driven by ontogenetic variations and the local environment. This pioneering study establishes for the first time a connection between functional strategies and vascular variants, quantifying their diversity within a liana community. It represents a crucial step for understanding the complexity of lianas and their adaptive strategies, offering insights into their spatiotemporal distribution in diverse environments.