Forest structure and diversity of Lianas and understory treelets in monodominant and mixed stands in the Ituri forest, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Lianas >= 2 cm diameter. All free-standing stems 1 cm in diameter at breast height. A liana with several rooted stems received a single tag, but all stems with leaves above 1.3 m were mapped at the point of rooting and measured at breast height. For lianas, as for free-standing stems, the point of measurement was marked with white oil-based paint. Lianas were more than 4 times as abundant in mixed forest at Edoro than in monodominant forest at Lenda. The Edoro plot also had a greater numberof large lianas and, consequently, a greater liana basal area. 20 liana families represented on the 3 ha inventoried at Lenda and 25 at Edoro. Seven of eight most common liana families were shared between the two sites;…