Europe PMC · 2026-03-17
Lianas and trees in tropical forests have evolved opposite strategies for keeping their flowers hydrated during drought: lianas build structurally tough, water-efficient flowers, while trees stockpile internal water reserves. This divergence may help explain why lianas are thriving and expanding as dry seasons intensify under climate change.
Liana flowers had greater petal vein density, stomatal density, and drought tolerance than tree flowers across 24 measured traits in 16 liana and 16 tree species.
Tree flowers compensated with higher saturated water content and hydraulic capacitance — essentially acting as internal water tanks — while lianas traded hydraulic efficiency for safety.
This is the first study to show organ-level (flower-specific) hydraulic strategy differences between lianas and trees, providing a mechanism for liana dominance in seasonally dry tropical forests.
