Do lianas grow faster than trees?
The two light-demanding lianas in the present study indeed had higher growth rates than the two light-demanding tree species (Fig. 1). Lianas are usually assumed to be adapted for rapid growth (Putz, 1983; Hegarty and Caballé, 1991) and a high RGR fits into that scheme. A higher RGR in plants is an important determinant of their distribution in productive habitats (those with a high availability of nutrients and light) because it can provide greater competitive ability (Poorter and Remkes, 1990; Cornelissen et al., 1996; Poorter, 2005). In a comparative study of temperate woody species, the climbers and scramblers did indeed realize a higher RGR than the tree species (Cornelissen et al., 1996). In contrast, the relative growth rate of herbaceous climbers was low compared with those of self-supporting species for seedlings grown in controlled environment chambers (Den Dubbelden and Verburg, 1996). Interestingly, equal growth rates for the liana and shrub growth form of Toxicodendron div
