Contents Summary 366 I. Introduction 366 II. Testing ecological theory: effects of the
environment on lianas 369 III. A unified explanation for liana distribution and the …

Over centuries of plant morphological research, biologists have enthusiastically explored
how distinct vascular arrangements have diversified. These investigations have focused on …

The ability of climbing plants to grow upward along others to reach the canopy for
photosynthesis is hypothesized as a key innovation in flowering plants. Most members of the …

Flowering plants predominantly conduct water in tubes known as vessels, with vessel
diameter playing a crucial role in plant adaptation to climate and reactions to climate …

Abstract Background and Aims The tribe Paullinieae has the highest diversity of vascular
variants among the seed plants. The developmental diversity is better understood in the …

Lianas rely on trees for support and access to high‐light positions in the forest canopy, but
the implications for how lianas explore the canopy compared to trees remain understudied …

The competitive advantage of lianas over trees has been widely documented in studies of
their leaf functional traits across diverse habitats; however, the relative contribution of root …

Climbers are abundant in tropical forests, where they constitute a major functional plant type.
The acquisition of the climbing habit in angiosperms constitutes a key innovation. Successful …

Bark thickness is ecologically crucial, affecting functions from fire protection to
photosynthesis. Bark thickness scales predictably with stem diameter, but there is little …

Climbing plants have voluble organs, for example, tendrils and modified stems, which twine
up neighboring plants to reach the canopy. These organs perform exaggerated …