| Title | Strangler fig-host tree associations: Insights into the ecology and management of tropical urban green spaces |
| Author | Mo, Yu-Xuan |
| Publication | PLANTS PEOPLE PLANET |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Corresponding Author | Song, L; Liu, WY |
| Abstract | The strangler fig is known for its hemiepiphytic growth form and conspicuous strangling behavior in the tropics worldwide. It also plays an important role in providing ecological functions in tropical urban ecosystems. This study reveals strangler figs tend to colonize large trees with suitable microsites in a large tropical botanical garden and cause some negative effects on their hosts. We advocate balanced management strategies considering ecological functions, potential risks, and overall values of stranglers and their hosts. These results provide a scientific basis for us to develop better practices for plant management in urban green spaces (especially botanical gardens with high plant biodiversity) in tropical urban ecosystems. |
