[neilep (OP)]

Arrrrrrrrrrewwwweeearrrgghhhhhhh .....aarrrreeweweooooarrrgghhhhhh !!!

Johnny Weissmuller & Ron Ely made a living swinging through these,


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Did they use dramatic licence in the films/series ?..or could one really swing from tree to tree like that ?

I know I've seen my chimpy cuz's swinging on them !

How big is a typical Jungle Vine ?...what area does it encompass ?

Are they symbiotic with the trees ?...or are they ultimately a pest ?

Where do they grow from ?.....or are they actually part of the trees in the first place?

I would like to know thank ewe very much.


"oooohh arrrr ooooh  arrrr"..Cheeta say he want to know tewe !!

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[Karen W.]

I have often wondered about those vines myself! Johnny Weissmuller was my favorite Tarzan!

Were they like huge ivy like vines hummm, I really don't know!

[neilep (OP)]

Please everybody....try not to answer all at once !!!

[paul.fr]

I may be wrong, but the vines in question are liana. They "root!" from the ground upwards, so if you, i or tarzan were to grab hold of one the liklihood is that we would just fall down.

Assuming this was not the case, and you could swing from them. You would have a grip problem, they can be up to a foot wide, not to mention the spiders etc that you would disturb and just may come down on you.

Then assuming you could grip the liana, you would soon let go when a shower of spiders and bugs were landing on you.

As usual....i could be wrong.

[WylieE]

So Paul is right lianas are the name for woody vines. 
 
Lianas are not parasitic, they get all of their nutrients from the soil and air and only use the trees they grow on for support.  However, while they are not DIRECTLY parasitic, since they are competing with the tree for the same resources, it is not in the trees best interest to put up with these pests.  This is true for most plant-plant interactions.  A great example of this is Kudzu which in the Southern US grows over forests killing the trees it grows on.

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Picture by Jack Anthony
More Great Kudzu pictures at:
http://www.yahoolavista.com/kudzu/

  Some trees have evolved mechanisms to discourage growth of lianas.  For example more flexible trees have less liana growth.

Could one really swing from vines like Tarzan?  Well, if the trees can get lianas not to grow by swaying back and forth more (and presumably breaking the lianas) my guess would be no, at least not and keep the vines alive.

[paul.fr]

So Paul is right lianas are the name for woody vines.

There is no need to sound so shocked, Colleen ;-)

ps, when are your exams?

[WylieE]

Hee Hee, well it IS a plant question. . .

I don't have any exams any more, just need to get cracking on the research, data analysis, and writing. . .lots and lots and lots of writing.

[paul.fr]

Hee Hee, well it IS a plant question. . .

Yes, but you are not always here, so some of us have to use best guesses in your absence

I don't have any exams any more, just need to get cracking on the research, data analysis, and writing. . .lots and lots and lots of writing.

good luck and best wishes.

[neilep (OP)]

Please everybody....try not to answer all at once !!!

My next course of action was to humble myself and use pure unadulterated begging but ....Paul and Colleen have saved the day !!

hmmmm..Paul & Colleen.....sounds like Tarzan & Jane...!! []

THANK YOU very much both of you for the excellent information.

Colleen....hope ewe did well in your exams !!...did ewe get your marks yet ?...and if ewe did..are ewe gonna tell ?

[WylieE]

Yes, but you are not always here, so some of us have to use best guesses in your absence

OK,OK, summer in Michigan is beautiful, it is hard to spend an extra second in front of the computer (since I spend most of my day there).  But winter is coming so I'll try to be better at answering, looks like you've had some good plant answers in my absence anyway.

 

My next course of action was to humble myself and use pure unadulterated begging but ....Paul and Colleen have saved the day !!

Aww, I should have waited a bit longer.

Colleen....hope ewe did well in your exams !!...did ewe get your marks yet ?...and if ewe did..are ewe gonna tell ?

Thanks Neil!
I don't really have exams anymore, just work, but if I had exams OF COURSE I'd do well!  The next big hurdle is a committee meeting at the end of this semester- then a defense- then look for post doc or maybe swinging from a vine somewhere if science doesn't pan out.
c-ya
Colleen