Lianas are abundant in tropical forests around the world, yet little is known about their ecology. In this
study we report the results of a survey of ten common liana species on 27 host tree species in Cooloola National Park,
Queensland, Australia. We found significant associations between some liana and tree species. Our results indicate
that host tree diameter was important in explaining liana presence or absence. Host tree fruit type was correlated with
the presence or absence of different liana types. Tendrillar and root-climbing lianas tended to occur most often on
mid-sized, fleshy-fruited trees, and on smaller, non-fleshy-fruited trees. The presence of stem twining lianas tended to
decrease with increasing tree diameter for both fleshy- and non-fleshy-fruited trees, although this effect was more
pronounced for fleshy-fruited trees. In general, lianas were most prevalent on trees possessing intermediate levels of
bark roughness and flakiness. Although we established associative patterns between liana species and these host
characteristics, the model suggested that other unidentified variables may also be important in determining presence
or absence of liana species.