Root climbers are a group of lianas which typically climb the host tree using adhesive roots and do not compete with the host for light. They are relatively more abundant in high-latitude forests and were recently documented to have no harmful effect on their host trees. Although previous studies have examined the direct negative effects of lianas on their host trees, little is known about potential indirect effects via effects on the animal and plant communities. Here, we aimed to determine the effects of root climbers on the animal and plant community composition of their host trunk and whether these alterations indirectly affect host trees. To answer these questions, we compared the invertebrate community, herbaceous plant presence, moss cover and herbivory rates in more than 22 pairs of host and control trees in cool-temperate forests in Hokkaido, Japan. We selected Quercus crispula Blume and Hydrangea petiolaris Sieb. et Zucc. as the study species. Generalised linear mixed models (GLMMs) were used to determine the influence of lianas on tree trunk communities and host trees. Our results showed that the presence of root climbers increased the abundance of Araneae and herbaceous plants and reduced the abundance of Formicidae on host trees, implying a reduction of herbivory on hosts. These results imply that liana presence may reduce the herbivory rate on the host tree, potentially by altering the trunk animal and plant community structure. Our results have implications for the understanding of the effects of lianas on host trees and their function in high-latitude forests.

爬树者是一群藤本植物，通常使用粘性根攀爬寄主树，并且不与寄主竞争光。它们在高纬度森林中相对较多，最近有文献证明对它们的寄主树没有有害影响。尽管先前的研究已经检查了藤本植物对其寄主树的直接负面影响，但人们对通过对动植物群落的潜在潜在间接影响知之甚少。在这里，我们旨在确定根部攀援者对其寄主树干的动植物群落组成的影响，以及这些改变是否间接影响寄主树。为了回答这些问题，我们比较了无脊椎动物群落，草本植物的存在，日本北海道温带森林中超过22对寄主和对照树的苔藓覆盖率和草食率。我们选择了栎脆皮布鲁姆和八仙花绣球。et Zucc。作为研究物种。广义线性混合模型（GLMM）用于确定藤本植物对树干群落和寄主树的影响。我们的结果表明，根部攀援植物的存在增加了伞形科植物和草本植物的丰度，并降低了寄主树上甲虫的数量，这意味着寄主上的草食性减少了。这些结果暗示藤本植物的存在可能通过改变树干动物和植物群落结构来降低寄主树上的草食率。我们的结果对理解藤本植物对寄主树的影响及其在高纬度森林中的功能具有重要意义。