# Data from: Environmental heterogeneity influences liana community differentiation across a Neotropical rainforest landscape The data come from old-growth forest plots in the Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology Station (18° 34’ 30”-35’ 00” N, 95° 04-07’ 30” W), Veracruz state, southern Mexico. A total of 15 plots were established in five land unit forests (3 in each land unit) developing on different soils, elevations, and slopes. We provided 8 Excel files. Each file contains a sheet explaining the metadata (descriptions and units) and another with the data used for particular analyses of the study. File data 1. List of species sorted alphabetically and their respective contribution to the total density and basal area (m^2) in the Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology Station. File data 2. The proportion of species' density of dominant species relative to its total density in each land unit at the Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology Station. File data 3. The proportion of species' basal area of dominant species relative to its total basal area in each land unit at the Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology Station. File data 4. Community data (species abundance by plot) matrix indicating the land unit to which each plot belongs. File data 5. Community data (species basal area by plot) matrix indicating the land unit to which each plot belongs. File data 6. Liana structural attributes among 15 plots censused at the Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology Station. File data 7. Abundance of species among land units at the Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology Station. File data 8. Distribution of density and basal area among diametric classes at the Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology Station.

We examined the variation in the liana community composition and structure across geopedological land units to test the hypothesis that environmental heterogeneity is a driving force in the liana community assembly. At the Los Tuxtlas Tropical Biology Station, SE Mexico (640 ha of tropical rain forest), we sampled all lianas with basal diameter ≥ 1 cm in three 0.5-ha plots established in each of five land units (totaling 15 plots and 7.5 ha). We censused 6055 individuals and 110 species. Overall, the most speciose families were also the most abundant ones. The density and basal area (m2) of some dominant liana species differed among land units, and a permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) and a non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination (NMDS) revealed differences in the presence, density, and basal area of liana species across the landscape. Liana composition and structure were highly heterogeneous among land units, suggesting that variations in soil water availability and relief are key drivers of liana community spatial differentiation. By showing that soil and topography play an important role at the landscape scale, we underscore the ecological relevance of environmental heterogeneity for liana community assembly. In the future, as our ability to assess the local environmental complexity increases, we will gain a better understanding of the liana community assembly process and its heterogeneous distribution in tropical forests.