The Western Ghats, one among 34 global biodiversity hotspot centers, is rich in floral and faunal diversity with great endemism throughout the plant and animal kingdom. The criteria for a region to be recognized as a “Biodiversity Hotspot” by Conservation International is the presence of a minimum of 1500 endemic species of vascular plants and the loss of at least 70 percent of its original habitat. Due to the distribution of endemism, Nayar and Geevarghese compared the ecological niches in the Western Ghats to be similar to that of an Island. The mountain chain has perennial streams, rivers, evergreen forests, and high altitude sholas, thus making a perfect habitat for ferns and fern allies.
The Western Ghats covers a distance of 1600 km from Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu to Tapti valley in Gujarat state with an area of 160000 km2. It runs parallel to the western coast of India traversing the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamilnadu. The continuous stretch of the Western Ghats is interrupted by a 30 km break in Kerala. The interrupted part is known as the ‘Palghat Gap’. Mountain ranges like Nilgiri Hills, Anamallays Hills and Palni Hills are present in the Ghats, and they have various forest types like scrub forests at an elevation of 200-500 m, moist deciduous forests (500-900 m), tropical moist evergreen forests (1200-1500 m) and Shola forest above 1500 m. The Western Ghats gets an annual rainfall of 1000 to 5000 mm.
Author(s) Details:
Athira Krishnan
Department of Botany, Sree Narayana College, Nattika, Thrissur, Kerala-680566, India.
Rekha K.
Department of Botany, Vimala College (Autonomous), Thrissur, Kerala-680009, India.
Recent Global Research Developments in Pteridophyte Diversity in the Western Ghats
Diversity of Pteridophytes in Western Ghats: A Review [1]
- This review article discusses the pteridophyte diversity in the Western Ghats. It highlights the importance of conservation efforts due to habitat destruction and other threats.
- Key Points:
- The Western Ghats, covering only 6% of India’s landmass, hosts 383 pteridophyte species.
- Ferns and fern allies are highly sensitive to habitat changes, leading to population decline.
- In-vitro and ex-situ conservation techniques can help protect threatened pteridophytes.
“Pteridophyte Diversity in Wet Evergreen Forests of Sakleshpur” [2]
- This study focuses on the diversity of pteridophytes in the wet evergreen forests of Sakleshpur, located in the central Western Ghats.
“Local Knowledge on Wild Edible and Economically Important Pteridophytes” [3]
- An assessment of ethnomedicinal pteridophytes used by tribals in the Attappady region of the Southern Western Ghats.
“An Ethnobotanical Study of Medicinal Pteridophytes in Kodagu Region” [4]
- Investigates medicinal pteridophytes used by local people in the biodiversity-rich Kodagu region of the Western Ghats.
References
- Krishnan, A., & Rekha, K. (2021). Diversity of pteridophytes in western ghats-a review. Plant Archives (09725210), 21(1).
- Dudani, S. N., Mahesh, M. K., Chandran, M. S., & Ramachandra, T. V. (2014). Pteridophyte diversity in wet evergreen forests of Sakleshpur in Central Western Ghats. Ind J PltSci, 3(1), 28-39.
- Sureshkumar, J., Jenipher, C., Gurav, S.S. et al. Local Knowledge on Wild Edible and Economically Important Pteridophytes of India: A Review. Hum Ecol 51, 937–977 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-023-00445-6
- Suraj, R. H., Jadeyegowda, M., Kushalappa, C. G., Maheshwarappa, V., & Chandrashekar, S. Y. (2020). An ethnobotanical study of medicinal pteridophytes in kodagu region of Western Ghats, India. Int. J Curr. Microbiol. App. Sci, 9(10), 367-380.