Abstract
Vertical rocky cliffs, which consist of various types of rock, are widespread all over the world. India’s northern Western Ghats consisting of basaltic rocks form probably the largest cliff ecosystem globally, however, almost no studies are available concerning their floristic richness. In an attempt to understand the vascular plant assemblage of this habitat, cliffs of the northern Western Ghats were surveyed for their microhabitats, species diversity, distribution of endemics, occurrence of particular adaptive traits and potential threats. A total of 102 species of vascular plants were documented from the cliff habitats of which 55 are endemic. Flowering of the species on cliffs is triggered by the advent of the south-west monsoon and peak flowering is seen between August and October. Of the total species, 27 grow exclusively on cliffs. Owing to habitat specificity, cliffs show a greater number of narrow endemic and threatened species when compared with other habitats like deciduous, evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, which are widespread in the northern Western Ghats. Unfortunately, this habitat faces threats in the form of landslides, periodic burning and habitat loss due to road-widening.
Highlights
The Western Ghats form a mountain range that runs parallel to the western coast of India from 8.3188890N to 21.273330N for more than 1,600km
Our studies yielded a total of 102 species of vascular plants belonging to 35 families and 69 genera for the cliff flora of the main range of the northern Western Ghats (NWG) which pass through Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, Pune, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Palghar and Thane districts of Maharashtra state and north and south Goa districts of Goa State
This is consistent with the seasonal climate of the region, which is more favorable for the growth of therophytes and geophytes
Summary
The Western Ghats form a mountain range that runs parallel to the western coast of India from 8.3188890N to 21.273330N for more than 1,600km. The region has diverse habitats ranging from dense tropical forests to sholas, swamps and rocky outcrops supporting endemic flora and fauna. The entire range is an important watershed area with many hill streams and river valleys formed by deep weathering. The Western Ghats are of igneous origin and geomorphologically the range is the western escarpment of the Deccan Plateau formed by volcanic eruption between 60 and 68 million years ago. The Western Ghats go down steeply to the coastal plains on the western side, but towards the east, they merge gently through a series of hills or spurs with the Deccan Plateau (Gunnell & Radhakrishna 2001)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
