Untimely endangerment in endemic trees of Western Ghats, India: An ecological and biological perspective

Abstract

The study unravels the ecological and biological parameters leading to untimely endangerment of three endemic and threatened tree species viz. Drypetes malabarica, Hydnocarpus macrocarpus and Prioria pinnata, distributed in the southern Western Ghats. Population structure and diversity along with population dynamics of the target species were explored. The reproductive constraints including insect-pest incidence, low abundance, habitat specificity along with human induced habitat threats upsurges the possibilities of rarity of these species in the Kerala part of the Western Ghats.