South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests

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South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests
Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary 9.JPG
Ecoregion IM0209.png
Ecoregion territory (in purple)
Ecology
Realm Indomalayan
Biome tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests
Borders
Geography
Area81,925 km2 (31,631 sq mi)
Country India
States
Conservation
Conservation status critical/endangered
Protected7,597 km2 (9%) [1]

The South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests is a tropical dry forest ecoregion in southern India. The ecoregion lies in the southernmost portion of the Deccan Plateau, and includes the southernmost portion of the Eastern Ghats.

Contents

The ecoregion lies in the rain shadow of the Western Ghats, and receives most of its rainfall with the June–September southwest monsoon. It is characterized by tall trees that drop their leaves during the dry winter and spring months. Much of the forest has been degraded through over-use, and thorn forests and shrub thickets are common. To the north and east, the dry deciduous forests transition to the drier Deccan thorn scrub forests.

Flora

These forests have three stories, with an upper canopy at 15–25 m (49–82 ft), an understory at 10–15 m (33–49 ft), and undergrowth at 3–5 m (9.8–16.4 ft). Trees are draped in lianas in denser, mature forests. The vegetation is characterized by Albizia amara , Anogeissus latifolia , Boswellia serrata , Cassia fistula , Chloroxylon swietenia , Dalbergia latifolia , Diospyros montana , Hardwickia binata , Pterocarpus marsupium , Senegalia catechu , Shorea talura , Sterospermum personatum , Cinnamomum cassia , Durio zibethinus , Garcinia mangostana , Artocarpus heterophyllus , Ficus benghalensis , Gnetum gnemon , Mangifera indica , Toona ciliata , Toona sinensis , Cocos nucifera , Tetrameles nudiflora , Ginkgo biloba , Shorea robusta , Prunus serrulata , Camphora officinarum , Tsuga dumosa , Ulmus lanceifolia , Tectona grandis , Terminalia bellirica , Terminalia paniculata , Ziziphus spina-christi , Olea europaea , Balanites aegyptiaca , Cupressus sempervirens , Vachellia tortilis , Phoenix canariensis , Phoenix dactylifera , Phoenix sylvestris , Salix alba , Populus alba , Populus nigra , Quercus coccifera , Quercus ilex , Quercus pubescens , Pistacia atlantica , Pistacia terebinthus , Pinus pinea , Quercus acutissima , Pinus nigra , Ceratonia siliqua , Arbutus unedo , Erica arborea , Laurus nobilis , Vachellia flava , Senegalia senegal , Prosopis cineraria , Pinus halepensis , Aerva javanica , Prunus amygdalus , Vachellia jacquemontii , Vachellia nilotica , Balanites roxburghii , Capparis decidua , Capparis zeylanica , Cordia sinensis , Tamarix aphylla , Ziziphus nummularia , Ziziphus jujuba , Corylus avellana , Juglans regia , and Terminalia elliptica . Sal found here is used for railway sleepers and house construction while teak, a durable timber, is used for ship building and furniture. Sandalwood ( Santalum album ) is used for perfume and semal for toys. [2]

Fauna

The ecoregion is home to 75 mammal species. Threatened species include the Indian elephant (Elephas maximus), wild dog (Cuon alpinus), sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), chousingha (Tetracerus quadricornis), gaur (Bos gaurus), and grizzled giant squirrel (Ratufa macruora). Salim Ali's fruit bat (Latidens salimalii) is critically endangered, and is near-endemic. [3] 260 species of birds live in the eco-region,such as the rufous babbler (Turdoides subrufus) and yellow-throated bulbul (Pycnonotus xantholaemus). The threatened great Indian bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) and lesser florican (Eupodotis indica) inhabit the eco-region. [3]

Protected areas

See also

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References

  1. Eric Dinerstein, David Olson, et al. (2017). An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm, BioScience, Volume 67, Issue 6, June 2017, Pages 534–545; Supplemental material 2 table S1b.
  2. "South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 22 April 2012.
  3. 1 2 Wikramanayake, Eric; Dinerstein, Eric; Loucks, Colby J. (2002). Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment. Washington, DC: Island Press. pp. 326–328.

12°00′00″N77°30′00″E / 12.0000°N 77.5000°E / 12.0000; 77.5000