Abstract
The Western Ghats are home to one of the most dominant rock outcrops: the vertical basaltic cliffs. Although seemingly barren, this unique landform shelters a variety of species adapted to thrive in its challenging and nutrient-poor environment. This article examines the remarkable traits and adaptations of plant species living on cliffs, the microhabitats they inhabit, and the plant-animal interactions that take place.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Suggested Reading
D W Larson, U Matthes, and P E Kelly, Cliff Ecology: Pattern and Process in Cliff Ecosystems, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp.360, 2016.
V S Kale, The rivers of Indian peninsula: Their salient geomorphic characteristics and ancestry, Journal of Indian Geomorphology, Vol.8, pp.31–48, 2020.
V S Kale, Atlas of Geomorphosites of Maharashtra, Indian Institute of Geomorphologists, Allahabad, pp.76, 2018.
Y S Sahasrabudhe, and S N Rajaguru, The laterites of the Maharashtra State, Bulletin of the Deccan College Research Institute, Vol.49, pp.357–370, 1990.
M N Datar, and P Tetali, Hill forts: Abodes of endemic plants and potential priority conservation areas of Northern Western Ghats, National Academy Science Letters, Vol.42, pp. 375–378, 2019.
M Deshmukh, The importance of geological studies in the conservation of caves tourism, In: S Singh, Profiles in Indian Tourism, A P H Publishing Corporation, p.169, 1996
A Watve, Status review of rocky plateaus in the Northern Western Ghats and Konkan region of Maharashtra, India with recommendations for conservation and management, Journal of Threatened Taxa, Vol.5, 2013.
M N Datar, and A Watve, Vascular plant assemblage of cliffs in Northern Western Ghats, India, Journal of Threatened Taxa, Vol.10, pp.11271–11284, 2018.
O L Lange, and M Zuber, Frerea indica, a stem succulent CAM plant with deciduous C3 leaves, Oecologia, Vol.31, pp.67–72, 1977.
S Vijayan, A Kulkarni, B K Shigwan, S Porembski and M N Datar, Desiccation-tolerant vascular plants from Western Ghats, India: review, updated checklist, future prospects and new insights, Nordic Journal of Botany, e03939, https://doi.org/10.1111/njb.03939, 2023.
N Hobbhahn, H Küchmeister, and S Porembski, Pollination biology of mass flowering terrestrial Utricularia species (Lentibulariaceae) in the Indian Western Ghats, Plant Biology, Vol.8, pp.791–804, 2006.
D G Reid, N A Aravind, and N A Madhyastha, A unique radiation of marine littorinid snails in the freshwater streams of the Western Ghats of India: the genus Cremnoconchus WT Blanford, 1869 (Gastropoda: Littorinidae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Vol.167, pp.93–135, 2013.
S K Pati, T Thackeray, and A Khaire, Five new species of freshwater crabs of the genera Ghatiana Pati & Sharma, 2014, and Gubernatoriana Bott, 1970 (Crustacea, Decapoda, Brachyura: Gecarcinucidae Rathbun, 1904) from the Western Ghats, India, Zootaxa, Vol.4083, pp.569–586, 2016.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Vijayan Smrithy is a PhD student at Agharkar Research Institute, Pune. Her area of research includes the cliff ecology of the northern Western Ghats and outcrop vegetation.
Mandar Datar is a scientist at Agharkar Research Institute, Pune. He specializes in flowering plant taxonomy and ecology and has a fascination for rock outcrops.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Smrithy, V., Datar, M.N. Cliffhangers. Reson 28, 1701–1717 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-023-1707-0
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12045-023-1707-0