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First Record and Floristic Inventory of a Rare Low-Level Basalt Mesa in the Western Ghats of India

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Abstract

Rock outcrops are habitats possessing large areas of exposed bare rock and extreme environmental conditions. In the biodiversity hotspot of Western Ghats, three types of rock outcrops are known: lateritic outcrops at high (HLF) and low altitude (LLF), and basalt outcrops at high altitudes (BM). Apart from these types, one study mentioned the possibility of a fourth rare type: low altitude basalt outcrop. However, previous studies did not report occurrence of such an outcrop. In this study, we report a low altitude basalt outcrop (Manjare, Maharashtra), document its vegetation and compare it with the other three types of outcrops. We recorded 76 taxa belonging to 24 families. Families Poaceae, Leguminosae and Cyperaceae were species-rich. Vegetation comparison with the other three outcrop types revealed that maximum species (76%) were shared with LLF, followed by HLF (62%) and BM (59%). A cluster analysis based on species occurrence using the Sørensen dissimilarity index showed that the Manjare outcrop separates from high altitude outcrops (HLF and BM) at the first level and from LLFs at the second level. Manjare supports a unique combination of species composition from HLF, LLF and BM, which offers a system to study species interactions and their relationship with the environment.

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Acknowledgements

AK, BS, SV and MD would like to thank the Director, Agharkar Research Institute for encouragement and necessary support. AK would like to thank Dr. Ashwini Darshetkar for confirming the identification of Eriocaulon parvicephalum. This work was supported by the Agharkar Research Institute’s in-house grant BD-01 and by TATA Power Company Limited (SP-268). Partial funding support was received from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Government of India by Smrithy Vijayan and from Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Research Training and Human Development Institute (SARTHI), Maharashtra State by Bhushan Shigwan.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Biodiversity and Paleobiology Group, Agharkar Research Institute, G.G. Agarkar Road, Pune, 411004, India

    Aboli Kulkarni, Bhushan K. Shigwan, Smrithy Vijayan & Mandar N. Datar

  2. IUCN SSC, Western Ghats Plant Specialist Group, 34/6, Erandwane, Pune, 411004, India

    Aparna Watve

  3. Faculty of Environment, Julius von Payer Institute for Arctic and Subarctic Research, Jan Evangelista Purkyně University in Ústí nad Labem, Králova výšina 7, 40096, Ústí Nad Labem, Czechia

    Rohan Shetti

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  1. Aboli Kulkarni
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  2. Bhushan K. Shigwan
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  3. Smrithy Vijayan
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  4. Aparna Watve
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  5. Rohan Shetti
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  6. Mandar N. Datar
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Correspondence to Mandar N. Datar.

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Kulkarni, A., Shigwan, B.K., Vijayan, S. et al. First Record and Floristic Inventory of a Rare Low-Level Basalt Mesa in the Western Ghats of India. Natl. Acad. Sci. Lett. 46, 99–102 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40009-022-01188-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40009-022-01188-6

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