The South Western Ghats montane rain forests are an ecoregion of southern India, covering the southern portion of the Western Ghats range in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, at elevations over 1000 meters. They are cooler and wetter than the lower-elevation South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests, which surround the montane rain forests. An ecoregion is a relatively large area of land or water that contains a geographically distinct assemblage of natural communities. ... South India is a region of India that includes the entire Indian Peninsula, south of the Vindhya ranges. ... The Western Ghats or Sahyadri mountains (as they are known in Maharashtra and Kerala) run along the western edge of Indias Deccan Plateau, and separate the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. ... Kerala ((?); Malayalam: കേരളം, — ) is a state on the tropical Malabar Coast of southwestern India. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... The South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of southern India. ...

Setting

The ecoregion is the most species-rich in peninsular India, and is home to numerous endemic species. It covers an area of 22,600 square kilometers (8,700 square miles). It is estimated that two-thirds of the original forests have been cleared, and only 3,200 square kilometers, or 15% of the intact area, is protected. In biology, a species is the basic unit of biodiversity. ... In biology and ecology endemic means exclusively native to a place or biota, in contrast to cosmopolitan or introduced. ...

The southern portion of the Western Ghats contains the highest peaks in the range, notably Anai Mudi in Kerala, at 2695 meters elevation. The Ghats intercept the moisture-laden monsoon winds off the Arabian Sea, and the average annual precipitation exceeds 2,800 mm. The northeast monsoon from October to November supplements the June to September southwest monsoon. The South Western Ghats are the wettest portion of peninsular India, and are surrounded by drier ecoregions to the east and north. ... Monsoon in the Vindhya, a mountain chain in central India A monsoon is a (wind) pattern that reverses direction on a seasonal basis. ... Map of the Arabian Sea. ...

Flora

The cool and moist climate, high rainfall, and variety of microclimates brought about by differences in elevation and exposure supports lush and diverse forests; 35% of the plant species are endemic to the ecoregion. Moist evergreen montane forests are the predominant habitat type. The montane evergreen forests support a great diversity of species. The trees generally form a canopy at 15 to 20 m, and the forests are multistoried and rich in epiphytes, especially orchids. Characteristic canopy trees are Cullenia exarillata, Mesua ferrea, Palaquium ellipticum, Gluta travancorica, and Nageia wallichiana. Nageia is a podocarp conifer with origins in the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana, of which India was formerly part, and a number of other plants in the ecoregion have Gondwana origins. Other evergreen tree species of the montane forest include Calophyllum austroindicum, Garcinia rubro-echinata, Garcinia travancorica, Diospyros barberi, Memecylon subramanii, Memecylon gracile, Goniothalamus rhyncantherus, and Vernonia travancorica. Mount McKinley in Alaska has one of the largest visible base-to-summit elevation differences anywhere A mountain is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain in a limited area. ... An example of an epiphyte assemblage of orchids and bromeliads in a garden setting The term epiphyte refers to any plant that grows upon or attached to another living plant. ... Orchid re-directs here; for alternate uses see Orchid (disambiguation) Genera Over 800 See List of Orchidaceae genera. ... Detailed information on Ironwood Family: Hamamelidaceae Genus: Parrotia (par-ROT-ee-uh) Species: persica (PER-see-kuh) Cultivar: Pendula Category: Trees Height: 8-10 ft. ... Species About 100-120 species, including: Palaquium amboinense Palaquium barnesii Palaquium bataanense Palaquium beccarianum Palaquium borneense Palaquium burckii Palaquium clarkeanum Palaquium cochleariifolium Palaquium dasyphyllum Palaquium ellipticum Palaquium formosanum Palaquium galactoxylum Palaquium gutta Palaquium herveyi Palaquium hexandrum Palaquium hispidum Palaquium hornei Palaquium impressinervium Palaquium kinabaluense Palaquium lanceolatum Palaquium leiocarpum Palaquium lobbianum... species Nageia is a genus of conifers belonging to the Podocarp family, Podocarpaceae. ... Genera Acmopyle Afrocarpus Dacrycarpus Dacrydium Falcatifolium Halocarpus Lagarostrobos Lepidothamnus Manoao Microcachrys Microstrobos Nageia Parasitaxus Phyllocladus Podocarpus Prumnopitys Retrophyllum Saxegothaea Sundacarpus A large family of mainly Southern Hemisphere conifers, with 18-19 genera and about 170-200 species of evergreen trees and shrubs. ... Orders & Families Cordaitales † Pinales   Pinaceae - Pine family   Araucariaceae - Araucaria family   Podocarpaceae - Yellow-wood family   Sciadopityaceae - Umbrella-pine family   Cupressaceae - Cypress family   Cephalotaxaceae - Plum-yew family   Taxaceae - Yew family Vojnovskyales † Voltziales † The conifers, division Pinophyta, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. ... Pangaea was formed by the merging of two continents, Laurasia and Gondwana East African and Kuungan Orogens 550 Ma reconstruction showing final stages of assembly The southern supercontinent Gondwana (originally Gondwanaland) included most of the landmasses which make up todays continents of the southern hemisphere, including Antarctica, South America... Species Calophyllum amoenum Calophyllum angulare Calophyllum angustifolium Calophyllum antillanum Calophyllum australianum Calophyllum austroindicum Calophyllum bicolor Calophyllum biflorum Calophyllum blancoi Calophyllum bracteatum Calophyllum brasiliense Calophyllum cholobtaches Calophyllum calaba Calophyllum caledonicum Calophyllum candidissimum Calophyllum canum Calophyllum carrii Calophyllum cerasiferum Calophyllum collinum Calophyllum cordato-oblongum Calophyllum coriaceum Calophyllum costatum Calophyllum curtisii Calophyllum dasypodum... Species Garcinia atroviridis Garcinia benthami Garcinia cambogia - citrin, gambooge Garcinia hanburyi - Hanburys garcinia Garcinia hessii - lemon saptree Garcinia indica Garcinia kola - bitter kola Garcinia lateriflora Garcinia livingstonei - Livingstones garcinia, imbe Garcinia mangostana - mangosteen Garcinia merguensis Garcinia multiflora Garcinia myrtifolia Garcinia portoricensis Garcinia schombucgkiana Garcinia xanthochymus Garcinia is a... Species 450-500; see text Diospyros is a genus (including what used to be Maba) of about 450-500 species of deciduous and evergreen trees. ... Species About 1000; see text Vernonia is a large genus of plants in the family Asteraceae, named for English botanist William Vernon. ...

The other major habitat type in the ecoregion is the shola-grassland complex, found at elevations of 1,900 to 2,220 m. Shola is a stunted forest, with an upper story of small trees, generally Pygeum gardneri, Schefflera racemosa, Linnociera ramiflora, Syzigium spp., Rhododendron nilgiricum, Mahonia nepalensis, Elaeocarpus recurvatus, Ilex denticulata, Michelia nilagirica, Actinodaphne bourdellonii, and Litsea wightiana. Below the upper story is a low understory and a dense shrub layer. These shola forests are interspersed with montane grasslands, characterized by frost- and fire-resistant grass species like Chrysopogon zeylanicus, Cymbopogon flexuosus, Arundinella ciliata, Arundinella mesophylla, Arundinella tuberculata, Themeda tremula, and Sehima nervosum. Shola is a type of high-altitude stunted evergreen forest found in southern India. ... Schefflera is a plant in the family Araliaceae. ... This article is about the plant. ... Species About 70 species Mahonia is a genus of about 70 species of evergreen shrubs in the family Berberidaceae, native to eastern Asia, the Himalayas, North America and Central America. ... Species see text Elaeocarpus is a genus of tropical and subtropical evergreen trees and shrubs. ... This article is about the plant type. ... Species about 50; see text Michelia is a genus of flowering plants belonging to the Magnolia family (Magnoliaceae). ... Species 200-400, including: Litsea is a genus of evergreen or deciduous trees or shrubs belonging to the Laurel family, Lauraceae. ... Montane grasslands and shrublands is biome defined by the World Wildlife Fund. ... An area of grass-like plants Grass generally describes a monocotyledonous green plant characterized by slender leaves, called blades, which usually grow arching upwards from the ground. ...

Fauna

The ecoregion also supports a rich fauna, which is also high in endemism: of 78 mammal species, 10 are endemic, along with 42% of the fishes, 48% of the reptiles, and 75% of the amphibians. Of 309 bird species, 13 are endemic. Orders Subclass Multituberculata (extinct) Plagiaulacida Cimolodonta Subclass Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Subclass Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Eutheria (excludes extinct ancestors) Afrosoricida Anagaloidea (extinct) Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Dinocerata (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata (extinct) Perissodactyla Pholidota Plesiadapiformes... The Guppy, also known as guppie (Poecilia reticulata) is one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species in the world. ... Orders See text. ... For other uses, see Amphibian (disambiguation). ... Orders Many - see section below. ...

The ecoregion supports India's largest elephant population, along with populations of threatened tiger (Panthera tigris), leopard (Panthera pardus), sloth bear (Melursus ursinus), gaur (Bos gaurus), and wild dog (Cuon alpinus). The rare and endemic Nilgiri tahr (Hemitragus hylocrius) is limited to a 400 km band of shola-grassland mosaic, from the Nilgiri Hills in the north to the Ashambu Hills in the south. The lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus) and Nilgiri macaque (Semnopithecus johnii) are endangered endemic primate species. Genera and Species Elephantidae (the elephants) is a family of pachyderm, and the only remaining family in the order Proboscidea. ... Binomial name Panthera tigris (Linnaeus, 1758) Tigers (Panthera tigris) are mammals of the Felidae family and one of four big cats in the panthera genus. ... Binomial name Panthera pardus (Linnaeus, 1758) Leopards (Panthera pardus) are one of the four big cats of the genus Panthera. ... Binomial name Melursus ursinus (Shaw, 1791) The Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus) is a nocturnal bear with shaggy fur. ... Binomial name Bos gaurus H. Smith, 1827 The Gaur (Bos gaurus, previously Bibos gauris) is a large, dark-coated ox of the hilly areas of South Asia and Southeast Asia, which may be found wild or domesticated. ... A wild dog can refer to: Pariah dogs, which are feral domesticated dogs Some species of canines that might or might not be closely related to the domestic dog but that somewhat resemble them and are usually called dogs rather than, for example, wolves or other designations. ... Binomial name Nilgiritragus hylocrius (Ogilby, 1838) The Nilgiri Tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius) ungulate native to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western Ghats range in Tamil Nadu and Kerala states of southernmost India. ... Map of The Nilgiris district The Nilgiris or Blue Mountains are a range of mountains and a district in the south-Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. ... Type Species Simia inuus Linnaeus, 1758 = Simia sylvanus Linnaeus, 1758 Species See text. ... Families 15, See classification A primate (L. prima, first) is any member of the biological order Primates, the group that contains all the species commonly related to the lemurs, monkeys, and apes, with the latter category including humans. ...

90 of India's 484 reptile species are endemic to the ecoregion, with eight endemic genera (Brachyophidium, Dravidogecko, Melanophidium, Plectrurus, Ristella, Salea, Teretrurus, and Xylophis). Almost 50% of India's 206 amphibian species are endemic to the ecoregion, with six endemic genera (Indotyphlus, Melanobatrachus, Nannobatrachus, Nyctibatrachus, Ranixalus, and Uraeotyphlus).

Protected areas

As of 1997, 13 protected areas had been designated, covering an area of over 3,200 km².

• Pushpagiri (60 km²)
• Talakaveri 250 km²)
• Brahmagiri (190 km²)
• Aralam (50 km²)
• Karimpuzha (230 km²)
• Mukurty National Park, Kerala (60 km²)
• Silent Valley National Park, Kerala (110 km²)
• Megamalai (120 km²)
• Periyar National Park, Kerala (540 km²)
• Anamalai (600 km²)
• Eravikulam National Park, Kerala (97 km²)
• Parambikulam (260 km²)
• Idukki (80 km²)
• Shenduruny (300 km²)
• Kalakad-Mundanthurai (290 km²)
• Peppara (40 km²)

Silent Valley National Park is a National Park in Palakkad district, Kerala, India. ... Category: Translation requests ... A national park located along the Western Ghats in the Idukki district of Kerala in India. ...

See also

• Malabar Coast moist forests
• South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests