Liana Diversity and Their Ecosystem Services in Tropical Dry Evergreen Forest on the Coromandel Coast of India

Abstract

Lianas constitute one of the most important components and play a vitalrole in structural and functional aspects of tropical forests. Fewstudies have reported the ecosystem services offered by lianas. Thischapter presents the research conducted in eighteen tropical dryevergreen forest (TDEF) sites on the Coromandel Coast of India toinvestigate various ecosystem services rendered by the liana life-form.Lianas in the studied sites contributed a total of 56 species to forestplant biodiversity and added 15,224 individuals to forest stand. Atindividual sites, liana species richness ranged from 11 species ha(-1)to 31 species ha(-1) and the density contribution ranged from 408individuals ha(-1) to 1,658 individuals ha(-1). The proportion of lianasto total woody species (lianas + trees) richness ranged from 0.38 to0.53 and the proportion of stem density varied from 0.29 to 0.62. To thetotal forest aboveground biomass, lianas contributed 411.26 Mg. Further,lianas in our sites provide valuable resources to various faunal groupschiefl y the forest foliar herbivores, florivores and frugivores. Amongthe leaf-eaters, beetles and lepidopteran larvae formed the major foliarherbivores. Bees and butterflies are the major fl oral resource users,while birds consumed major fruit resources of TDEF ecosystem. Lianasalso offer important livelihood to local people by providing variousedible products and feed for cattle. Further lianas offer valuablemedicinal resources, 49 species being used for the treatment of variousailments. Sustainable use of resources offered by lianas would helplong-term species survival and hence, the need for conservation of lianaspecies is emphasized useful to, forest wealth and human health.