Taxonomic estimates of climbing plants in India: how many species are out there?

Abstract

We present the first-ever attempt to estimate the taxonomic diversity of climbing plants in India, following the recent APG IV classification. We used more than 100 published and unpublished sources spanning more than a century to compile the extensive list of climbers. Our study revealed that the climbing plants in India are phylogenetically diverse, representing 2624 species radiated across 585 genera and 104 spermatophyte plant families. About two-thirds of the total climbers enumerated from the present study are lianas. Scramblers, in particular, are exclusively woody, unlike twiners and tendril climbers. The diversity of climbing mechanisms varied significantly across the 104 climber families. We also present the revised list of global climbing plant families, adding significantly to the existing dataset. We found that the climber diversity data collected exclusively from the ecological inventories or the taxonomic records underestimated the actual climber diversity by a significant margin. We discuss some of the key constraints in developing a climber database and recommend a replicable model, integrating ecology and taxonomy-based enumerations for the most precise estimate of climber diversity within a defined geographical area. The baseline data generated through our research will find applications in many ecological, taxonomic, phylogenetic, and evolutionary studies on climbers.

Climbing mechanisms and the diversification of neotropical climbing plants across time and space

“…Climbers have been reported as particularly susceptible to undercollection, perhaps because their reproductive structures tend to be restricted to forest canopies (Gentry, 1991; Pandi et al ., 2022). Also, they can occupy a large horizontal space throughout the vegetation, emerging from the ground and rooting again many times (Gerwing et al ., 2006).…”

“…This highlights the importance of revisiting and improving biodiversity surveys within poorly collected tropical areas (e.g. Pandi et al ., 2022), where groups tend to be extremely diverse and less well known than in temperate areas (Grace et al ., 2021).…”

Patterns of liana diversity and host interaction networks in selectively logged and unlogged forests of Uppangala, Western Ghats, India

“…The family composition of lianas varies greatly across tropical forests, yet there is some regularity at the continental level. The Annonaceae, Apocynaceae, Asclepiadaceae, Capparaceae, Combretaceae, Fabaceae, Loganiaceae, and Vitaceae were among the most commonly collected climbing plant families recorded in inventories in Asia, especially in India and China (Babu & Parthasarathy, 2019, 2022; Chettri et al., 2010; Lü et al., 2009; Muthumperumal & Parthasarathy, 2010; Muthuramkumar & Parthasarathy, 2000; Pandi et al., 2022). Family composition‐wise, this study site has floristic affinity with the abovementioned study sites.…”

“…The relative dominance pattern of the climbing mechanisms was identical in the logged and unlogged forest, despite significant differences in species richness and abundance of individual climbing mechanisms. Stem twining is the dominant climbing mechanism, and several studies (Addo‐Fordjour & Rahmad, 2015; Burnham & Revilla‐Minaya, 2011; Cai, 2007; Chittibabu & Parthasarathy, 2001; Dewalt et al., 2000; Ding & Zang, 2009; Muthumperumal & Parthasarathy, 2010; Muthuramkumar & Parthasarathy, 2000; Pandi et al., 2022; Putz & Chai, 1987; Senbeta et al., 2005) have reported similar findings in different tropical forests. The scramblers ranked second in species richness, whereas the hooked climbers ranked second in stem density.…”

“…Lianas (woody vines) are pervasive and diverse in highly seasonal tropical forests (Pandi et al., 2022). They are one of the principal functional types of tropical forests that maintain a three‐dimensional structure (Péerez‐Salicrup et al., 2004; Schnitzer, 2018).…”