Dispersal modes of woody species from the northern Western Ghats, India

The dispersal modes of 185 woody species from the northern Western Ghats (NWG) were investigated for their relationship with disturbance and fruiting phenology. The species were characterized as zoochorous, anemochorous and autochorous. Out of 15,258 individuals, 87 % showed zoochory as a mode of dispersal, accounting for 68.1 % of the total species encountered. A test of independence between leaf habit (evergreen/deciduous) and dispersal modes showed that more than the expected number of evergreen species was zoochorous. The cumulative disturbance index (CDI) was significantly negatively correlated With zoochory. (P < 0.05); on the other hand no specific trend of anemochory with disturbance was seen. The pre-monsoon period (February to May) was found to be the peak period for fruiting of around 64 % of species irrespective of their dispersal mode. Further studies pertaining to dispersal strategies along a disturbance gradient can be initiated to develop insights into questions such as how disturbance affects community structure.