The subtropical dry evergreen forests are found in the western Himalayas, the Bhabar, and the Shiwaliks up to 1000 meters above sea level.
Distribution
- Found in the Bhabar, the Shiwaliks and the western Himalayas up to about 1000 metres above sea level.
Climatic Conditions
- The average annual rainfall is only 800 millimeters.
- The majority of the precipitation falls between October and December, during the brief northeast monsoon.
- During the extended dry season, high temperatures can reach a scorching 44°C or higher.
- The amount of yearly rainfall generally decreases from east to west along the front of the Siwaliks range.
Characteristics
- Low scrub forest with small evergreen stunted trees and shrubs.
- Olive, acacia modesta and pistacia are the most predominant species.
Flora
- The flora and fauna of the ecoregion have adapted to the hot, dry climate.
- The trees’ roots and stems have expanded, storing water for use during the dry season.
- Water loss is prevented by thick, waxy coatings on the leaves.
- The original vegetation’s larger, emergent trees have mostly vanished.
- Thus there are only forests with a shrubby, closed-canopy forest structure that rarely exceeds 10 meters in height.
Fauna
- Animals too have developed techniques to survive in the absence of water.
- The chinkara, sometimes known as the Indian gazelle, can survive for long periods of time without drinking water, surviving on dew and water from the plants it eats.
- Many smaller species, such as frogs and insects, hibernate in the mud during the dry season.
- Carnivores like the wild dog, sloth bear, common leopard, and jungle cat prey on herbivores like blackbuck, chinkara, and little Indian chevrotain or mouse deer, among others.
Importance
- Transitional forest ecosystems such as scrub and thorn woodlands are frequently created because subtropical dry evergreen forests have a wide climatic range.
- They provide valuable timber and thereby boost the employment generation directly and indirectly..
- Subtropical Dry Evergreen Forest has a rich and diverse fauna and flora.
- They’re also essential in terms of carbon storage.
- They have the ability to store large amounts of carbon in their biomass and soils.
Also Read :Subtropical Pine Forests
