Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41580417›Full record

ArticleScientific reports2026

Climate-induced shifts in habitat suitability of forest types and adaptation strategies in the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu, India.

Andimuthu Ramachandran, Mithilasri Manickavasagam, S Hariharan, S Kanmani, M Mathan, S N Ahamed Ibrahim, S Pavithrapriya, P Praveenkumar, R Geetha, K Sathyapriya and 5 more

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In one paragraph

Article in Scientific reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

15 authors.

Andimuthu RamachandranCentre for Climate Change and Disaster Management, Department of Civil Engineering, CEG Campus, Anna University, Chennai, 600 025, India.
Mithilasri ManickavasagamSericulture, Central Silk Board, Bangalore- 560 068, India. mithilasri.tnau@gmail.com.
S HariharanCentre for Climate Change and Disaster Management, Department of Civil Engineering, CEG Campus, Anna University, Chennai, 600 025, India.
S KanmaniCentre for Climate Change and Disaster Management, Department of Civil Engineering, CEG Campus, Anna University, Chennai, 600 025, India.
M MathanCentre for Climate Change and Disaster Management, Department of Civil Engineering, CEG Campus, Anna University, Chennai, 600 025, India.
S N Ahamed IbrahimCentre for Climate Change and Disaster Management, Department of Civil Engineering, CEG Campus, Anna University, Chennai, 600 025, India.
S PavithrapriyaCentre for Climate Change and Disaster Management, Department of Civil Engineering, CEG Campus, Anna University, Chennai, 600 025, India.
P PraveenkumarCentre for Climate Change and Disaster Management, Department of Civil Engineering, CEG Campus, Anna University, Chennai, 600 025, India.
R GeethaCentre for Climate Change and Disaster Management, Department of Civil Engineering, CEG Campus, Anna University, Chennai, 600 025, India.
K SathyapriyaCentre for Climate Change and Disaster Management, Department of Civil Engineering, CEG Campus, Anna University, Chennai, 600 025, India.
Divya Subash KumarCentre for Climate Change and Disaster Management, Department of Civil Engineering, CEG Campus, Anna University, Chennai, 600 025, India.
K A Yasar ArafathCentre for Climate Change and Disaster Management, Department of Civil Engineering, CEG Campus, Anna University, Chennai, 600 025, India.
V S Vijaya KumarCentre for Climate Change and Disaster Management, Department of Civil Engineering, CEG Campus, Anna University, Chennai, 600 025, India.
L BalajiCentre for Climate Change and Disaster Management, Department of Civil Engineering, CEG Campus, Anna University, Chennai, 600 025, India.
Kurian JosephCentre for Climate Change and Disaster Management, Department of Civil Engineering, CEG Campus, Anna University, Chennai, 600 025, India.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Climate change poses a critical threat to forest ecosystems, particularly in biodiversity hotspots such as the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu. This study aims to assess the current and future habitat suitability of dominant tree species representing evergreen, deciduous, and thorn forests using the MaxEnt species distribution model under the SSP2-4.5 climate scenario. A total of 240 geo-referenced occurrence points, along with 19 bioclimatic and topographic variables, were used to predict species-specific habitat changes for the near future (2021-2050), based on downscaled EC-Earth3 CMIP6 climate data. The model projects a significant decline in habitat suitability for evergreen (- 248.72 sq. km) and deciduous (- 720.21 sq. km) forests, while thorn forests are expected to expand by + 968.93 sq. km. District-level analysis highlights hotspots of change, such as Coimbatore (- 50.41 sq. km in evergreen and + 74.46 sq. km in thorn forest) and Erode (- 182.83 sq. km in deciduous and + 184.45 sq. km in thorn forest). These shifts are primarily driven by rising temperatures, increased precipitation seasonality, and changing elevation-related microclimates. The projected expansion of xerophytic thorn forests and concurrent contraction of mesic forests underscores a potential biome-level transition that may reduce biodiversity, alter carbon dynamics, and increase ecological vulnerability. To address these risks, adaptive strategies such as invasive species control, fire management, soil and water conservation, and multi-layered afforestation using native species are recommended. The findings emphasize the need for climate-resilient forest management, community-based conservation, and long-term ecological monitoring. This study offers spatially explicit insights to inform policy and conservation planning under a changing climate.

Indexed as

Adaptation, PhysiologicalClimate ChangeEcosystemForestsBiodiversityConservation of Natural ResourcesIndiaTreesClimate change adaptationForest ecosystemsHabitat suitabilitySpecies conservationWestern Ghats biodiversity

Identifiers

PMID41580417
PMCPMC12848090

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LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.