Search

Cliffs in India, as understudied rock outcrops, provide valuable opportunities for studying plant communities. This study quantifies the plant communities on basalt cliff faces in the Northern Western Ghats (NWG) region of India, aiming to explore floristic composition and examine vegetation responses to environmental variations. We employed the Plant Functional Types (PFTs) classification system, which is particularly well-suited for the unique characteristics of the cliff ecosystem. We recorded 231 vascular plant species across 39 locations spanning altitudes from 100 m to 1300 m and latitudes from 15° to 21° N, using the transect-quadrat method. A total of 480 quadrats measuring 1-m² were sampled across 80 transects on the cliff faces. Nine PFTs were identified in NWG cliffs with dominance of carnivores and therophytes. We examined the impact of environmental filters on PFT distribution and their interactions through bivariate and multivariate analyses. Significant variations in PFTs were observed across altitudinal and latitudinal gradients. The principal component analysis identified temperature and precipitation as primary influencers, outweighing altitude and latitude. Redundancy analysis indicated that stress-tolerant PFTs predominated in hotter, drier conditions, whereas stress-avoidant PFTs thrived in areas with higher precipitation, typically found at lower to mid altitudes. Our study underscores a stronger correlation between plant communities on cliff faces and altitude rather than latitude in the NWG. In conclusion, our study elucidates the characteristics of cliff vegetation in the Northern Western Ghats, emphasising the pivotal roles of temperature, precipitation, and seasonality as significant environmental factors influencing plant community structures across our study sites.

IntroductionPrenatal mental health problems are associated with morbidity for the pregnant person, and their infants are at long-term risk for poor health outcomes. We aim to explore how the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic affected the mental health of pregnant people in the United Kingdom (UK), and to further identify resilience factors which may have contributed to varying mental health outcomes. We also aim to examine the quality of antenatal care provided during the pandemic in the UK and to identify potential inadequacies to enhance preparedness for future events.MethodsDuring June-November 2020, we recruited 3666 individuals in the UK for the EPPOCH pregnancy cohort (Maternal mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Effect of the Pandemic on Pregnancy Outcomes and Childhood Health). Participants were assessed for depression, anxiety, anger and pregnancy-related anxiety using validated scales. Additionally, physical activity, social support, individualized support and personal coping ability of the respondents were assessed as potential resilience factors.ResultsParticipants reported high levels of depression (57.05%), anxiety (58.04%) and anger (58.05%). Higher levels of social and individualized support and personal coping ability were associated with lower mental health challenges. Additionally, pregnant individuals in the UK experienced higher depression during the pandemic than that reported in Canada. Finally, qualitative analysis revealed that restrictions for partners and support persons during medical appointments as well as poor public health communication led to increased mental health adversities and hindered ability to make medical decisions.DiscussionThis study revealed increased mental health challenges among pregnant individuals in the UK during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. These results highlight the need for reassessing the mental health support measures available to pregnant people in the UK, both during times of crisis and in general.