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Selective logging disrupts forests, changing their structure and species composition. Long-term monitoring helps in identifying the factors influencing it and aids in designing management plans. We conducted a quantitative re-assessment of trees ≥ 30 cm girth at breast height in four 1 ha plots in logged and two 1 ha plots in adjacent unlogged compartments of Uppangala forest continuum in the Western Ghats, India to compare the structural and compositional changes after a decade (2010-2021). Altogether, four species disappeared and three species were newly recruited. Mean species richness and stem density of both the forest sites decreased. Logged plots showed a slight increase in basal area (2.5%) and biomass (5.1%), whereas unlogged plots showed a decline in basal area (3.92%) and biomass (2.9%). As compared to unlogged plots, all the demographic rates were higher for logged forest sites. Across the six individual plots, the growth rates varied significantly owing to wood density and forest strata categories. Non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) identified three groups with significant difference in species composition, where logged and unlogged plots have a distinct composition except for one plot. Although species richness and stem diversity remained stable, the species composition is different 37 years after logging, and the impacts of logging are still evident in the forest.

Data capturing multiple axes of tree size and shape, such as a tree's stem diameter, height and crown size, underpin a wide range of ecological research-from developing and testing theory on forest structure and dynamics, to estimating forest carbon stocks and their uncertainties, and integrating remote sensing imagery into forest monitoring programmes. However, these data can be surprisingly hard to come by, particularly for certain regions of the world and for specific taxonomic groups, posing a real barrier to progress in these fields. To overcome this challenge, we developed the Tallo database, a collection of 498,838 georeferenced and taxonomically standardized records of individual trees for which stem diameter, height and/or crown radius have been measured. These data were collected at 61,856 globally distributed sites, spanning all major forested and non-forested biomes. The majority of trees in the database are identified to species (88%), and collectively Tallo includes data for 5163 species distributed across 1453 genera and 187 plant families. The database is publicly archived under a CC-BY 4.0 licence and can be access from: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6637599. To demonstrate its value, here we present three case studies that highlight how the Tallo database can be used to address a range of theoretical and applied questions in ecology-from testing the predictions of metabolic scaling theory, to exploring the limits of tree allometric plasticity along environmental gradients and modelling global variation in maximum attainable tree height. In doing so, we provide a key resource for field ecologists, remote sensing researchers and the modelling community working together to better understand the role that trees play in regulating the terrestrial carbon cycle.

Forests across the globe have been exploited for resouces, and over the years the demand has increased, and forests are rather exploited instead of sustainable use. Focussed research on vegetation and forerst dynamics is necessary to preserve biodiversity and functioning of forests for sustanence of human life on Earth.This article emphasis that the India has a long history of traditional knowledge on forest and plants, and explorations from 17th century on forests and provided subsequent scientific approach on classification of forests. This also explains the developments of quantitative approach on the understanding of vegetation and forest diversity. Four case studies viz., Mudumalai, Sholayar, Uppangala, Kakachi permanent plots in the forests of Western Ghats has been explained in detail about their sampling methods with a note on the results of forest monitoring. In the case of deciduous forests, the population of plant species showed considerable fluctuations but basal area has been steadily increasing over time, and this is reflecting carbon sequestration. In Sholayar, a total of 25390 individuals of 106 woody species was recorded for < 1 cm diameter at breast height in the first census of the 10 ha plot in the tropical evergreen forest. In Uppangala, 1) a 27- year long investigation revealed that residual impact of logging in the evergreen forests and such forests would take more time to resemble unlogged forests in terms of composition and structure; 2) across a similar temporal scale, the unlogged plots trees < 30 cm gbh showed a more or less similar trend in mortality (an average of 0.8% year-1) and recruitment (1%). The Kakachi plot study revealed that 1) endemic species showed least change in stem density and basal area whereas widely distributed species showed greater change in both; 2) The overall recruitment of trees was 0.86 % per year and mortality 0.56% per year resulting in an annual turnover of 0.71% ; 3) majority of the gap species had high levels of recruitment and mortality resulting in a high turnover.Such studies can be used as early warning system to understand how the response of individual plants, species and forests with the climatic variability. In conclusion, the necessity of implementation of national level projects, the way forward of two such studies: 1) impact of climate change on Indian forests through Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE) colloborations and 2) Indian long term ecological observatorion, including the sampling protocols of such studies. This will be the first of its kind in India to address climate change issues at national and international level and helps to trace footprints of climate change impacts through vegetation and also reveals to what extent our forests are resilient to changes in the climate.

MotivationThe BioTIME database contains raw data on species identities and abundances in ecological assemblages through time. These data enable users to calculate temporal trends in biodiversity within and amongst assemblages using a broad range of metrics. BioTIME is being developed as a community-led open-source database of biodiversity time series. Our goal is to accelerate and facilitate quantitative analysis of temporal patterns of biodiversity in the Anthropocene.Main types of variables includedThe database contains 8,777,413 species abundance records, from assemblages consistently sampled for a minimum of 2 years, which need not necessarily be consecutive. In addition, the database contains metadata relating to sampling methodology and contextual information about each record.Spatial location and grainBioTIME is a global database of 547,161 unique sampling locations spanning the marine, freshwater and terrestrial realms. Grain size varies across datasets from 0.0000000158 km2 (158 cm2) to 100 km2 (1,000,000,000,000 cm2).Time period and grainBioTIME records span from 1874 to 2016. The minimal temporal grain across all datasets in BioTIME is a year.Major taxa and level of measurementBioTIME includes data from 44,440 species across the plant and animal kingdoms, ranging from plants, plankton and terrestrial invertebrates to small and large vertebrates.Software format.csv and .SQL.

International audience; BIOTIK is a computer-aided application dedicated to identifying and to providing a knowledge base on tree species occuring in the evergreen forests of the Western Ghats (a world biodiversity hotspot). The knowledge base covers about 528 species. The application allows a user to identify a species through a visual interface (IDAO), completed with graphical representations of characters and their different states. It builds a virtual tree on screen, based on the character states selected by the user and also suggests possibilities for missing or erroneous information. Once the species has been identified, it provides a resume of botanical and ecological information in local languages (Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam) and in English, besides the photographs of characters. The application caters to a wide range of users like students and researchers who can use it as a self-learning tool, foresters and para-taxonomists as decision support system in forest management.

International audience; Calophyllum pascalianum, a medium sized tree occuring along the riverbanks in the southern Western Ghats of India, is described and illustrated. The species is different from the other allied species by its linear-oblong to linear-lanceolate leaves that are c. 7 times longer than broad. The population of the species in the type locality is threatened by the presence of a dam in the upstream.