Certain observed and likely ecological responses to climate change in Central Himalayas Singh Surendra P.1, Singh Vishal2 1Chair, Forest Ecology and Biodiversity, Forest Research Institute, Dehradun-248006, Uttarakhand, India. Email id: surps@yahoo.com 2Fellow, Centre for Ecology Development and Research (CEDAR) 41/I, Vasant Vihar, Dehradun-248006, Uttarakhand, India. Email: cedarhimalaya@gmail.com Abstract Evidences indicate that the Himalayas are warming at a higher rate than the global average. The study, briefly analyses: (i) evidences of climate change in the Himalayan region, (ii) ecological responses to climate change based on known ecophysiology of major species of the region and other mountain ranges and (iii) species distribution caused by climate change and anthropogenic disturbances. This study discusses important research questions on the impact of climate change on regeneration strategies of species with recalcitrant and orthodox seeds and how climate change will combine with other anthropogenic pressures. A major likely impact is the disruption of synchrony between the arrival of monsoon and germination of recalcitrant seeds with short seed viability. This strategy worked well in the pre-climate change situation as it allowed seedlings to take benefit of the entire monsoon period (moist and warm) and seeds to escape from predation. Change in the altitudinal range of the plant species in the warming Himalayas is evident. Whereas species find hard to survive in the lower margins, extension in the altitudinal range in the upper margin is restricted by several factors: seed dispersal efficiency, competitive outcome and other anthropogenic disturbances. Top Keywords Range shift, Ecophysiological traits, Altitudinal range shift, Monsoon, Global warming, Climate change. Top |