Western Ghats of India: Rich source of microbial biodiversity

Introduction Western Ghats of India, though covering an area of 180,000 km2, or just under 6% of the land area of India, contain more than 30% of all plant, fish, herpeto-fauna, bird, and mammal species found in India. Starting from southern tip of Gujarat and extending from Satpura Range in the north traversing through the States of Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala, hills of Western Ghats ends at southern tip of India, standing tall at an altitude of 2695 m (Anamudi) in Kerala. Being the “gene pool” harbouring millions of species of animals, plants and microbes, the heritage unit of UNESCO grants a section of Western Ghats lying in the states of Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat with a “heritage tag”. In August, 2011, Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) designated entire Western Ghats as an Ecologically Sensitive Area (ESA) and, assigned three levels of ecological sensitivity to its different regions. Unique biodiversity of Western Ghats are protected and conserved through the establishment of biosphere reserves, national parks and several wildlife sanctuaries (Table 1). Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve comprising 5500 km2 of evergreen forests of Nagarahole; deciduous forests of Bandipur National Park; Nugu in Karnataka and adjoining regions of Wayanad; Mudumalai National Park and Mukurthi National Park in the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu forms the largest contiguous protected area in Western Ghats. Silent Valley National Park located in Nilgiri Hills in Palakkad district of Kerala is one among the last tracts of virgin tropical evergreen forest in India. Within an area of 237.52 km2, it houses a rich mosaic of varied habitats forming a unique preserve of natural rainforests. Analyses of conservation outcomes reveal the presence of 332 globally threatened species and thousands of endemic species in the forests and hill ranges of Western Ghats with over 450 birds and 5000 vascular plants species, of which 35% and 30% respectively are endemic1, besides a vast array of fresh water fishes, invertebrates and amphibians, which are endemic to the region. Among various ranges of organisms in Western Ghats, microorganisms are a vast array of novel and unidentified microbes, which could be explored for potential applications. This review presents data on microbial diversity of Western Ghats of India, with an emphasis on exploiting them for potential applications for socio-economic development of India.