ABSTRACT Among different forms of biodiversity, endemic species exceptionally experience a higher risk of extinction and therefore merit urgent research attention and conservation priority. In India—one of the world's megabiodiverse countries—the availability of biodiversity data is largely insufficient, thereby hampering the national and global conservation efforts. To bridge these knowledge gaps, here we present a novel biodiversity dataset on endemic trees of India. Leveraging this dataset, we ask: what is the extent of diversity in the endemic tree flora of India, how is it distributed, and what are its key climatic and environmental drivers? The dataset documents 737 endemic tree taxa, including 693 species, 9 subspecies and 35 varieties in India, which represent ~20% of the country's total tree flora. We found that the distribution of the endemic tree flora varied significantly across different regions of this continental‐scale country, with southern and eastern states harboring the highest diversity (64%). Similarly, the regions falling under the wet tropical biome harbor the highest proportion of endemic tree species (~65%). Out of the 13 selected drivers, temperature seasonality showed maximum contribution (~33%) in explaining the variation of endemic tree species distribution across the country, followed by temperature annual range, mean diurnal range, forest cover and elevation width. To date, only 222 species (~30%) have been evaluated for threat status, while the majority (70%) still remain unevaluated. Looking ahead, we highlight the scope of our findings in advancing biodiversity synthesis research in this world's most populous country and in guiding national conservation and restoration efforts with wide implications.
Mugal et al. (Sun,) studied this question.