Congruence of endemism among four global biodiversity hotspots in India

Thirty-six global biodiversity hotspots harbour high concentrations of species and endemism1 . India accommodates in parts four hotspots, viz. the Himalaya (44.37% of global hotspot), Indo-Burma (5.13%), Sundaland (1.28%) and the Western Ghats (64.95%) that exhibit high levels of floral and faunal diversity. Based on data on endemic plants collected, we present hotspot-wise congruence in plant endemism using field sampling data from 1264, 1114, 78 and 1004 plots in the Himalaya, Indo-Burma, Sundaland and the Western Ghats respectively, using nested quadrates of 0.04 ha laid based on stratified random sampling2 . Among the four hotspots, the Himalaya hosts highest endemic richness (345 species), followed by the Western Ghats (217), Indo-Burma (96) and Sundaland (25)