Indian Western Ghats Food Web
Terrestrial
Tropical & Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests
Western India — Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Maharashtra
Description
The Western Ghats of India are a global biodiversity hotspot with high endemism among amphibians, reptiles, and plants. Monsoon rains drive a seasonal pulse of productivity in these tropical forests. Asian elephants migrate along forest corridors connecting fragments, while lion-tailed macaques are endemic canopy specialists.
Trophic Pyramid
Level 5
Decomposers
Termites
Tropical decomposing fungi
Millipedes
3 species
Level 4
Tertiary Consumers
Bengal tiger
Indian leopard
Dhole
3 species
Level 3
Secondary Consumers
King cobra
Malabar pit viper
Crested serpent-eagle
3 species
Level 2
Primary Consumers
Asian elephant
Nilgiri tahr
Lion-tailed macaque
3 species
Level 1
Producers
Dipterocarp trees
Bamboo
Cardamom plants
3 species
Apex Predators
Tertiary Consumers
Secondary Consumers
Primary Consumers
Producers
Key Interactions
- Asian elephants maintain forest-grassland mosaics through tree felling and trail creation
- King cobras prey on other snakes including pit vipers and rat snakes
- Dholes hunt in packs and can drive leopards and tigers from kills
- Monsoon rains trigger synchronized breeding in hundreds of endemic frog species