The –Lakshadweep–Maldives–Lakshadweep–Chagos Archipelago tropical moist forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in South Asia. It spans a chain of coralline islands in the Indian Ocean, including Lakshadweep (Laccadive Islands), a union territory of India; the Maldives, an independent country; and the British Indian Ocean Territory, an overseas territory of the United Kingdom.
Geography
The ecoregion is made up of low islands made mostly of coral sand, generally no more than 5 meters above sea level, and surrounded by extensive coral reefs. The islands rest on the Chagos–Laccadive Ridge, an oceanic ridge and plateau, and extend 2,550 km north and south across the equator, from latitude 14º N to 8º S. Lakshadweep lies to the north, 300 km west of India's southwest coast. Lakshadweep consists of 36 small islands between 8º - 14º N, with a total land area of 32 km2. The Maldives are the largest island group, with approximately 1190 islands between 7º N and the equator. The Chagos Archipelago lies between 5° and 8° S, and constitute the British Indian Ocean Territory. Diego Garcia, a huge atoll, is the largest of the Chagos islands.
The coral sand that makes up the islands comes from the skeletons of reef corals which have been broken up into fine particles by wave action. Wind, waves, and currents form islands from the sand. The coral reefs provide the raw material for the islands, and the reefs provide protection from erosive waves and currents that allows the islands to form and persist. Coral sand is highly porous, and water and organic nutrients quickly leach through it. The islands' small size, low relief, and porous soil mean that, despite high rainfall, they have no running streams; rainfall percolates 1–3 meters below the ground to shallow freshwater aquifers lying above salt water.
Climate
The climate of the island is tropical and equatorial, with warm temperatures that stay relatively constant throughout the year. Rainfall occurs mostly with the April-to-October southwest monsoon, and there is a dry season from December to March associated with the northeast monsoon off the Asian continent. Rainfall varies from 1600 mm annually in dry parts of Lakshadweep to 3,800 mm per year in the southern Maldives.
Flora
The vegetation on the islands is dependent on the underlying soils. Pioneer plants colonize areas of fresh sand, and stabilize them. Areas with infertile soil are generally covered with sedges and shrubs that can tolerate drought and salt spray. Sedges of genus Cyperus and the shrub Scaevola taccada are the most common. In the Laccadive Islands the low tree Argusia is sometimes found with the sedges and shrubs.
Where plant cover persists over time, organic material can accumulate in the soil and sustain larger and more diverse plants. Tropical rain forests grow where soils and fresh water are favorable. Most of the original forests have been cleared for coconut plantations and other crops, but small areas of native vegetation remain, some disturbed and others relatively intact.