The Indian experience
Climax is reached when succession proceeds without disturbance and the vegetation type is in complete equilibrium with the environment. As climate appears to be the most important factor in determining the climax, it was also called the climatic climax by some people. According to F E Clements, a well-known ecologist, all other factors like soil, topography and biota are of secondary importance. He believed in the monoclimax theory, in which there is only one climatic climax.
The monoclimax theory is not applicable in the Indian context because of the diversity existing in the climatic, soil, biotic and topographic conditions. The broader, polyclimax theory has been adopted and accepted in India. Ecologists have recognised various climaxes, like climatic, edaphic, biotic and topographic.
The various types of climatic climax includes the evergreen forests of the Andamans and Western Ghats; tropical deciduous and sal forests of northern and central India; the tropical moist deciduous teak forests of Cape Commorin; the tropical dry deciduous teak forests away from the coast (inland); Himalayan sub-tropical pine forests above 2000 feet; and the Himalayan moist temperate forests containing oaks, birches and others below 2000 feet.
Edaphic climax refers to a community developed due to the influence of soil factors. This type includes forests like cane/bamboo forests occurring near the streams in tropical, moist parts of the northeast. The Cypress forests arising on limestone rocks of the Himalayan moist temperate region; Euphorbia and Acacia senegal forests arising on sand/quartz deposits in thorny, sparsely forested western parts of the country merging with the desert region. The Xylia xylocarpa forests occupying the lateritic soils of the semi-evergreen forests, occurring in pockets in the eastern parts. Butea forests arising on clayey or poorly drained, dry soils found in central India, parts of Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Gujarat and Babul forests rising on the black cotton soils of the Deccan.
Topographic climax is influenced by altitude. The Himalayan temperate forests consisting of mainly oak below 10,000 ft and the upper Himalayan forests consisting of oak and fir above 10,000 ft. The chir forests also occur along with the oak and fir at nearly the same elevation. Biotic climax is generally caused by human interference, sometimes even causing termination of succession. The vegetation so altered appears to be nearly stable.
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